Ever since the beginning of contemporary settlement of Vermont's landscape, we have relied on development of lands and resources along rivers and streams. Much of this human investment in land use and public infrastructure has not adequately respected the physical functions of stream systems. As a result, conflicts frequently arise between the interests of landowners and infrastructure managers and the dynamics of rivers and streams. Many conflicts are the result of channel instability which, in turn, is often times a manifestation of past channel management practices such as gravel mining or channelization performed to "control" flooding or erosion. These past practices may even have been performed upstream or downstream of the problem area.

The River Management Program provides regulatory review and technical assistance to landowners, municipalities and other agencies to help determine the appropriate channel management practices necessary to resolve conflicts with river systems. The practices selected will be designed to recognize and accommodate, to the extent feasible, the stream's natural stable tendencies. The recommended conflict resolution will recognize the stream's long term physical response to past and proposed management practices. The resulting work will provide increased property and infrastructure protection and will maintain or enhance the ecological functions and economic values of the river system.

• Municipal Incentives and Resources (pdf, 28 KB)
• Alternatives for River Corridor Management (pdf, 855 KB)

Most in-channel management activities and new projects like bridges, culverts or utility crossings require regulatory action by the River Corridor Management Program. State jurisdictional thresholds and guidance on permit application is provided within the documents below or by contacting the Stream Alteration Engineer in your area.

• Stream Alteration Permit: Stream alteration permits regulate activities that take place in or along streams.
• Relevant applications

• Stream Crossing Structures: Stream crossing structures include any structure type (i.e., bridges, box, arch, culvert, truss or other type of structure intended to convey people, animals, vehicles or materials from one side of the stream to another).
• Relevant documents and applications

Once a widespread commercial activity in Vermont's rivers, gravel removal is now restricted to maximum annual volumes for landowners use and for the maintenance or restoration of stream channel stability. As a commercial activity, gravel mining has proven to be extremely damaging to natural stable stream functions and has greatly increased flood and erosion damages in VT on stream systems that have experienced extensive mining in the past. Information on how to get assessment of potential stream sedimentation problems, approval for gravel removal projects and the effects of gravel removal on stream stability is provided in the documents below or by contacting the Stream Alteration Engineer in your area.

Mineral prospecting activities in Vermont streams are regulated under 10 V.S.A. 41, Section 1021(h)(1). Operation of suction dredges is prohibited. Operation of sluice boxes is allowed by permit. Hand panning is unregulated. Hand panning only is allowed on state owned lands. Written permission from property owners is required on private lands.

• Impact Assessment of Instream Management Practices on Channel Morphology (pdf, 667 KB)
• Mineral Prospecting Application (pdf, 21 KB)
• River Gravel and Flooding (pdf, 31 KB)
• River Gravel Excavation: When, Where, and Why it Should or Should Not Be Done (pdf, 30 KB)
• Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Stream Gravel Removal Policy (pdf, 7 KB)
• VT ANR Rationale for River Gravel Excavation Policy and Stream Management (pdf, 11 KB)

Updated: January 2004