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Clean Water Act

Antidegradation

Antidegradation limits incremental lowering of water quality in lakes, rivers, and wetlands when applied during a permit review process. Any lowering of water quality must be found to be necessary to avoid substantial economic and social impacts. However, the surface water’s uses and values established in State law, such as swimming, boating, and fishing, must always be maintained and protected. Also included among those uses and values are the use of a surface water by fish, wildlife, and other living things, as well as the physical habitat that supports aquatic life. 

Clean Watersheds Needs Survey

Vermont is participating in the 2022 National Clean Watersheds Needs Survey.  The survey starts March 1, 2022 and ends April 28, 2023 and performed by US EPA with participation from all of the States.  The survey collects reports and cost information for all of the projects that are planned and needed by states and municipalities to comply with our Clean Water Act obligations. EPA will then compile the survey information and create a report to Congress.

2018 305b Water Quality Assessment Report

CWA Section 305B Reports
September 27, 2018
Section 305(b) of the federal Clean Water Act requires each state to submit a report on the quality of the state's surface and ground waters to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on a biennial basis. This 2018 report updates the known water quality conditions using the Vermont Surface Water Assessment and Listing Methodology with data from the 24-month reporting period of January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2017. To access data that supports the listings below, navigate the Vermont Integrated Watershed Information System (VIWIS).
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