Stormwater Management Training Held for Watershed Groups and Conservation Districts

Watershed groups in Vermont can play a critical role in smart stormwater management projects to protect water quality and help make our communities more flood resilient. Watersheds United Vermont, Watershed Consulting Associates and AES consulting just held two workshops to increase watershed groups’ capacity as stormwater project managers and to enhance their work with municipalities. More than 30 watershed professionals participated in the trainings spanning all four of Vermont's major watersheds - Lake Champlain, Connecticut River, Lake Memphremagog and Hudson River drainages.

Water quality and flood resilience is inextricably linked to smart stormwater management. On developed lands, water can’t infiltrate into soil or evapotranspire through plants as it once did with natural ground cover. That leaves surface runoff as the major pathway for rainwater once it hits the ground. This causes erosion in stream channels from too much volume and pollution from nutrients, oil and gas, trash, and sediment to transport into streams, rivers, ponds and lakes.

Thanks to a partnership grant from the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Clean Water Initiative, Watersheds United Vermont (WUV) was able to offer two stormwater management trainings for watershed groups and conservation districts – one at the end of June in St. Albans and one in mid-July in Rutland. WUV teamed up with consultants Ann Smith, former Director of the Friends of the Winooski River, where she managed a number of stormwater projects, and Becky Tharp with Watershed Consulting Associates, who has expertise on the technical aspects of managing stormwater with an emphasis on Green Stormwater Infrastructure. 

Watershed groups already assist in a suite of watershed protection activities including: riparian buffer planting, water quality monitoring, dam removals and culvert replacements, and river cleanups. These workshops focused on training watershed groups and conservation districts on the key role they can play as project managers and project collaborators on stormwater projects. The training addressed working with municipalities on developing stormwater masterplans; identifying, selecting, developing, and implementing priority projects; technical information needed by groups including an overview of best practices; and some recommendations on funding projects.

Regulations at the state level aim to control the impact of development on water quality, but much of the development in Vermont either pre-dates these regulations or falls below the threshold as an individual project. Identifying and implementing projects in locations that are contributing excess volume and pollutants is a critical need in order to achieve clean water goals in Vermont. Much of the burden for stormwater project identification and implementation falls on municipalities (often with guidance from Regional Planning Commissions). But more assistance is needed to address the many existing issues. Some local watershed groups and conservation districts across the state have stepped in to act as project managers and project collaborators to aid in the identification and planning for stormwater projects to slow down runoff and better protect infrastructure and, of course, waterways. And many watershed groups have expressed interest in participating in stormwater work but felt they lacked the knowledge and skills to feel confident moving forward.

As a watershed group participant said after the Rutland Training: “I found the training very useful and would now feel more comfortable implementing stormwater projects. I thought the level of content was just right for someone who had some exposure to stormwater but had not implemented any projects to date.” And from a group at the St. Albans training: “I am now able to use lessons learned from existing projects to move my projects forward.”

The training partners recognize that after one training, groups may still need additional guidance. As part of the grant from the Department of Environmental Conservation, the two consultant trainers will offer some post-workshop mentoring to help groups develop projects and prepare to seek funding for implementation.

Before the training, most groups had said they had little to no experience with stormwater projects and most now indicate they are very likely to work on stormwater projects in the next year as a result of their new knowledge. Reducing the negative impacts from stormwater runoff will take a collaborative approach of partners across sectors. Thanks to this small training effort, the work has gained more partners ready to help take on this important role.