Waterbury

About Waterbury

The primary purpose of Waterbury is flood risk reduction. The dam is designed to control downstream flooding by temporarily storing excess water during storms and releasing it at a controlled rate. The dam is owned by State Of Vermont - Dec (state). It impounds the Little River near Waterbury.

The dam stands 187 feet tall and stretches 2,130 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 850 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 88,000 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 109 square miles. Completed in 1938, the structure is well-established, with more than 75 years of service.

This dam carries a high hazard potential classification, which means that a failure or uncontrolled release of water would likely cause loss of human life. This classification reflects the consequences of failure, not the likelihood — it indicates that people live or work in the area downstream. Its condition is rated poor, meaning the dam has recognized safety deficiencies that require remediation to address risks. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 08/03/2017. That was 8 years ago, which is on the longer end for a high-hazard structure.

At 187 feet, this dam is taller than 99% of all dams in the United States.

Living Downstream

If you live or work downstream of this dam, consider taking these steps: learn your local evacuation routes, check whether your county emergency management office has a dam failure inundation map, and sign up for local emergency alerts. The Vermont dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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