The Department of Wildlife Resources is encouraging members of the public to review and comment on several potential plans for Gardy’s Millpond and dam at the Thursday, May 28 open house. The event is being held from 5:00 - 7:00 pm at Callao Volunteer Fire Department (314 Northumberland Hwy, Callao).
The public can drop in between 5:00 and 7:00 pm to talk with DWR staff and engineers from Hurt and Proffitt and ask questions about the dam and pond.
There are numerous concerns about the breach and the subsequent closure. As NAPS pointed out soon after the breach, “Gardy’s Millpond is the only freshwater launch on the NAPS Paddler's Guide to Northumberland County [PDF], listed in the Yeocomico River Detail Map [PDF].”
Other boaters also use the launch or fish the pond from the dock as is seen in My Nephew TORE EM UP at GARDY'S MILLPOND and Gardys Mill Pond Virgina COLD Front Winter Bass Fishing #bassfishing #gardysmill.
Limitations on using the pond for fighting fires are of concern as well.
The breach
On May 10, 2025, a breach in the dam at Gardy’s Millpond was detected. DWR wrote in their release about the breach and emergency closure,
On Saturday, May 10, DWR was notified of a possible breach of the Gardy’s Millpond Dam by VDOT. The dam is located in Northumberland County on Hampton Hall Branch, a tributary of Yeocomico River, which flows into the Potomac River. DWR staff were immediately dispatched to the site and observed erosion occurring around a box culvert emergency spillway on the dam. DWR notified the state dam regulatory authority, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), and began efforts to lower the upstream reservoir surface elevation below that of the breach to limit further damage to the dam. On Sunday May 11, DWR issued emergency declarations for the imminent failure of the dam.
Currently [May 12, 2025], a DWR contractor is onsite and beginning emergency stabilization of the dam, including installing sandbags around the eroded portion to the left of the box culvert, to reduce further damage to the dam itself and to help protect associated infrastructure.
Gardy’s Millpond: Emergency Closures
Due to a breach in the dam at Gardy’s Millpond, Route 617 (Gardy’s Mill Rd.) is closed to ALL traffic. The DWR public boat ramp, located off Route 617, is also closed. Currently there is no timeline for the reopening of the road or boat ramp. The public is advised not to recreate on the pond at this time and to stay clear of the area.
About Gardy’s Millpond and mills
Gardy’s Millpond, which is also referred to as Gardy Millpond, is located in Northumberland and Westmoreland counties, off of State Route 617 off of Route 202, about three miles northwest of Callao. The pond is on the Hampton Hall Branch tributary of the West Yeocomico River. The West Yeocomico flows into the Yeocomico River, a 1.1 mile-long tidal tributary which ends at the Potomac River.
“The pond is privately owned, but the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries [now known as the Department of Wildlife Resources] has an agreement to allow public fishing.” (Gardy’s Millpond 2019 Fisheries Management Report (PDF)). According to the site Snoflo, Gardy Millpond Dam
is a state-regulated structure primarily used for recreation purposes. This earth dam stands at a height of 10 feet with a length of 500 feet, providing a storage capacity of 800 acre-feet and a surface area of 75 acres. While the dam has a low hazard potential, its condition assessment is currently rated as poor as of the last inspection in March 2020.
Despite its poor condition, Gardy Millpond Dam continues to serve as a recreational hub for water enthusiasts in the area. Managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation in Virginia, the dam's maintenance and inspection are regularly conducted to ensure public safety and compliance with state regulations. With a designated emergency action plan and low hazard potential, the dam remains a vital component of the local water resource infrastructure. (Snoflo sourced their description from the National Inventory of Dams Gardy Millpond description.)
According to the National Inventory of Dams, maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers, the dam was last inspected March 3, 2022. As was the case in 2020, the condition assessment was rated poor.
The pond and surrounding land was once owned by the Gardy family. According to the Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Society, “The Gardy family owned and operated three mills during a 115 year span. In 1948, the Gardy's sold their gristmills, located by Gardy's Millpond.” One picture of a mill building is below.
