Vermont Business Magazine The Rutland Regional Planning Commission (RRPC) is pleased to announce expanded outreach and services to municipalities and the public to enhance water quality and tactical basin planning efforts for South Lake Champlain (Basins 2 & 4).
“As Watershed Planners, we value the role regional planning commissions play given their strong ties to the municipalities. This collaboration makes our plans stronger and more tailored to the communities the plans are written to serve,” said Angie Allen of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
The work is supported through a grant provided by the DEC. Activities began this fall and will continue through July 2021.
Tactical Basin Plans help identify and focus efforts needed to protect or restore specific watersheds through the state.
Watershed Planner Allen is leading the update of the Basins 2 & 4 Tactical Basin Plan (TBP) for the DEC. RRPC staff will assist the Watershed Planner by facilitating enhanced municipal and public input during the drafting process so that the TBP accurately reflects local concerns and priorities.
Basin Plans act as an umbrella for planning initiatives, including Stormwater Master Planning and River Corridor Planning, to strategically address regional watershed priorities. A formal draft of the TBP is anticipated to be released in 2022.
For more information on the Tactical Basin Planning process, please visit this story map.
The RRPC will work with its member municipalities to encourage efforts to improve water quality. These include recommendations for zoning bylaw protections (such as river corridor protections), assistance with securing funding for project development and implementation, or helping towns with green infrastructure projects, such as stormwater retention systems, vegetative buffers, and rain gardens.
The grant also provides funding for RRPC to participate in formative meetings and trainings for the planned Basin Water Quality Councils for the South Lake Champlain and Otter Creek basins.
These Councils will be formed in 2021 to begin to work with each basin’s designated Clean Water Service Provider to identify and prioritize non-regulatory water quality projects (primarily in natural resources restoration) to help further reduce phosphorus loading into Lake Champlain and/or Lake Memphremagog.
The Rutland Regional Planning Commission (RRPC) was formed in 1967 as a political subdivision.
Today it provides planning and technical assistance in the areas of community development, transportation, agriculture, natural resources, housing, economic development, telecommunications, and emergency management to 27 communities in the Rutland Region and the public, while remaining consistent with federal and state requirements.
The collaboration between RRPC, Rutland Region municipalities and other related resources and agencies results in the development and implementation of plans that support sustainable development and improve the region's environment, quality of life and economic development.
More information about RRPC and its programs is available at www.rutlandrpc.org.
Source: Rutland, VT – The Rutland Regional Planning Commission 12.29.2020