Over the last 5 years, organizations across Vermont have been working to design and implement projects to improve water quality in our rivers, streams, lakes, ponds and wetlands. In 2019, Watersheds United Vermont received a Design and Implementation Block Grant from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Clean Water Initiative Program (CWIP) to subgrant funds to watershed groups and other project implementers to complete these water quality improvement projects. The focus of the Design and Implementation Block Grant program was to support projects that reduce sediment and nutrient pollution, including phosphorus, from runoff and soil erosion that discharge into the State’s rivers, streams, lakes, ponds and wetlands. The projects also have numerous co-benefits including riparian and aquatic habitat improvement, flood resiliency, and additional water quality benefits. In December 2024, the Design and Implementation Block Grant Program is coming to an end. Over the 5 year period of the grant, WUV subgranted $2,443,430 to fund a total of 48 projects across the state of Vermont to restore our waters and work towards clean water and healthy and resilient watersheds. Thanks so much to DEC for making this funding available to all of the amazing watershed groups who made this work happen! To read the entire initial press release, Click here. WUV will be doing further outreach to more fully acknowledge the scale of the work performed under this funding source, stay tuned. WUV continues to offer funding support for similar work under the DEC Water Quality Enhancement Development Design and Implementation Block Grant. To view the WUV grants calendar and our Block Grants page for more information about this funding source, Click here.