Vermont Business Magazine The Rutland Regional Planning Commission (RRPC) and the Rutland Natural Resources Conservation District (RNRCD) have expanded their outreach and services to landowners, municipalities, and the public in support of the Vermont Clean Water Act (VCWA) and tactical basin planning efforts for Basin 3, which includes the Otter Creek, Little Otter Creek, and Lewis Creek watersheds. The work is funded through two grants provided by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VDEC). Activities began in late 2018 and will extend through 2019.
The RRPC will work with its member municipalities on programs such as improved zoning bylaws and better road drainage to improve water quality and incorporate municipal priorities into the Otter Creek Tactical Basin Plan (TBP). Other project activities include general municipal outreach for VDEC water quality policies and permit programs, Otter Creek TBP development, and development of municipal water quality improvement projects.
Silt flows into Lake Champlain from flooded Otter Creek following Tropical Storm Irene in 2011. File photo.
The RNRCD will conduct targeted outreach, coordinate monitoring programs to support science-based water quality investments, organize local workgroups, and develop priority water quality projects among other services. As part of this body of work, Conservation Districts and Regional Planning Commissions will be closely coordinating activities to provide complementary support for the State’s Tactical Basin Planning process.
Tactical Basin Plans identify and focus efforts needed to protect or restore surface water quality throughout the state. The partners will focus primarily on the Otter Creek TBP this year, working to identify priorities, document progress, and conduct outreach to develop priority projects and garner local support and awareness of the Basin Plan’s goals. Local water quality priorities identified in TBPs are well-positioned for development and funding via the State’s Clean Water Initiative. Basin Plans provide the umbrella for other planning initiatives, including Stormwater Master Plans and River Corridor Plans, and ultimately are a vehicle to strategically address regional water quality priorities - such as the Lake Champlain Phosphorous Total Maximum Daily Load.
The RRPC provides planning and technical assistance in water quality, community development, transportation, agriculture, natural resources, housing, economic development, telecommunications, and emergency management for the 27 municipalities of the Rutland Region. The collaboration between the RRPC, Rutland Region municipalities and other related agencies results in sustainable development and in improving the region’s environment and quality of life. For more information about the RRPC, please visit www.rutlandrpc.org
The Rutland NRCD is 1 of 14 conservation districts in Vermont. It includes sixteen towns in the eastern part of Rutland County and Rutland City. The District is partially funded with State funds through allocation from the Natural Resources Conservation Council and depends on grants and individual donations to complete its conservation work. The RNRCD focuses its resources on completing conservation projects based in solid science to provide solutions within the areas of agricultural assistance, forestland enhancement, urban conservation, stormwater master planning, and watershed stewardship. For more information on the Rutland NRCD please visit: