Cavendish Update 9/25/26: Culvert Care/Flushing/News/Events
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LINKS TO CAVENDISH CONNECTS: Facebook Blue Sky or Website
FREE GO BAGS TODAY: At the BRGNS Rummage today, 10-3 at Fletcher Farms off route 103, the Black River Valley Resources (BRVR) will be distributing free Go Bags (also called Go Kits, Bug Out bags) to those in Cavendish, Ludlow, Mt Holly and Plymouth. You never know when you’ll have an emergency and need to evacuate.
1st Annual CULVERT CARE DAY 10-Noon Fletcher Farm Fields Proclamations by representatives from Cavendish & Ludlow. Learn how to protect culverts, ditches in & around your property. Bring your smartphone to check out the online culvert tool. Site visit a local property to see culvert tools in action. Wear comfortable shoes & bring water.
For more information, e-mail blackrivercleanup@gmail.com
HELP! ASAP the 6th graders at CTES need 4 more refrigerator sized cardboard boxes so they can build their final project for Newton's Laws of Motion. Reach out to Jennifer.Harper@trsu.org or 802-548-7419 if you can help us out.
9/26//26
1. Hydrant Flushing
2. Preparedness Tips for Storm Water Awareness
3. The Community Partnership: Caring for Cavendish culverts, ditches
4. Rural Rivers Project
5. Cavendish Related News
6. Events Calendar
1. NOTICE OF HYDRANT FLUSHING: Cavendish Municipal Water System Monday, September 28th, through Wednesday, September 30th, 2026 During the hours of 8 am to 5 pm System users are reminded that: Flushing hydrants may cause temporary discoloration and turbidity of the water. We apologize for any inconvenience to our users, however this very important system maintenance procedure must be conducted each spring and fall. The flushing program allows the pipes to be purged and the hydrants checked for proper operation. Users are advised to avoid drinking the water or washing clothes (especially whites) while discoloration is in evidence. Following hydrant flushing in your area, users should run cold water until it clears before resuming normal use. It is also a good idea to flush residential water heaters after the water clears following a hydrant flush in your area. Thank you for your cooperation, Cavendish Municipal Water System For additional information call 802-226-7291
2. PREPAREDNESS TIPS FOR STORM WATER AWARENESS For the 2026 list of tips, as well as the Black River Valley Resources (BRVR) handout “Emergency Preparedness,” click here. This week’s tips include:
• Have plans in place including: When instructed to evacuate or shelter-in-place, do so immediately. Set a meet up place in case your family is separated. Plan a place to stay if you cannot return to your home within a week
• Go Kits: Flood, wildfire or any number of other emergencies can happen quickly, leaving little time to think, so it’s important to have a go bag (also called a “ready bag,” or “bug-out bag”) by the door so you can grab and go. The Black River Valley Resources (BRVR) group makes it easy with a free Go Kit that you can pick up at the Cavendish or Ludlow Libraries for those living in Cavendish, Ludlow, Mt. Holly and Plymouth. Wirecutter has a good guide
• Be Storm Savvy: Learn how to protect your property.
3. THE COMMUNITY/TOWN PARTNERSHIP: CARING FOR CAVENDISH CULVERT, DITCHES & DRAINS: In order to help reduce flooding risks in Cavendish, it’s important that there is a community/town partnership. With over 750 town culverts, spread over 39.7 miles, our small town crew can’t check every one each year, let alone clear out the ditches that feed into the culverts and drains.
Note: If a ditch or culvert is on your property, it is your responsibility to maintain them.
Please review the basics below and either download a copy of Be Storm Savvy, or pick up a copy at the town office or from the Cavendish or Ludlow Libraries.
Don’t Pitch in the Ditch: Keep ditches clear of items that can prevent water from moving including: snow; sand; dirt; grass clippings leaves & branches; trash; hazardous materials (e.g. pet waste, oil & gas, paint and pesticides & fertilizers.
Instead: Clear out culverts/ditches every spring and fall
• Look through your culvert with a flashlight to make sure it’s clear
• Take household hazardous waste to HHW Depot at the Alva Waste Transfer Station in Springfield (1050 Charlestown Road) .This service is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays only, from 9am to 12pm, from May through September. All appointments must be made 24+ hours in advance. Call 802-674-9235
Check for Damage: Look for wear or damage to culverts on, or next to, your property. If you see any damage, make repairs or contact the town (802-226-7291) to clarify your responsibility.
• Check for cracks, misalignment and blockages
• Openings should be free of sediment, rubbish and debris
• Remove any obstructions you can see including large branches, overgrown fencing and any other barriers
• Be safe and smart. Don’t enter water higher than your ankles if you can’t see the bottom, only use hand tools (rake, shovel, broom)
• Work in pairs or teams when you can.
CULVERT CARE DAY: The last Saturday in September is Culvert Care Day in the Okemo Valley. Please do necessary checks using the information above. This year, on Saturday Sept. 26th, Culvert Care Day will kick off with a short workshop at Fletcher Fields at 10 am. This is a good time to get questions answered.
