ADDISON COUNTY — Through a grant provided by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, the Otter Creek Conservation District will be providing broader services to landowners and the public in support of the Vermont Clean Water Act (VCWA). Activities began late in 2017 and will extend through the fall of this year.
The grant provides support for conservation districts to conduct targeted outreach, coordinate monitoring programs to support science-based water quality investments, organize local workgroups, and develop priority water quality projects among other services. As part of this body of work, conservation districts and regional planning commissions 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 needed to protect or restore specific watersheds through the state. The Otter Creek Conservation District will be focused primarily on the Otter Creek Basin Plan this year, working 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 stormwater master planning and river corridor planning, and ultimately provide a vehicle to strategically address regional water quality priorities.
The State Natural Resources Conservation Council will be overseeing this effort and working closely with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. For more information, contact Pamela at [email protected].