Request for Proposals Johnsons Mill Dam Removal and Bogue Branch Channel Restoration Final Engineering Design

Release Date: July 14, 2020 Proposals Due: July 24, 2020

Contact for Proposals: Brodie Haenke Conservation Specialist, Franklin County Conservation District Natural Resources Conservation Service Field Office 50 South Main St. #20 St. Albans, VT 05478 802-528-4180 [email protected]

Introduction and Purpose

The Franklin County Natural Resources Conservation District (the District) is requesting that engineers who are licensed to practice in submit proposals for a final engineered design for removal of Johnsons Mill Dam, located on Bogue Branch in Bakersfield, VT. Proposals must be submitted in PDF format and emailed to [email protected] no later than July 24, 2020.

The District is acting as project manager on behalf of the landowner, Steve Cooper, who has requested assistance with the removal of the dam to restore the Bogue Branch to a free-flowing state and to improve water quality, flood resilience, and aquatic organism passage (AOP) in the Basin. This project has been funded by an agreement awarded by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission in partnership with the Lake Champlain Basin Program. This project received additional funding from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation.

Location

The Johnsons Mill Dam is located adjacent to the owner’s home at 2159 Witchcat Road in Bakersfield, Vermont. Mr. Cooper owns the property on either side of the dam.

Coordinates: 44.831641, -72.755615

Taken November 15, 2019 – Brodie Haenke (FCNRCD) stands upstream of the Johnson Mill Dam’s stop-log channel that breached during the October 31, 2019 storm.

History and Description

Data from the Vermont Center for Geographic Information states that the Johnsons Mill Dam was built in 1928 to power a saw mill. A map published by F. W. Beers & Co. indicates a sawmill by a different name was operational at the Johonsons Mill Dam site at the time of its publication in 1871. The dam is a stone and concrete structure that is approximately 125 feet long and is keyed into its bedrock foundation. In 2016, dam safety engineers from the Department of Environmental Conservation noted the dam is partially breached, in poor condition, and recommended the owner consider removal. It is classified as “low hazard” by the Vermont Dam Safety Program. The dam impounds less than 500,000 cubic feet of water and sediment and is not subject to regulation under 10 V.S.A. §1082. In October 2019, high water levels from an intense rainstorm caused a breach at the dam’s old stop-log channel and resulted in a significant release of sediment downstream.

The Johnsons Mill Dam is located in Bakersfield, VT along the Bogue Branch, a tributary to the (HUC 12: 041504070401). The Tyler Branch (Waterbody ID: VT06-06) is a major tributary to the and drains 59 square miles in the towns of Bakersfield and Enosburg and lesser extents of Belvidere, Sheldon, and Fairfield. Elevation in the Tyler Branch ranges between 3,261 ft. at the north peak of the Cold Hollow Mountains in the southeastern portion of the watershed to 350 ft. at its confluence with the Missisquoi River downstream of Enosburg Falls in the northwestern portion of the watershed. The drainage area at the dam is approximately 8.64 sqaure miles.

Project

The goal of the District and the landowner is the complete removal of the dam and associated structures and restoration of the stream channel.

One goal of the project is to improve aquatic organism passage for the relatively abundant population of brook trout both upstream and downstream of the dam. The TNC’s Dam Screening Tool states that removal of the dam will reconnect 22 stream miles of aquatic habitat.

When the District and our partners began pursuing the removal of the Johnsons Mill Dam, we were particularly concerned about the large volume of fine, nutrient-rich sediment impounded behind the dam and the potential for its release to receiving waterbodies in the event of a dam failure. Despite our efforts to remove the dam before a sudden failure could occur, the Johnsons Mill Dam’s stop-log channel breached during an intense rainstorm on Halloween 2019 and resulted in a significant release of sediment downstream.

Scope of Services

The District seeks proposals for the following:

1. Prepare a design for removal of the dam and associated channel restoration. The design would include items such as project footprint, extent of dam removal, estimate of sediment removal volume, location of likely stabilization measures, channel restoration specifications, and a recommendation on construction access. This includes working with local, state, and federal regulators and technical staff to incorporate feedback on 30% designs into the final design and continue to solicit feedback on the final plans to ensure water quality and aquatic organism passage goals are achieved.

2. Work with the Conservation District to identify and complete local, state, and federal permits necessary to complete the dam removal.

3. Develop a refined engineer’s opinion of probable project cost for the removal based on the final plans.

4. Participate in one on-site meeting (organized by FCNRCD) with federal, state, and local regulators.

5. Prepare a set of design plans and design memorandum.

6. Prepare construction bid documents for removal of the dam and participate in one on-site mandatory pre-bid meeting with contractors. Be available to answer questions from contractors during bidding process.

7. Perform construction oversite of the dam removal. Funding and Method of Payment Funding for the RFP is contingent upon available funding. Funding originates from an agreement between the Lake Champlain Basin Program, Vermont Natural Resources Council, and the District and the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. All payments will be made after satisfactory completion of each deliverable as outlined in an agreement between the Franklin County NRCD and the selected entity.

Project Timeline

The District set a goal to implement the removal of the dam in Fall 2020. The District and our partners are reassessing the feasibility of our timeline due to unforeseen delays related to COVID-19 and will continue to work towards that original goal while remaining flexible given the circumstances.

Proposal Contents: The proposal should include the following sections: • A description of the approach to be taken in addressing the scope of services detailed above. Specific tasks need to be thoroughly described. • A schedule identifying major project milestones. • A description of the firm’s related experience and a statement demonstrating familiarity and experience with similar projects. • A list of staff who will be part of the project team, brief description of their qualifications, and their hourly rates. • An itemized list of labor costs for each task in the scope of services and a lump-sum figure for direct expenses. • A description of any tasks that will be subcontracted, including the names of possible subcontractors.

Type of Contract: The District anticipates that, if a contract is entered into as a result of this RFP, it will be a fixed price contract for the tasks identified in the Scope of Services.

Site Visits: The landowner has made the site available for visits for any work related to the dam removal. If you wish to visit the site, please contact Brodie Haenke.

Background Information: A 2016 Vermont Dam Safety Program inspection report is available upon request. The 30% design completed by Stone Environmental is also available upon request.

Selection: Selection will be based on approach, qualifications and cost. The preferred consultant must have prior river restoration experience and have successfully designed and implemented dam removal projects. Experience with Vermont regulatory and design requirements is preferred, although not required. The District reserves the right to amend, modify or withdraw this RFP, require supplemental information from candidates, reject any or all proposals received, and negotiate separately with competing candidates.

Submittal: Email proposals in pdf format to Brodie Haenke ([email protected]) by July 24, 2020. Evaluations will be completed by July 28, 2020 and all respondents will be promptly notified.

Questions: Questions about this RFP should be addressed to Brodie Haenke, Franklin County NRCD, at 802-528-4180 or [email protected]. .