http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20120315/NEWS02/703159938
Published March 15, 2012 in the Rutland Herald
Watershed plan feedback due Friday
By Christian Avard
Staff Writer
SPRINGFIELD — The Agency of Natural Resources is soliciting public input on the Ottauquechee and Black Rivers Water Management Plan. According to ANR Watershed Coordinator Marie Caduto, this is the public’s last opportunity to weigh in on local watershed protection.
“The two main purposes are to address the bad water areas and protect the good water areas. We need to know what the major concerns are.” Caduto said.
The Ottauquechee and Black River watersheds (or Basin 10) are the two major watersheds in southeastern Vermont. Both rivers flow from the Green Mountain range near Killington peak and empty into the Connecticut River.
There are 17 watershed basins across the state, according to Caduto, and the ANR is now focusing on Basin 10. The monitoring process began in 2009 when ANR staff collected watershed data on water quality, local habitat and aquatic life. They released the draft watershed management plan in February.
The report addressed a variety of issues ranging from watershed protection, water quality, water flow and more. According to the report, Basin 10 lacked riparian buffers (or vegetated areas) along the Ottauquechee and Black rivers. ANR officials concluded that buffer improvements were the most effective means for protecting water quality within Basin 10.
A second concern was sedimentary movement. The draft report said that silt and sediment “are by far the most visible causes of water quality problems ... in the basin.”
The problem was exacerbated during Tropical Storm Irene and more than 30 miles of river and 132 lake acres were impacted. The ANR recommended mapping the depths of rivers, lakes and streams as a means of stemming sediment accumulation. Channel and land erosion, stormwater runoff, agricultural runoff and buffer implementation were additional concerns identified in order to mitigate sedimentation.
“(Irene) didn’t necessarily change the scope of the plan. It’s always been there but we added some different pieces of it, such as flood resiliency and how go about implementing this in both watersheds,” Caduto said.
Flow alteration was another concern identified in the draft watershed management plan. The report stated two flood control dams, eight hydroelectric dams, water withdrawals for snowmaking and smaller dams compromised the Basin 10 habitat.
The presence of dams “block aquatic organism passage prevents sediment from passing downstream, and causes disequilibrium in the ecological function of the river system.” The ANR suggested the evaluation and removal of unused or obsolete dams and impassable culverts that present “ecological impediments.”
The draft watershed management plan also raised concerns over invasive species, sediment, bacteria and nutrient presence at Kedron Brook in the Woodstock area. The status of the Lower Black River after it sustained an Aug. 2010 oil spill was also a concern.
“There are 96 recommendations for action within the basin. We’re hoping people will look at those and comment on what’s most important and take action on,” Caduto said.
To submit comments on the Basin 10 watershed management plan email Marie.Caduto@state.vt.us. The deadline submission is Friday, March 16.
To read the draft watershed management plan visit www.vtwaterquality.org.
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