The dam at North Hartland Lake in Hartland is located on the Ottauquechee River, 1.5 miles above the confluence of the Ottauquechee and Connecticut Rivers. From White River Junction, the dam is five miles south on U.S. Route 5. This is a multi-purpose project built and maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) New England District. Construction began in June 1958 and was completed in June 1961 at a cost of $7.3 million. The project consists of an earthfill dam with stone slope protection 1,640 feet long and 185 feet high. North Hartland Lake can store up to 23.2 billion gallons of water for flood control purposes. This is equivalent to 6.1 inches of water covering its drainage area of 220 square miles. 

The project provides flood protection to downstream communities on the Connecticut River, including Hartland, Windsor, Weathersfield, Springfield, and Rockingham, and the New Hampshire communities of Plainfield, Cornish, Claremont, Charlestown, and Walpole. In conjunction with other reservoirs in the Connecticut River Basin, North Hartland Lake also reduces the Connecticut River’s flood stages in Connecticut and Massachusetts. 

While the main purpose of North Hartland Lake was to provide flood risk management to the Connecticut River Basin, with more than 1,460 acres of land ranging from forests and fields to wetlands and a reservoir, North Hartland Lake has recreation opportunities for everyone. Anglers can try their luck in our annually stocked lake. A boat launch is available for sailors, and this is a popular location for canoeists to launch from and explore the beauties of nearby Quechee Gorge. the Quechee Gorge Visitor Center opened in 2005, and since this time, more than one million people have visited the center. Visitor information, both electronic and brochure format, is available along with interpretive displays about the history of the gorge and local flora and fauna. All project lands and waters are under the jurisdiction of CFR Title 36 regulations, state, and local laws.

Park Rangers use an assortment of management practices to improve or conserve the different habitat types. One such management practice is prescribed burning to maintain important open field habitats at North Hartland Lake. Certain species of wildflowers benefit from this practice while others require wooded areas to grow. Mowing of fields and artificial nest structures are also used to keep the project lands attractive to a variety of game and non-game species. As you walk along the entrance road during the spring, listen for the variety of frogs singing. During the summer, look for wood ducks nesting in the boxes. Forest management, including thinning and harvesting, is also used. Brush piles are assembled in different locations to create cover for small animals.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is updating the North Hartland Lake Master Plan. The Master Plan is the strategic land use management document that guides the comprehensive management and development of all project resources throughout the life of a USACE project. The Master Plan guides efficient and cost-effective management, development, and use of project lands. It is a vital tool for the responsible stewardship and sustainability of project resources for the benefit of present and future generations. The Master Plan guides and articulates USACE responsibilities, pursuant to federal laws to preserve, conserve, restore, maintain, manage, and develop project lands and waters and associated resources. The intent of an updated Master Plan is to present a current inventory and assessment of resources, provide an analysis of resource use, and evaluate existing and future needs required to protect and improve the value of resources at a project.

The current North Hartland Lake Master Plan, last approved in 1999, needs revision to address changes in regional land use, population, outdoor recreation trends, and the USACE management policy. Key topics to be discussed in the revised Master Plan include revised land use classifications, new natural and recreational resource management objectives, recreation facility needs, and special issues such as invasive species management and threatened and endangered species habitat. The Master Plan revision WILL NOT address the technical and operational aspects of the lake related to flood risk management or the water conservation missions of the project. During the process, the team will collect data, conduct analysis, prepare a draft report (which will become available for public and agency comments), and ultimately finalize and adopt the new Master Plan.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will host an open house on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, at the Hartland Public Library to share details on a draft revision process of the North Hartland Lake Master Plan and showcase the existing land use classification maps, which are from 1999. A 30-day public comment period began on [day month], 2025, and will end on [day month],2025.