Extreme US weather live: fears Vermont dam could overflow and worsen flooding; 42m under
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Fears Vermont dam could overflow and worsen Montpelier flooding
City officials are raising concerns that a dam near Montpelier would overflow given intense flooding, spilling excess water into Montpelier’s downtown area.
Early Tuesday, Montpelier police warned of a “potentially dangerous situation” involving the Wrightsville Dam near the city.
The dam had only 6ft of storage capacity left at around 4.00 am eastern standard, as officials warned that water could spill over into Vermont’s North Branch river and increase flooding damage in Montpelier.
“This has never happened since the dam was built so there is no precedent for potential damage,” wrote police in a warning posted to social media.
As of 11.44 am, the dam has only 1 foot of capacity remaining, the Montpelier Bridge reports.
Wrightsville Dam is just one-foot from capacity as of 11:30 a.m. according to @vtmontpelier . "Every additional foot of water that goes over the spillway doubles the amount of water entering the City from the dam. We are continuing to monitor this situation." #vermontflood2023
