Potash Brook Stormwater

Management

The Winooski NRCD received an EPA grant (through the appropriation efforts of Senator Patrick Leahy) of $223,500 to spend over three years implementing new urban stormwater management practices in the Potash Brook watershed.  It is a collaborative effort between UVM’s Rubenstein School of  Environment and Natural Resources, City of South Burlington and the Winooski NRCD. The Potash Brook watershed is located primarily within the City of South Burlington and encompasses over 5,300 acres or 7.5 square miles.  The downstream 5 miles of Potash Brook has been placed on the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) 303(d) impaired waters list due to sediment, pathogens and metals, nutrients and toxicity.  

            As stormwater issues and urban/suburban areas develop in Vermont, and especially Chittenden County, the need for Conservation Districts to become more actively involved grows.

            The Winooski NRCD hopes to maintain our liaison position between landowners and regulatory governmental agencies as well as to educate landowners about contributing potential solutions to improving water quality.  To this end, we are developing stormwater education for middle schools, exploring alternative stormwater management practices at a highly traveled intersection culvert receiving Interstate 89 runoff, and working within a housing development on stormwater management practices and reduction of household non-point source pollution.

Contact Tiffany Shaw, 802-865-7895 x14, or Tiffany.Shaw@vt.nacdnet.net for more information.

I n the summer of 2005, the District created this rain garden adjacent to the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library in Williston. The garden is shaped to collect rainwater and snowmelt from the roof. This reduces the amount of stormwater in the Allen Brook while providing beautiful landscaping for the community. A workshop on rain gardens will be held at the UVM horticulture farm in May. See the events calendar for more information

Stormwhat?

You’ve heard of it by now: stormwater. It’s everywhere. Almost daily in the news, regularly flowing down your street, dripping from your roof, cascading into your favorite stream.

            What exactly is it and what’s the fuss? Well, it’s water from a storm of course! When precipitation runs off impervious surfaces like parking lots, roofs, compacted soils, and roads, it often carries with it fine sand; nutrients like phosphorus; bacteria from animal wastes; oil, grease and heavy metals from cars - all of which make streams uncomfortable places for fish to live, people to swim, and potentially dangerous sources for drinking water.

            Two ways of tackling stormwater issues are to reduce the quantity or volume of runoff and to reduce the contaminants available to runoff. Every single person can do a lot on both of these tasks. A whole community can have amazing effects. It’s happening all over the country and it’s happening in your backyard.

            The best way to reduce the volume of runoff is to increase permeable area for precipitation to seep into the ground. Not only does this reduce stormwater problems, but groundwater sources are recharged and the hydrologic cycle behaves as nature designed. Increasing permeable area is as easy as aerating your soil, planting a tree,  installing a rain garden like the one highlighted above, or demanding less transportation infrastructure by walking, biking, carpooling, or using public transportation.

            Reducing contaminants in stormwater is just a matter of thoughtfulness. Testing soil to understand what amendments are necessary and checking the weather to ensure rain will not wash away any applied fertilizer will not only prevent fertilizing local streams, it will likely save you time and money. Picking up pet waste, washing your car at a car wash where the water gets treated, and keeping your automobile in good health will go a long way to improving the health of local streams.

           The Winooski NRCD is working hard to do its part. We are planting rain gardens to capture roof runoff, stabilizing streambanks with native trees, mending massive gullies eroded by decades of unchecked stormwater, and much, much more. With the generous support of Senator Patrick Leahy and the EPA, hundreds of thousands of dollars are moving through the District’s hands onto the land to make stormwater less of a problem in your watershed.

Contact Tiffany Shaw at 802-865-7895 x14 to find out what else the Winooski NRCD is doing and what you can do to help.