Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) invites the public to comment on the draft Tactical Basin Plan (TBP) for the Batten Kill, Walloomsac, and Hoosic River Basin (also known as Basin 1). DEC completed the plan with local nonprofits, regional planners, municipalities, scientists, and watershed partners. The plan outlines 30 ways to protect and restore rivers, lakes, and wetlands across southwestern Vermont, including 16 communities from Dorset to Pownal.
Members of the public can review and comment on the draft plan from June 15 to July 31, 2026. DEC will host a hybrid public meeting to present the plan and hear comments from community members and stakeholders:
July 16, 2026 – 6:30 PM
- In-Person: Merck Forest & Farmland Center, 3270 Route 315, Rupert, VT 05768
- Virtual Access: Meeting link provided by the Bennington County Regional Commission.
“While the state is responsible for drafting basin plans to restore and protect surface waters, the participation of Vermonters in shaping and carrying out each plan is key to the plan’s success,” said DEC Commissioner Misty Sinsigalli. “We’re asking the public to join us in reviewing the draft plan. Public feedback will not only guide our work for the next five years but also help us to achieve Vermont’s clean water goals.”
Tactical basin plans serve as a five-year roadmap and detail how DEC will continue to:
- Improve water quality, restore aquatic habitat, reduce flooding and erosion risks, and prevent future pollution throughout the basin, and
- Work alongside farmers, towns, conservation districts, landowners, watershed groups, regional planning commissions, and nonprofits to advance clean water projects and watershed resilience.
The draft plan for the Batten Kill, Walloomsac, and Hoosic River Basin highlights a range of both current and proposed projects. Examples of current projects include the DEC-funded Lake Watershed Action Plan for Woodford Lake and Stormwater Master Plans for Manchester, Bennington, and Pownal. Proposed projects also vary widely. For example, lakeshore projects reduce erosion and improve wildlife habitat by using “no mow” buffer zones and shoreline best practices. Other projects reduce stormwater runoff that enters rivers and streams by using underground infiltration systems.
"Trout Unlimited is actively advancing and implementing clean water projects within Basin 1, thanks in large part to the foresight, planning, and support provided by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation through the Tactical Basin Plan,” said Jacob Fetterman, Coordinator of Trout Unlimited's Batten Kill Home Rivers Initiative.
Fetterman continued, “the Plan provides an important framework for identifying and prioritizing opportunities for action throughout the Basin, while fostering collaboration with DEC staff to advance high-priority clean water projects aligned with both TBP-specific and broader watershed goals."
Visit the Basin 1 webpage to learn more about how to comment, join the meetings, view the draft plan, or find a map-based plan summary (also known as a Story Map). You can also contact the Watershed Planner, Angie Allen, at [email protected] or 802-490-9081 for more information.
The Department of Environmental Conservation is responsible for protecting Vermont's natural resources and safeguarding human health for the benefit of this and future generations. Visit dec.vermont.gov and follow the Department of Environmental Conservation on Facebook and Instagram.
Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Website.
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