The update of the Basin 14 Tactical Basin Plan has officially begun. Basin 14 is comprised of the Stevens, Waits, Wells and Ompompanoosuc Rivers as well as direct Connecticut River tributaries. A total of 11 towns within the TRO region are located within these watersheds. The Basin 14 Tactical Basin Plan provides an overview of the health of these watersheds and a description of on-going and future priority steps to restore and protect the quality of its surface waters and aquatic habitat. The Plan uses comprehensive water quality monitoring and assessment information to develop high priority projects for implementation. It also provides opportunities for all stakeholders in the Basin to pursue technical and financial support for water quality improvement. The Basin 14 Plan was last updated in 2015 and is on a 5-year update schedule.
The VT Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has created a story map that provides an overview of what basin planning entails, the development timeline, specific updates being made to the Basin 14 Plan, water quality project implementation, and information on how to get involved. Over the next few months, TRORC will be working alongside DEC and watershed partners to provide comments on draft versions of the Plan and host outreach events in order to gather public input. Prior to the draft Plan being released, DEC is seeking recommendations from the public on the Basin 14 Plan update, which can be provided via their website. The new Basin 14 Plan is anticipated to be completed in June 2020 and adopted by the Secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources.
For basin planning questions within the TRO region, please contact Jess Richter at [email protected] or (802) 457-3188.
