Watershed groups and partners across Vermont are working to protect and restore Vermont’s waters. These groups implement clean water projects to improve water quality in our rivers, streams lakes and ponds. When water quality problems and potential solutions are identified, watershed groups and partners step in to develop projects. These clean water issues are often on private land, the solutions might involve multiple landowners, and the projects can include many partners working through complex solutions. Watershed groups work with the landowners and partners to gain interest, collaborate with municipal committees and state agencies, investigate the best approach to obtain water quality benefits, assess costs and other factors – all to prepare projects for formal design and for implementation.
Watersheds United Vermont (WUV) was pleased to have a Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Project Development Block Grant to subgrant funds directly to watershed organizations to develop these clean water projects in the state. These subgrants were for watershed groups to explore priority projects to get landowners, municipalities and other partners “on board” with projects to improve water quality and to move projects closer to implementation.
Through an application and review process, WUV awarded $39,500 in eight subgrants to seven watershed organizations. Awards were granted to: Friends of Northern Lake Champlain, White River Partnership, Friends of the Mad River, Memphremagog Watershed Association, Lewis Creek Association, Missisquoi River Basin Association and the Friends of the Winooski River. Many of the projects focus on developing stormwater management projects to reduce nutrient and sediment runoff into our tributaries. Other groups developed projects focused on river corridor easements, lakeshore restoration, and river restoration projects. A few examples of the project development work include: exploring stormwater improvements in Richford; further developing identified stormwater management project priorities in the Mad River; a design to mitigate gully erosion in Plainfield, designs for lakeshore restoration in the Memphremagog watershed; and landowner outreach and stormwater concept design in Hinesburg.
Like so much else during 2020, Covid-19 impacted project development this year. Much of this work is dependent on interaction with landowners, partners and municipal officials. Watershed groups worked through the challenges, adjusted their approach as necessary, and were able to make substantial progress in developing clean water projects.
Through this grant, watershed groups have moved more than 30 projects closer to implementation. It is the hope that watershed groups will now apply for designated funding to implement these projects in the coming years. It is also important to recognize when projects are not worth pursuing at this time. In some cases, groups determined that projects may not be possible in the near term due to landowner interest, municipal or partner buy-in, funding constraints, adverse natural resources impacts or other feasibility impediments.
WUV has additional funding from the Vermont DEC to support watershed groups with new project development work in 2021. Applications are due to WUV in January. This work would not be possible without the support of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. And these projects would not be developed without the commitment and expertise of Vermont’s watershed groups. WUV will continue to work to support watershed groups as they develop and implement projects to protect and restore Vermont’s waters.