This settlement will pay dividends to Vermonters forever. GMP owns and operates several dams on the Winooski River. The Attorney General's complaint also notes that this stretch was partially restored when Hurricane Floyd's heavy rains washed most of the silt further downstream. The Attorney General's Office also alleged that GMP repeatedly violated flow requirements at its Essex 19 dam, between Williston and Essex Junction, in the spring and summer of 1999 by increasing flows and rapidly decreasing flows downstream of the dam. Dam owners in Vermont have an obligation to manage their operations responsibly.
Lake sturgeon are a Vermont-listed endangered species.
Flow fluctuations can kill fish eggs by drying them out and exposing them to sunlight. The settlement also requires GMP to develop comprehensive operating procedures to assure full implementation of all water quality requirements at each of its dams. These procedures have to be approved by the Agency of Natural Resources. The settlement was filed with the Washington County Superior Court this morning.