PRESS RELEASE – December 20, 2022
Contact – Lyn Munno, Watersheds United Vermont
In 2019, Watersheds United Vermont (WUV) received a Project Development and Technical Support Block Grant through the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Clean Water Initiative Program (CWIP) to subgrant funds to watershed groups to develop water quality improvement projects. From 2020 through 2022. WUV subgranted over $180,000 through this grant program to support clean water project development work across the state of Vermont.
These funds were used by watershed groups for getting landowners, municipalities and other partners “on board” with projects to improve water quality and to move projects towards design and implementation. Watershed groups used these funds to develop projects of the following types: stormwater improvement, riparian plantings, dam and culvert removal, river restoration, and wetland restoration.
Through this funding, WUV was able to support the following watershed groups to perform project development activities: White River Partnership, Connecticut River Conservancy, Friends of the Mad River, Friends of the Winooski River, Lewis Creek Association, Missisquoi River Basin Association, Franklin Watershed Committee, and Memphremagog Watershed Association. With this funding, the above watershed groups developed over 50 clean water projects that are now ready for design and implementation. These watershed groups also worked on an additional 200 projects. This project development work will set the stage for the implementation of water quality improvement projects in the years to come leading to clean water and healthy watersheds across Vermont.