Casella is still investigating what happened, but the company filed a report with state regulators that says the spill happened because the foam fractionation system malfunctioned.

Casella says the system is rigged with an alarm and two “flood switches” that should have disabled the machine when it started to leak.

“All the measures failed to alarm and engage, despite weekly observation and maintenance to ensure proper functioning,” Casella wrote in its report.

Restoration work aims to enhance fish habitat, protect and improve water quality, and increase flood resiliency. While the Johns is the smallest of the four major rivers that flow into Lake Memphremagog, sections of it sustain over 2,000 fish per mile. The restoration project aims to restore natural stream habitat and important flood storage areas on a former farm situated along the river bottom near Beebe Plain.

MWA is delighted to welcome Ben Applegate to join our team this summer! Ben is currently a master’s student in the University of Vermont’s Field Naturalist Program and will be working with MWA as a part of his degree requirements to complete a master’s research project. Ben has lived in the NEK for the past…