PM Basin Planning Process

Basin planning is an ongoing process. It is designed to be compatible with the Vermont Water Quality Standards and other applicable state and federal laws. The term "basin" refers to the 17 major river basins that cover the State of Vermont.

The Basin Planning Process empowers people with information and tools and provides focus for activities to protect and restore water quality. A Basin Plan may, for example, give special attention to protecting particularly high quality waters or restoring habitat or other important impaired water resources. A Basin Plan is prepared every five years. It summarizes current and past assessment, planning, and implementation activities. It integrates topics of special local importance with topics of special state importance, and makes management recommendations on these topics. It updates previous water quality plans.

Ethan Swift, Watershed Coordinator with the Vermont ANR Department of Environmental Conservation, began working with the Poultney-Mettowee Watershed Partnership in early 2001 to help develop the Poultney-Mettowee basin plan. (Details about basin planning and the process are available on the DEC website). The goal of this planning process is to take advantage of the assessment work being done in the PM watershed, and by using extensive methods for public input and interaction, develop a plan that looks at these assessments and helps make management recommendations based on the needs, issues and concerns of the watershed and its residents.

The first public draft of the PM basin plan will be available in August 2003. Public opinion will be actively recruited to review the draft and provide feedback for management goals.

Also see Vermont DEC Watershed Planning