Winooski River Basin Planning
New (02/02/2012)
Final Draft Basin 8 Water Quality
Management Plan (pdf 2.2MB) and Appendix (pdf 2.9MB)
The public is invited to attend the meetings, hear a presentation on the plan and offer their comments and suggestions.
Meetings will take place from 7:00 – 8:30 pm in the following locations:
February 22th, 2012
Fish and Wildlife Building
ANR Regional Office
111 West Street
Essex Junction, VT
March 8th, 2012
City Council Chambers
Montpelier City Hall
39 Main St.
Montpelier, VT
The public comment period runs until March 23, 2012. Comments received by this date will be addressed in a responsiveness summary. Direct comments to
Karen Bates in Essex Junction at karen.bates@state.vt.us or 802-879-2339.
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, 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.
See below for additional information:
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. The Current Watershed Coordinator will be working with community members 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 Coordinator 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 the basin or becoming involved in this important effort, please contact:
Karen Bates in Essex Junction (802-879-2339)
Basin Specific Reports
- Impact Assessment of the Barre Coal Tar Site on the Aquatic Biota of the Stevens Branch, Barre, VT (pdf, 115KB)
- Aquatic Life Use Attainment Assessment of Big Spruce Brook (pdf, 1.79 MB)
- Aquatic Life Support Use Assessment of Centennial Brook (pdf, 716 KB)
- Bioassessment of the Dog River (pdf, 238 KB)
- Biological Assessment of the Macroinvertebrate and Fish Communities of Great Brook, Plainfield, Vt (pdf, 453 KB)
- Aquatic Life Use Support Attainment of a tributary of Joiner Brook (pdf, 830 KB)
- Aquatic Life Use Support Attainment of the Little River below Waterbury Reservoir (pdf, 730 KB)
Planning Progress
Upper Winooski Planning Process Draft Goals, Objectives and Strategies (pdf, 137KB)
Lower Winooski Planning Process Draft Goals, Objectives and Strategies (pdf, 60KB)
Meeting Notes & Meeting Summary Notes
2007 Progress Report to Legislature on Basin Planning (1/08) (pdf, 609 KB)
2008 Progress Report to Legislature on Basin Planning (1/09) (pdf, 526 KB)
Programs or Organizations with Specific Ties to the Winooski River Basin
DEC Maps, Mapping Programs and GIS Information
Lake Champlain Basin Program
Center for Clean and Clear
Association of Vermont Conservation Commissions
Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission
Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission
Winooski Natural Resource Conservation District
Friends of the Winooski
Vermont League of Cities and Towns
Friends of the Mad
Vermont Rivers Conservancy
Trout Unlimited (Mad Dog Chapter)
Trout Unlimited (Central Vermont Chapter)
Vermont Land Trust
Vermont Paddlers Club
Huntington River Conservation Partnership
DEC-produced Publications & Guidance
Tactical Basin Planning
TMDL Information web page
Lake Champlain Phosphorus TMDL (pdf, 1 MB)
Map of Vermont’s 17 River Basins
Out of the Blue Newsletter web page
River Basin 9 - White River - Water Quality Management Plan (11/02) (pdf, 1.4 MB)
River Basin 2 - Poultney, Mettawee - Water Quality Management Plan (3/05) (pdf, 7.3 MB)
River Basin 11 - West, Williams & Saxtons - Water Quality Management Plan (6/08) (pdf, 7.3 MB)
River Basin 14 - Stevens, Wells, Waits, Ompompanoosuc - Water Quality Management Plan (6/08) (pdf, 2.5 MB)
2007 Progress Report to Legislature on Basin Planning (1/08) (pdf, 609 KB)
Watershed and Lake Associations of Vermont (pdf, 371 KB)
Water Quality Financial Assistance
DEC Grants
Better Back Roads Program
Water Quality Rules, Regulations & Standards (not a comprehensive list)
DEC Regulations Web Page
Vermont Water Quality Standards
Vermont Statute Title 10 Conservation & Development (water quality related see Chapters 31, 32, 37, 29, 41, 47 and 49)
Updated: February 2012
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Watershed Management Division 
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