Clean Water Conversation Series

The Department of Environmental Conservation hosts a monthly public Clean Water Conversation presentation series (formerly named the “Clean Water Lecture Series”) on a variety of clean water-related topics. Presentations are free and open to the public online via webinar (Microsoft Teams). This year, in response to the extreme flooding that Vermont experienced in 2023, each conversation will be centered around the intersection of clean water, climate change, and flood resiliency. See below for more information on upcoming Clean Water Conversations.  

Please see the link above for a tutorial on how to attend the events via Microsoft Teams. View past Clean Water Conversations recordings on the Clean Water Initiative YouTube Channel linked above. 

• Conversations Schedule 2024
• Upcoming Clean Water Conversations and Materials
• Past Clean Water Conversations
  

  ---

Upcoming Clean Water Conversations 2024​

Partner Panel: Clean Water Projects Improving Flood Resiliency

Thursday, May 9, 2024, 12:00 - 1:00pm

Join Brattleboro Housing Partnerships, the Connecticut River Conservancy, the Vermont River Conservancy, and the Two River Ottaquechee Regional Planning Commission as they discuss successful clean water projects improving flood resiliency. 

• Click here to register for the event.

Vermont Climate and Water Quality Connections 

Thursday, June 27, 2024, 12:00 - 1:00pm

Learn from Vermont State Climatologist Dr. Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux about the connection between climate change and water quality in Vermont.  

• Click here to register for the event.

Agriculture, Water Quality, and Climate Resilience

Thursday, July 11, 2024, 12:00 - 1:00pm

Join Ryan Patch and Nina Gage from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets as they discuss the intersection of improving water quality and climate resilience on farms in Vermont. 

• Click here to register for the event.

American Rescue Plan Act-Funded Clean Water Projects Panel

Thursday, August 1, 2024, 12:00 - 1:00pm

Learn how American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds in Vermont are invested to support clean water. Join DEC staff as they discuss past and present ARPA-funded clean water projects and initiatives, including wastewater pretreatment, the 3-acre Permit Obtainment Assistance Program, and the Green Schools Initiative. 

• Click here to register for the event.

Subscribe to CWIP's E-Newsletter for updates.

Conversations Schedule 2024

This schedule is updated as we confirm presenters and topics for 2024.

Past Clean Water Conversations

• April 4, 2024: We All Live Downstream
  - Speakers: Staci Pomeroy and Ned Swanberg, DEC Rivers Program
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)
• March 7, 2024: Phosphorus Loading into Lake Champlain Post 2023 Flooding
  - Speakers: Dr. Matthew Vaughan, Chief Scientist, Lake Champlain Basin Program
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• February 1, 2024: Vermont Clean Water Initiative 2023 Performance Report
  - Speakers: Claire Madden and Lauren Sopher, Tracking & Accounting Program, DEC CWIP
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• August 17, 2023: LWAP's Tip to Tail: Implementation Outcomes from Lake Watershed Action Plans
  - Speaker: Alison Marchione, DEC WSMD Lakes and Ponds Lake Shoreland Coordinator
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• July 31, 2023: Tactical Basin Planning for Flood Resilience 
  - Speaker: Watershed Planning Program Tactical Basin Planning Team
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• June 8, 2023: Mudpuppy Conservation
  - Speaker: Mark Ferguson, Wildlife Biologist with Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department 
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• May 25, 2023: Clean Water Project Design and Implementation Block Grant Q&A Panel
  - Speakers: Gianna Petito (Clean Water Initiative Grants Coordinator) and guests from Vermont Association of Conservation Districts, Watersheds United Vermont, Mount Ascutney Regional Commission, Connecticut River Conservancy, and Friends of the Winooski River
  - Recording (YouTube)

• April 13, 2023: What's Going on at Lake Carmi? Update on Vermont's Lake in Crisis
  - Speaker: Oliver Pierson, Lakes and Ponds Program Manager 
  - Presentation (PDF)

• March 9, 2023: Water is Life with Abenaki Artists Association
  - Speaker: Vera Longtoe Sheehan, Executive Director of the Abenaki Artists Association and Founder of the Abenaki Arts and Education Center 
  - Recording (YouTube)

• February 9, 2023: Looking Ahead to Cleaner Water
  - Speaker: Claire Madden, TMDL Tracking & Accounting Coordinator 
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• January 26, 2023: Key Changes in the Clean Water Initiative Funding Policy
  - Speaker: Giana Petito, Clean Water Initiative Grants Coordinator
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• January 12, 2023: Agriculture, Climate Change, and Water Quality
  - Speaker: Dr. Joshua Faulkner
  - Presentation
  - Recording (YouTube)

• August 3rd, 2022: Connect with Clean Water Initiative Funding
  - Speakers: Gianna Petitio, Lauren Sopher, Rachel Wood, Sarah Coleman 
  - Presentation, Resource Document 
  - Recording (YouTube)

