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Letter from current owners of the dam on Amherst Lake.

April 24, 2021

Dear Neighbors,

We wanted to make you aware of circumstances surrounding some activities happening with the dam located between Amherst Lake and Echo Lake, and some changes that have occurred.

Many of you may not be aware, but the dam is privately owned. My husband and I became the owners when we purchased our dream property in Vermont about 3 years ago. We fell in love with this area and the lakes and put very little forethought into being dam owners, not realizing the full implications of what owning a dam means. We were assured that there are many privately owned dams in Vermont, and we assumed we would just figure things out as we went along. The previous owners had a very hands off policy with the dam and that seemed fine with us at the start.

Well, since we closed on our property, we have indeed been learning all about dam ownership. Our first shock was learning that the dam is currently classified as a SIGNIFICANT hazard potential. If the dam were to fail catastrophically, 19 low lying homes and Plymouth State Park in the immediate downstream flood zone could be inundated. Additionally, state inspections performed by the Vermont Dam Safety Program, have rated the dam as being in POOR condition since 2005. The first action we took, with a consulting engineer, was to develop an Emergency Action Plan to reduce the risk of potential human life loss and injury and minimize property damage if there was an emergency event. So what options are open for us to pursue at this point?

We have been working together with the Dam Safety Program in the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation and many other state and regional programs including Vermont Wetlands, Fish and Wildlife, Lakes and Ponds, Shoreland Protection and River Management, to develop a Water Control Plan to accomplish some urgent risk reduction measures. At this point in time, it was deemed necessary to remove the wooden flashboards that sit on top of the concrete portion of the dam. This will significantly decrease the chance for any immediate adverse events and mostly maintains the surface size of Amherst Lake. You will notice some changes in the recent summertime lake levels, which is the reason for this letter which we are sending out to all the addresses of property owners around Amherst Lake.

The removal of the flashboards, however, is only a temporary measure. Further, more extensive measures are being evaluated under current dam safety rules and guidelines. To this end we have applied for and recently received a grant to fund a study from the Vermont Watershed Grants program. Working with the Two Rivers Regional Planning Commission, this engineering feasibility study will be performed this summer and will provide details regarding the necessary costs associated with dam rehabilitation, reconstruction or removal.

You should be aware that as private owners, we are not eligible to access public funding for dam repair or maintenance. Once the feasibility study is performed on the dam, we will have actual dollar amounts to refer to when someone asks, “How much will it be to fix the dam?” Until we have real numbers to reference, we are in a holding pattern. My husband and I have been more than willing to gift the dam to the town of Plymouth or the state of Vermont or really anyone who would want to take on this project. For instance, the dams downstream on Lake Rescue and Lake Pauline are owned by the Town of Ludlow. We will continue to work closely with the Dam Safety Program and many other Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation programs in order to solve this problem. We will continue to keep you (our neighbors) informed of any developments related to the dam.

Deb and Mike O’Loughlin

PO Box 242

1534 Scout Camp Rd.

Plymouth, VT 05056

For anyone interested in seeing an actual copy of the Water Control Plan it is a public record and can be viewed at: