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White River Basin Plan
The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) and the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) appreciate all the time, energy and input that interested parties contributed
to the development of the White River Basin Plan (finalized and adopted in November 2002) and to the wide variety of water quality
improvement projects already undertaken or currently underway. A copy of the
adopted plan is available below. To receive information
about the planning process, please contact Jim Ryan (476-0132).
White River Basin Plan (pdf, 1.4 MB)
White River Basin Plan Update
DEC has begun the process of updating the White River Basin Plan. The new plan will follow a new process referenced in the Vermont Statewide Surface Water Management Strategy developed in March 2011. The Strategy can be inspected by going to this web address: http://www.vtwaterquality.org/swms.html.
Under the Statewide Surface Water Strategy, top water quality stressors have been prioritized at the State level. State technical assistance and funding priorities for monitoring and assessment and restoration and protection of water resources will closely follow the State’s Surface Water Management Strategy. As part of this Strategy, the process of developing basin plans has changed to a Tactical Basin Planning approach. This approach is outlined at: http://www.vtwaterquality.org/wqd_mgtplan/swms_ch4.htm.
The Tactical Basin Planning process will identify actions that will address top water quality issues and stressors at the local level in the White River basin as well as addressing top statewide stressors. The new updated plan will identify specific actions that will be implemented in high priority sub-watersheds of the White River basin.
In addition to developing an updated Tactical Basin Plan for the White River basin, DEC’s Watershed Coordinator will be working closely with watershed partners and other state and federal government organizations to implement watershed assessment, restoration, protection, and outreach projects throughout the basin.
For more information about the update of the White River Basin Plan, contact DEC Watershed Coordinator Jim Ryan at (802) 476-0132 or jim.ryan@state.vt.us
Notice: At the request of
ANR and DEC, the Vermont Water Resources Board
initiated rulemaking to amend the Vermont Water Quality Standards
to re-classify surface waters within the drainage area as recommended in the White River Basin Plan.
The Board had considered proposing to re-classify all Class B waters in the White
River Basin to Water Management Type One, Two or Three as depicted
in the maps accompanying the Plan and to re-classify Lake Casper
in Royalton from Class A(2) to Water Management Type Two.
In February 2005, the Water Resources Board sought public comment on the proposed
amendments to the Vermont Water Quality Standards and scheduled
two public hearings. One hearing was held
at St. John's Church in Randolph, Vermont; the second was held at the Hotel Coolidge in White River Junction, Vermont. The Water Resources Board also accepted written comments on the proposed amendments through March 2005.
The Water Resources Board (currently known as the Water Resources Panel) asked ANR and DEC to withdraw its petition for re-classification and water management typing. The rule for the typing and re-classification of surface waters in the White River basin remains unsettled and has not been finalized. ANR and DEC are working with the Water Resources Panel to arrive at a mutually agreeable approach towards water management typing which is science-based, sustainable and practical to implement and transparent to all interested and affected persons.
In 2009 the Vermont Legislature directed the Two Rivers Ottauquechee Regional [Planning] Commission to prepare and submit to the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources by January 31, 2011 their recommendations concerning water management types for Class B waters in the White River Basin. The Commission’s recommended types are revealed in the materials noted below.
Disclaimer: Posting of these materials should not be construed as an endorsement by VTDEC.
Additional Resources
Updated: January 2012
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Watershed Management Division 
dec calendar 
