SLR wins ACEC VT Merit Award for Melrose Terrace floodplain restoration project

SLR has been honored by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Vermont (ACEC VT) with a Merit Award for Engineering Excellence on our Melrose Terrace floodplain restoration work in Brattleboro, Vermont.

In an example of forward-thinking flood mitigation, SLR worked with Brattleboro Housing Partnership to restore a previously low-income housing development into a 5-acre floodplain capable of supporting substantial flood water and reducing additional flooding damage from occurring in the area.

About the Melrose Terrace floodplain restoration project

SLR evaluated multiple alternatives before a combination was chosen based on advanced hydraulic modeling to reduce flood risk. The selected alternative involved removing 11 residential buildings with associated infrastructure, removing fill, and restoring the floodplain along the Brook. The project also called for adding an overflow culvert and lowering the road surface at George F. Miller Drive to increase capacity of the roadway connection.

The floodplain restoration has proven its worth during recent flood events in December 2022 and July 2023. As planned, the new floodplain has slowed and stored flood waters, collected sediment and debris that may have blocked downstream bridges, and reduced flooding in the area.

Melrose Terrace floodplain in action

The Town testified at the statehouse following 2023 flooding that Melrose Terrace and other future floodplain restoration projects are key strategies that the Town and partners are taking as “a holistic approach to hazard reduction; we are focusing on social equity, preservation of natural, cultural, and historic resources, and community resilience.”

To learn more about the Melrose Terrace floodplain restoration project, click here.