Propane Tanks on the River

A video from the neighboring town of Woodstock.

It shows propane tanks floating down the Ottaquechee River. Our town manager said they looked like marshmallows as they floated by. According to Vermont Digger, 200 propane tanks from West Woodstock (Dead River Fuels) are stuck in Quechee Gorge. Some are leaking: note the "smell of propane" mentioned in this video. Removing the tanks from the river will not be easy. The tanks are stuck in Quechee Gorge, and I have heard that nobody is allowed over the Quechee Gorge bridge for fear of setting off an explosion.

Quechee Gorge bridge is in my township, though not close to me. (Thank heavens.)

West Hartford (also in my township) is hard-hit. I meet most Tuesday nights with some women at the West Hartford library. The library was flooded, and the main road to the village is impassible. The White River flooded it and apparently destroyed parts of the road (I have not seen it, I just know it is closed.) The bridge at West Hartford is so damaged that cars cannot cross it, though pedestrians can.

Huge concerns for the people of my hard-hit township. My family is okay, and I will return to blogging about my usual subjects--pretty soon.

Bridges, Dams and Nuclear Plants: The Hurricane in Vermont

Bridges

Two short videos below show the covered bridge at Quechee being attacked by floodwaters from Hurricane Irene. This bridge is next to one of Vermont's most beautiful restaurants, Simon Pearce. I believe Simon Pearce is also flooded. Quechee is in Hartford township, my township.

(My house is okay. I am not trying to worry people here. I am just trying to say that this is "in the neighborhood.")

Dams

Green Mountain power may have to release water from Marshfield Dam. As Green Mountain Power said in their press release this evening:

The heavy rains have significantly increased water levels behind GMP’s dams, reaching levels that are potentially dangerous. At our Marshfield dam, record water levels are approaching the top of the dam. Because it is an earthen dam, water cannot be allowed to flow over its top. We are prepared to take emergency measures to protect the integrity of the dam. If necessary, the flow of water through the dam will be increased, which will result in greater flows of water all along the Winooski River.

Releasing the water into the Winooski poses problems, because the Winooski flows through Montpelier, and Montpelier is already being flooded. The latest Montpelier City Update for Hurricane Irene says that flood levels are currently similar to the May floods this year. Here's a video of the May floods.

Update Monday Aug 29 a.m. The water did not top the Marshfield dam, and the water did not have to be released down the Winooski to cause even more problems in Montpelier. However, while the dam is being inspected, the 350 families that were evacuated cannot return home.

Nuclear Plants

Nothing interesting going on. All Entergy plants in the Northeast continue safe operations after Irene. As I would expect.

Planning and forethought pay off.