Introduction to the Watershed Survey Process

The Watershed Survey Process will help a lake association, town conservation or planning commission, or other concerned individuals learn about what kinds of problems or activities may be affecting a lake, and to aid decisions about what to do to protect or improve a lake's water quality. In particular the objectives of the Watershed Survey are:

• Identify in-lake and watershed conditions that indicate potential or actual pollution problems and use this information to design solutions;
• Involve community members in learning about a watershed, as community members are best able to take the actions necessary to correct pollution problems; and
• Identify future actions a town or community can take to prevent pollution problems from developing in the future.

Click here (pdf 1.1 MB) for more information. The Lakes and Ponds Section would be pleased to assist in training your group to conduct the survey and provide technical assistance in interpreting your results and taking action. Please contact us!

To see what one of Vermont's lake associations has done with the Watershed Survey visit the Lake Parker (Glover, VT) website.

Updated: September 2006