4. RURAL RIVERS PROJECT: The Rural Rivers Project is excited to announce a new community science collaboration with the towns of Ludlow and Cavendish, Vt. Over the coming months, researchers Charis Boke, Aletha Spang, and the Rural Rivers team at Dartmouth College will collaborate with municipal officials, local partners, and community members to install new, low-cost, open-source/open-access devices to monitor water levels at key points on the Black and Ottauquechee rivers.
The Social Science, Technology, Rivers, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (SSTREAMnet) project has emerged out of collaborations with the Black River Action Team, Black River Good Neighbors Services in Ludlow, and Cavendish Connects. With the help of Don Blair, of Waterbear Field School, this summer, two community science fellows – Jacob Zinkerman and Jacob Lloyd – worked with the Rural Rivers Project to build the prototype water level sensor that will be installed in Ludlow in Septebmer. Partners through Mutual Aid Disaster Relief and Signals Rising provided additional devices that will be installed in Ludlow and Cavendish.
The goal of this local network of water-level sensors is to give researchers and the public – including town managers, road crews, state floodplain managers, local residents, and others – better information about changes in water levels. This will help inform work to mitigate the impacts of future floods.
5. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS
• GMUSD Board hears need for deep cuts to avoid penalties: The “excess spending threshold” is currently set at $16,470 per student, while GM spends $16,060 per student. Next year, the threshold drops to $16,121. But increases in salaries and health care, among others, will push the district over that. When that happens, the state taxes the district double for the amount spent over the threshold. As next year’s budget is being developed, it has to be at least half a million dollars less than this year’s. And, as the threshold continues to decrease, each year there will have to be another budget cut to keep from incurring the penalty. TRSU Superintendent Layne Millington called that cut “a minimum.” Chester Telegraph
• Act 170 school merger groupings announced, meetings in weeksWhat is good faith? Chester Telegraph
• More low-income seniors in Vermont are now eligible for help paying for Medicare: Thousands more low-income seniors in Vermont became newly-eligible for help paying for Medicare this year when the state changed who qualifies for subsidies. VT Public
• Federal Medicaid Changes Vermont Impact: The Federal Government has passed a new law that brings a wide range of changes to Medicaid. New rules will change how people apply for and stay enrolled in Vermont Medicaid. The new rules will affect some adults aged 19-64 and certain immigrants. Most changes to Medicaid begin in 2027. The Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA) is focused on clearly explaining the changes to Vermonters. We want to keep you informed so you can best plan for you and your family.
6. EVENTS
SEPTEMBER 25 (FRIDAY)- 26 (SATURDAY): Annual BRGN Fall Rummage Sale at Fletcher Farms off route 103. 10-3. Free Go Kits on Friday.
SEPTEMBER 26 (SATURDAY): CULVERT CARE DAY
SEPTEMBER 27 (SUNDAY): 10 am. The Singing Men of Texas-West in concert at the Cavendish Baptist Church, 2258 Main St. Cavendish.
OCTOBER 3 (SATURDAY): 9 am Tracking and the Art of Seeing, Proctor Piper Trail. Join wildlife tracker Rose Richter for a guided walk and learn to read the hidden signs of nature-track, scat and more. This is part of the CCCA’s Walk and Track series.
OCTOBER 7 (WEDNESDAY): 6 pm at the Cavendish Library, “Who Lives Behind Younr House?” Taking pictures with a trail camera with Tim O’Donoghue. Sponsored by CCCA.
OCTOBER 11 (SUNDAY): Last day the Cavendish Historical Society Museum is open for the season. 2-4 pm. FMI: margocaulfield@icloud.com 802-226-7807
OCTOBER 12 (MONDAY): Indigenous Peoples Day. Legal Holiday. Town Office closed
OCTOBER 21 (WEDNESDAY): 6 pm Cavendish Library, Understanding What is Most Ecologically Important in Cavendish with Jens Hilke, Conservation Planning Biologist Vermont Fish and Wildlife Dept. Learn to explore your parcel with Vermont Biofinder. Sponsered by CCCA
OCTOBER 31 (SATURDAY): HAPPY HALLOWEEN. Cavendish Historical Society’s Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) workshop at the Cavendish Library 10-noon. FMI: 802-226-7807 or margocaulfield@icloud.com
• Weathersfield Trunk or Treat 3:30-5:00 at Hoisington Field in Perkinsville, the site of the 18799 Schoolhouse.
NOVEMBER 3 (TUESDAY): VOTE. General Election. Polls are open 10-7 at the Proctorsville Fire Dept.
NOVERMBER 11 (WEDNESDAY): Veteran’s Day Town Office closed
NOVEMBER 26 (THURSDAY): HAPPY THANKSGIVING
NOVEMBER 27 (FRIDAY): Town office closed
