MIDDLEBURY — Through a grant provided by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, the Otter Creek Natural Resources Conservation District will receive continued support for the Vermont Clean Water Act (VCWA) and the Otter Creek Basin Plan. This is the second year of funding for these efforts and will extend through September of 2019.
The grant provides support for Conservation Districts throughout Vermont to conduct targeted outreach, coordinate monitoring programs to support sciencebased water quality investments, and organize local workgroups, among other services. Conservation Districts, Regional Planning Commissions and other partners will be closely coordinating activities to provide complementary support for the State’s Tactical Basin Planning process.
Tactical Basin Plans help identify and focus efforts to protect or restore specific watersheds throughout the state. The Otter Creek Natural Resources Conservation District will be focused primarily on the Otter Creek Basin Plan, which covers the watersheds drained by the Otter Creek and Lewis Creek. Their combined efforts will work to identify priorities, document progress, and conduct outreach necessary to develop priority projects and garner greater local support and awareness of the Basin Plan’s goals.
Local identified water quality priorities in Tactical Basin Plans are well positioned for development and funding from the State’s Clean Water Initiative. Basin Plans help provide the umbrella for other various planning initiatives, including storm water master planning and river corridor planning, and ultimately provide a vehicle to strategically address regional water quality priorities.
The State Natural Resources Conservation Council (NRCC), the agency that serves Vermont’s 14 Conservation Districts, will be overseeing this effort and working closely with the VT Department of Environmental Conservation. For more information, please contact the Otter Creek NRCD Manager at 802-771-3037.