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The Story of the Alstead Recovery GivenAlstead, New Hampshire (October 22, 2007) - The story of the Alstead recovery was recently told at the Soil and Water Conservation Society’s (SWCS) New Hampshire/Vermont Chapter annual meeting in Alstead. The tour and presentations were held October 5, 2007 at the Town Hall and participants were able to visit the construction sites where the stream banks of Warren Brook and Cold River have been stabilized over the past year.
Presenters at the tour reflected how many people came to Alstead’s aid after the devastating 2005 flood that killed four people and damaged homes and businesses. The morning contained presentations from the Alstead Historical Society, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, Horizon Engineering, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), New Hampshire Department of Transportation, and the Town of Alstead.
Deborah Weymouth, District Conservationist, is the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program coordinator. EWP is a Federal Disaster Program established by Congress to relieve imminent threats to life and property caused by declared natural disasters. EWP is authorized to stabilize and protect what remains after a disaster, not to replace what’s lost or already destroyed.
NRCS engineers came from in state as well as Ohio, Kansas, and Massachusetts, and created 89 engineering designs. NRCS engineering staff came from New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Illinois, and Pennsylvania, and completed 73 design surveys and conducted engineering inspections at all job sites.
“Choking is a somewhat unique process to partially fill the voids within the placed stone blankets that reinforce the banks with soil capable of sustaining vegetation,” Hansalik explained. “This action balances the need to resist erosion by ice and water with the objective to address the health of the river ecosystem.” NRCS funding for exigency (areas that could be severely damaged or destroyed at any moment) work was $484,000. In October 2006, $8.2 million more was received as requested by the NRCS. The town of Alstead has received $5.2 million to date, with an additional $1 million of work planned before the project concludes this fall. Other towns who requested USDA flood recovery assistance received $1.7 million. This provided assistance primarily focused on removing massive obstructions on stream banks and within stream channels which threatened homes and bridges. In addition to direct financial assistance, participating towns received, at no cost, NRCS engineering assistance valued at several hundred thousand dollars.
The NRCS EWP team is now installing a massive vegetation project that will create riparian buffers and wildlife corridors. The establishment of approximately 30,000 native woody plants will vegetate the created flood plains; earthen as well as “choked” stone reinforced banks; and upland areas. Native trees still on the banks will naturally provide the seed source for large tree establishment. Invasive species control will also be done during the 12-month period subsequent to the vegetation contract work. “The people of Alstead were traumatized by the flood,” Hansalik said. “While no effort can replace what was lost or destroyed, the stabilization work will provide protection during future events. The restoration of Warren Brook and Cold River really won’t be finished until the banks are re-vegetated and the stream bed adjusts over time through natural processes.” For more information about the Soil and Water Conservation Society contact Nick Comerci at 802-748-3885 x101 or Nicholas.comerci@vt.usda.gov. For more information about USDA-NRCS contact your local NRCS field service center or Conservation District. To locate the one nearest you visit New Hampshire NRCS on the web at www.nh.nrcs.usda.gov.
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