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Winooski River Basin Planning

Coits Pond, Winooski River headwaters, Cabot

The Winooski River headwaters begin in the Town of Cabot and the water flows 90 miles to Lake Champlain in Colchester. Draining approximately 1,080 square miles in central Vermont, the Winooski River watershed encompasses all of Washington County, about half of Chittenden County, and portions of Lamoille and Orange Counties. The 7 major tributaries of the Winooski River are the Little River, Kingsbury Branch, North Branch, Stevens Branch, Dog River, Mad River, and Huntington River. Over 70% of the Winooski River watershed is forested, and prominent land uses include agriculture (12%), transportation (5%) and developed land (4%). The watershed is home to a wide variety of fish, wildlife, and plant species that are part of a diverse natural community system. For a color map of the Winooski River basin with major tributay watersheds highlighted (pdf, 3.2 MB), click here.

The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) began a watershed initiative in Winooski River watershed with the hiring of a new Watershed Coordinator in the spring of 2006. Working as a team, 2 to 3 Watershed Coordinators will be working within the basin, initiating a comprehensive planning process that will identify and prioritize state and local water quality issues and implement on-the-ground watershed protection and restoration projects. Some watershed protection and restoration measures include establishing riparian buffers, securing riparian easements, assisting towns with updates to town plans and zoning, streambank and gully stabilization, stormwater management, road erosion control projects, and agricultural best management practice implementation. The Watershed Coordinators will collaborate with state, federal and municipal organizations, local conservation groups, businesses, and a variety of landowners and interested citizens to develop the Winooski Basin Plan. The purpose of the basin plan is to protect the values of high quality water resources, and restore the waters which do not meet the Vermont Water Quality Standards.

For more information about this important effort, please contact:

Karen Bates in Essex Junction (802-879-2339) - basin planning for the lower Winooski River basin (Bolton Falls downstream) or

Ryan McCall in Waterbury (802-241-1006) - basin planning for the upper Winooski River basin or

Jim Ryan in Barre (802-476-0132) - water quality projects and basin planning assistance

A series of public meetings in the upper Winooski River basin will be held in December 2008 to generate interest and identify actions towards development of a Winooski River Basin Water Quality Management Plan. Persons interested in these meetings are invited to express ideas towards a 5 year vision for waters of the basin and how water related resources can be restored or protected. The schedule for the six public meetings is shown below. All meetings are from 6:30 pm to 8 pm unless noted otherwise.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008 at Old School House Commons in the upstairs meeting room in Jaquith Library, 122 School Street, Marshfield

Wednesday, December 10, 2008 at North Branch Nature Center in the Meeting Barn, 713 Elm Street, Montpelier

Thursday, December 11, 2008 at Waitsfield Elementary School in the Music/Art Room, 3951 Main Street, Waitsfield

Monday, December 15, 2008 at Barre Town Municipal Office in the upstairs meeting room, 149 Websterville Road, Websterville

Tuesday, December 16, 2008 at North Branch Nature Center in the Meeting Barn, 713 Elm Street, Montpelier

Wednesday, December 17, 2008 from 6 pm to 8 pm at Stowe Akeley Memorial Building in the Banquet Room downstairs, 67 Main Street, Stowe

Additional Resources

Links to Programs or Organizations with Specific Ties to the Winooski River Basin

Lake Champlain Basin Program

Center for Clean and Clear

Association of Vermont Conservation Commissions

Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission