Public Comment Sought on Plan for Northern Lake Champlain Direct Drainages
Vermont’s Agency of Natural Resources will holding three public comment meetings in July to get feedback on the Draft Northern Lake Champlain Direct Drainages Tactical Water Quality Management Plan. The public is encouraged to attend the meetings, hear the presentation and offer their comments and suggestions. This plan will be used to establish priorities for clean water projects being pursued in fulfillment of the Vermont Clean Water Act (H.35), signed into law by Governor Shumlin on June 16, and related Lake Champlain restoration efforts.
Public Meetings Schedule and Locations
Meetings will take place in the following locations:
- Monday, June 29, 5 – 6:30 pm, Swanton Municipal Building, Swanton, VT (hosted by Friends of North Lake Champlain)
- Thursday, July 2, 4 – 5:30 pm, Act 250 conference room, ANR District Office, 111 West Street, Essex Junction, VT
- Wednesday, July 8 6:30 to 8 pm, Meeting room 1, Shelburne Town Office, Shelburne, VT (hosted by the Shelburne Natural Resources Committee)
What are the Northern Lake Champlain Direct Drainages?
The Northern Lake Champlain Direct Drainages (Basin 5) include all surface waters draining into the northern section of Lake Champlain, north from the Ferrisburgh and Charlotte town line and ending at the Canadian border, excepting the three major river watersheds: the Missisquoi, the Winooski and the Lamoille. This Tactical Plan was developed with the purpose of improving both water quality and aquatic habitats, and presents ANR’s recommendations in collaboration with other State and Federal resource agencies, watershed partner organizations, regional planning commissions, municipalities, and individual citizens.
The Plan, which was prepared in accordance with the Vermont Surface Water Management Strategy, provides an overview of the health of the basin and a description of the priority future and ongoing steps recommended to restore and protect its surface waters. The central component of this Tactical Basin Plan is an implementation table, which breaks actions intended to protect, maintain, enhance, and restore surface waters in the basin into geographical segments.
For a full list of top priority actions recommended in the management plan, click here.
Copies of the plan may be obtained on-line at http://www.vtwaterquality.org or by requesting a copy from the number below. The public comment period runs until July 24, 2015. Comments received by this date will be addressed in a responsiveness summary.
For further information or to submit comments please contact:
Karen Bates, Watershed Coordinator, Watershed Management Division
VT Dept. of Environmental Conservation
111 West St.
Essex Junction, VT 05452
Phone: (802) 490-6144
Email: karen.bates@state.vt.us
Other Lake Champlain News:
- Vermont Fish & Wildlife Upgrading Fishing Access Areas
- Two fish certified as new Vermont state records
- Fishing Access Areas Are Not Safe for Swimming
- Reel Fun Fishing Program Expands at Vermont State Parks
- Melosira: Educational Boat Trips Teach Public About Lake Champlain