Brattleboro, VT – The Windham County Natural Resources Conservation District (WCNRCD), Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) and the Windham Regional Commission (WRC) are pleased to announce a collaboration to provide outreach and services to the public and municipalities to enhance water quality and tactical basin planning in Southeastern Vermont. “The strong collaborative efforts among our organizations provide better services and water quality protections throughout our region,” said Margo Ghia, Natural Resources Planner at WRC. “We work closely together and with the Vermont DEC to identify water quality hazards in our region and assist in their remediation.” The clean water work at all three organizations is supported through a grant provided by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VT DEC). Activities began this fall and will continue through July 2022.
Tactical Basin Plans help identify and focus efforts needed to protect and/or restore specific watersheds throughout the state. Southeastern Vermont is covered by two different Basin Plans. These include Basin 12/13, the Deerfield River Watershed and portions of the main stem of the Connecticut River south of the West River and Basin 11, which covers the West, Williams and Saxtons River watersheds and the mainstem of the Connecticut River between the Williams and West rivers. “The Tactical Basin Plans are a roadmap for clean water in our region. They help clean water partners identify priority projects that can make our rivers and communities more resilient in the future,” said Cory Ross, District Manager of the Natural Resources Conservation District. For more information on the Tactical Basin Plans that cover Southeastern, VT, please visit https://dec.vermont.gov/water-investment/watershed-planning.
The WRC, CRC, and WCNRCD work with the public, municipalities and other stakeholders to encourage efforts to protect and improve water quality. These may include providing project management assistance and securing funding for water quality project development and implementation, providing educational programs to the public, working with landowners to plant streamside buffers, helping towns complete Stormwater Master Plans, or gathering municipalities, the state, and partner water quality groups to find solutions for regional issues.
For more information about the clean water partners serving Southern Vermont, please visit their websites: WRC: http://www.windhamregional.org/ WCNRCD: https://windhamcountynrcd.org/ CRC: /
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