The LaRosa Partnership Program (LPP) was developed in 2003 with the purpose of helping lake and watershed associations and other monitoring groups across the State of Vermont implement new and/or ongoing surface water monitoring projects for waters in need of water quality assessment, by helping alleviate the financial burden of laboratory analysis costs.
Watershed associations submit yearly proposals to the VTDEC’s Monitoring, Assessment, and Planning Program (MAPP), to request capacity in the Vermont Agricultural and Environmental Laboratory (VAEL), to analyze routine water quality monitoring tests free of charge to the applicants. Awards of laboratory analytical capacity considers the priority for acquisition of new data in the areas proposed, the intended usage of the data, and likelihood of follow-up action. Over the years, sampling has included phosphorus, nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, total suspended solids, E. coli bacteria, turbidity, alkalinity, conductivity, pH, and occasionally priority pollutants metals, or other compounds.
The LPP encourage citizen scientists to get out and see their streams, rivers and tributaries firsthand, stay informed and learn about water quality issues, and use water testing to identify where impacts are occurring. Additionally, each year, supported groups provide data and
summary reports to the VTDEC which are incorporated into the Vermont Integrated Watershed Information System.
These groups then work with the Watershed Management Division’s(WMD) watershed coordinators and other staff to seek grant funding to fix identified problems, effectively furthering the WMD’s primary mission to protect, maintain, enhance and restore the quality of Vermont’s surface water resources. In this manner, the LPP helps to build new watershed constituencies.
In many cases, the Partners participation has been responsible for translating water testing results into direct, on-the-ground actions. The LPP data have been used in the development of Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) pollution control plans, the identification and remediation of phosphorus pollution hotspots, and the documentation of priority subwatersheds for pollution control actions within VTDEC’s Tactical Basin Plans(TBP). The WMD recognizes the challenges the Partners face in securing funding to support the logistical aspects of water quality monitoring work. The funds awarded under this offering are intended to help fill this gap, for those groups whom are also working with the WMD and other partners in the implementation of “on-the-ground” water quality improvement projects. In 2016, the WMD released its first RFP to provide currently enrolled LPP Partners support in monitoring the effectiveness of water quality improvement practices.
For more information please click the link below to read the full announcement.
- 2018 Request for Proposals for Organizational Support - 2018 Deadline = February 14, 2018!
All proposals must be submitted electronically via email to David Pasco, david.pasco@vermont.gov, by February 14, 2018, 4:00 pm ET using the subject line “2018 LaRosa Partnership Program Organizational Support RFP.”