Flood Recovery

It's been almost two and a half months since the flood and there are still four major roadways closed in Central Vermont.  Yesterday I had the chance to drive up the White River from Bethel to Pittsfield.  Route 107, the one in the photo is still closed.  There was a detour along the river left, on Peavine Road, that allowed me to get around the bridge that is still out.

In this picture you can see the excavator rebuilding a bank that will have to endure the next hundred year episode.  The river is flowing towards us, and you can see the large slump on the right hand bank, torn away by the circling eddy currents that ravaged the inside of the corner.

There has been so much work done in the rivers: clearing debris and repairing bridges, harvesting gravel deposits and fortifying banks.  We haven't had a real test of the work that has been done and nobody knows how the new riverbeds will behave.  We can only hope that they stay in their banks, but as time tells everything will change, the question is where will the changes occur.

I also got a chance to check out the Mad River down in Moretown.  After inspecting the rapid behind the mill I was drawn to the water line that is left on the back of the town hall.  A thick black line had been drawn atop the mark of Irene's turbid water.  It stands at head level.