The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) Basin Planning Process has been underway for Basin 14 since 2004.  Basin 14 includes the lands and area drained by the Ompompanoosuc, Stevens, Waits and Wells Rivers. The underlying objective of the Basin Planning Process is to protect the high quality surface waters of the basin and to restore those waters of the basin that do not meet the Vermont Water Quality Standards. DEC is working collaboratively with other state, federal, non-profit and volunteer organizations, and local residents for input, funding, technical assistance, and public education for various water quality improvement projects identified through the watershed planning process.

Watershed Councils & the Watershed Plan

Watershed Councils have been formed for each of the Wells, Waits, Ompompanoosuc, and Stevens watershed areas representing a diverse mix of stakeholders within each drainage.  All four Watershed Councils have identified issues of concern in their respective watershed and helped to draft strategies to address each of these issues.  While each watershed has its own set of unique issues, many of these are similar between the four watersheds and include the following:

• Nonpoint source pollution: addressing sediment, nutrients, pathogens and runoff from developed lands, agricultural lands, and forested lands.
• Lake & pond issues: addressing invasive species, shoreline development, mercury and acidification, wetland restoration and protection.
• Transportation related pollution: addressing issues of sediment, stormwater runoff, encroachment on floodplains, and barriers to fisheries and wildlife from roads, railroads and parking lots.
• Stream corridor issues: addressing streambank erosion, flooding, lack of riparian buffers and reduced habitat quality.
• Increasing awareness about water quality issues in the community
• Specific water quality impairments: addressing such issues as abandoned copper mines, elevated phosphorus levels, and elevated E. coli bacteria levels.

Watershed actions already initiated

The basin planning process does not wait for the plan to be completed in order to begin implementing projects. Concurrent to the planning process, other groups and agencies are working in the watershed to address the most pressing concerns.  Some noteable current or past actions in Basin 14 include:

• Strafford Conservation Commission’s River Corridor Plan for the West Branch of the Ompompanoosuc River
• Elizabeth Mine superfund cleanup by the Environmental Protection Agency (see link below)
• Stevens River Geomorphic Assessment and associated sediment attenuation projects
• Stevens River volunteer water quality sampling (see link below)
• Bridge and culvert surveys of all four watersheds in Basin 14
• Waits River Phase 1 Geomorphic Assessment

DEC is pleased to announce the release of the Final Basin 14 Water Quality Management Plan that has been duly adopted by the Agency of Natural Resources.

• Click here to download a copy of the Final Basin 14 Water Quality Management Plan (PDF, 2.5 MB).
• The appendices to the Final Basin 14 Plan can be downloaded by clicking here (PDF, 616 KB).
• The status of strategies (as of 2/1/09) in the Basin 14 Water Quality Management Plan can be checked by downloading the Basin 14 Report Card here (PDF, 115 KB)

DEC appreciates all the time, commitment and assistance which the many interested persons gave towards developing the management plan for waters in the basin 14 drainage area.  Hard copies of the management plan can be requested by contacting the person named below.  Copies of the plan will also be available on CD upon request.

For more information regarding Basin 14, the basin planning process and Watershed Councils, watershed actions or if you would like to learn more about and attend future meetings of any of the respective Watershed Councils within Basin 14, contact Ben Copans.

Ben Copans

Watershed Coordinator

Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, Water Quality Division

1229 Portland Street

St. Johnsbury, VT  05819

Phone: 802.751.2610

Fax: 802.748.6687

Email: Ben.Copans@state.vt.us

• Connecticut River Watershed Council
• Connecticut River Joint Commissions
• New Hampshire Charitable Foundation - Upper CT River Mitigation & Enhancement Fund
• Guidelines for Watershed Planning (pdf, 374 KB)
• Map of Vermont's 17 River Basins
• The Legacy of the Elizabeth Mine
• Vermont Clean and Clear Action Plan

Updated: July 2008