• June 30th, 2022: Building Vermont's Clean Water Service Provider Network
  - Speakers: Emily Bird, Ethan Swift, and Chris Rottler of the DEC. Dean Pierce from Northwest Regional Planning Commission (NRPC) and Dan Albrecht from Northern Lake Champlain Clean Water Service Provider 
  - Presentation (DEC), Presentation (Dean Pierce), Presentation (Dan Albrecht)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• May 26th, 2022: How are Vermont's Wetlands Doing and How Can I Support Them?
  - Speaker: Laura Lapierre, DEC Wetlands Program Manager
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• May 12th, 2022: Opportunities for Climate Resiliency on Vermont's Rural Roads
  - Speaker: Beverley Wemple, Professor at University of Vermont
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• April 29th, 2022: Prioritizing and Implementing Clean Water Projects on State Lands
  - Speaker: David Wilcox, Watershed Forester at Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• March 31st, 2022: Clean Water Funded Projects from Start to Finish
  - Speaker: Karen Bates, Watershed Planner at Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• January 27th, 2022: Investments in Clean Water are Paying Off for Vermont
  - Speaker: Helen Carr, Nonpoint Source Coordinator, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation 
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• June 17, 2021: Introduction to Wetland Screening Tool
  - Speaker: Shannon Morrison, District Wetlands Ecologist, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation 
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• June 3, 2021: Status of Vermont's Inland Lakes: Phosphorus Trends and Protection
  - Speakers: Kellie Merrell, Aquatic Ecologist, and Oliver Pierson, Lakes and Ponds Prorgam Manager, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• May 6, 2021: Reconnecting Rivers: Developing Tools to Restore Stream, Wetland, and Floodplain Funcitons 
  - Speakers: Gretchen Alexander, VTDEC Lead River Scientist, Roy Schiff, Principal Water Resources Engineer, and Kristen Underwood, UVM Research Assistant Professor
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• April 1, 2021: The Multiple Benefits of Wetland Conservation and Restoration on Public Lands 
  - Speaker: David Sausville, Wildlife Biologist, Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• March 18,2021:Vermont's Tactical Basin Planning Initiative - Past, Present, and Future
  - Speakers: Ethan Swift, Watershed Planning Program Manager and Ben Copans, Watershed Coordinator, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation 
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• March 4,2021:Vermont Pay-For-Phosphorus Program
  - Speaker: Sonia Howlett, Water Quality Specialist, Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• February 8,2021:Vermont's Clean Water Investments and Results
  - Speakers: Helen Carr, Nonpoint Source Coordinator and Katie Bockwoldt, Tracking and Accounting, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• January 7, 2021: In Action! Stormwater 3-Acre General Permit
  - Speaker: Padraic Monks, Stormwater Program manager, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• December 3, 2020: Pointing Out Nonpoint Source Pollution
  - Speaker: Helen Carr, Nonpoint Source Coordinator, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• August 15, 2019: An Introduction to Act 76
  - Speakers: Neil Kamman and Emily Bird, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• June 13, 2019: Lake Score Cards Highlight Restoration Progress and Protection Needs
  - Speaker: Leslie Matthews, Lakes and Ponds Program Environmental Scientist, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• May 9, 2019: Stormwater Update: What You Need to Know About the New 3-Acre General Permit
  - Speaker: Padraic Monks, Stormwater Program Manager, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• April 11, 2019: WISPr, It’s Louder Than It Sounds: Millions Available for Natural Resources Restoration
  - Speaker: Ashley Lucht, Water Infrastructure Financing Program, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• March 14, 2019: Immerse Yourself in Vermont’s River Basins Through Story Maps and More
  - Speaker: Danielle Owczarski, Basin Planner, Department of Environmental Conservation
  - Presentation
  - Recording (YouTube)

• February 14, 2019: 2018 Investment Report and Interagency Clean Water Projects Dashboard
  - Speakers: Emily Bird, Assistant Manager and Helen Carr, Operations Coordinator, Clean Water Initiative Program, Department of Environmental Conservation
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• June 14, 2018: Proposed Revisions to the Acceptable Management Practices for Maintaining Water Quality on Logging Jobs
  - Speaker: Dave Wilcox, Watershed Forester, Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• May 10, 2018: Wetlands Bioassessment
  - Speakers: Tina Heath and Charlie Hohn, Wetlands Ecologists, Department of Environmental Conservation
  ​- Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• April 12, 2018: Addressing Combined Sewer Overflows
  - Speakers: Jessica Bulova, Wastewater Program Manager, and Terisa Thomas, Financial and Loan Programs Manager, Department of Environmental Conservation
  ​- Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• March 29, 2018: Lake Champlain Restoration Plan Progress Report
  - Speaker: Kari Dolan, Clean Water Initiative Program Manager, Department of Environmental Conservation
  ​- Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• February 8, 2018: Municipal Roads General Permit
  - Speaker: Jim Ryan, Municipal Roads Program Coordinator, Department of Environmental Conservation
  ​- Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• January 18, 2018: Clean Water Investment Report 
  - Speaker: Emily Bird, Nonpoint Source Coordinator, Department of Environmental Conservation
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• December 14, 2017: Vermont’s Required Agricultural Practices: The first year in review
  - Speakers: Nina Gage and Kaitlin Hayes, Agricultural Water Quality Specialists, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• November 9, 2017: Restoring Lake Memphremagog
  - Speaker: Ben Copans, Basin Planner, Department of Environmental Conservation
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)

• October 12, 2017: Stormwater Rule and General Permits Update
  - Speaker: Padraic Monks, Stormwater Program Manager, Department of Environmental Conservation
  - Presentation (PDF)
  - Recording (YouTube)