What's New?
2024 Public Meetings and Comment Period – September 25 to October 24, 2024
The Water Investment Division is developing the 5-year update of the Otter Creek Tactical Basin Plan, including an updated list of actions from the 2019 plan. Find the Draft Plan Here: Draft 2024 Otter Creek Tactical Basin Plan.
The final draft of the plan will be available for review and public comment from September 25 to October 24, 2024. Comments on the plan can be submitted via email to: Angie.Allen@Vermont.gov or to Angie Allen, Environmental Conservation, 271 North Main Street Suite 215, Rutland, Vermont 05701.
Both virtual and in-person meetings to present the draft plan will be held in October as follows:
October 9, 2024 from 7:00-8:30 pm- hosted by the Addison County Regional Planning Commission at 14 Seminary St, Middlebury, please use this ZOOM link to join the virtual meeting.
October 15, 2024 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm- hosted by the Rutland Regional Planning Commission Office at 16 Evelyn St 2nd Floor, Rutland, please use this TEAMs link to join the virtual meeting.
Please contact Angie Allen, Watershed Planner at Angie.Allen@Vermont.gov or (802) 490-9081 with any questions.
2019 Approved Otter Creek Tactical Basin Plan
The final, approved Otter Creek Tactical Basin Plan was published in December of 2019 and is available through this link. The plan covers portions of Bennington, Rutland, and Addison counties and all surface waters within the Otter Creek, Little Otter Creek, and Lewis Creek watersheds. The plan provides an assessment of the health of the basin and identifies 55 water quality strategies across the following sectors: agriculture, developed lands—stormwater and roads, wastewater treatment facilities, and restoration of forest lands, lakes, rivers, and wetlands. The plan also includes information about how landowners, watershed organizations, and communities can access funding and technical assistance to help protect and restore water resources.
Three public comment meetings were held to gather feedback on the plan presented by the VT Department of Environmental Conservation in partnership with the Addison County Regional Planning Commission (RPC), the Rutland RPC, the Otter Creek Natural Resource Conservation District (NRCD), and the Rutland NRCD.
An interactive Story Map providing a summary of the plan is available here.
To download the Municipal Protections Spreadsheet, please click the following link: https://dec.vermont.gov/sites/dec/files/wsm/mapp/docs/Municipal_Protections_table_2019.xlsx
Links to Activities and Water Quality Improvement Initiatives Underway in the Otter Creek Basin:
- Addison County Regional Planning Commission
- Addison County RiverWatch Collaborative
- Lake Dunmore/ Fern Lake Association
- Lewis Creek Association
- Moosalamoo Association
- Champlain Valley Farmers Coalition
- Otter Creek Natural Resource Conservation District
- Pittsford National Fish Hatchery
- Rutland Regional Planning Commission
- Rutland Natural Resource Conservation District – Upper Otter Creek Watershed Planning
Basin Specific Reports
- The effect of the 2002 Lewis Creek 3-Trifluoromethyl-4-Nitrolphenol (TFM) treatment on two insect larvae Hexagenia limbata, and Phylocentropus sp in Lower Lewis Creek, Ferrisburg, VT
- A Long-term Evaluation of the Effects of TFM on Non-target Fish and Macroinvertebrates In Lewis Creek, Vermont
- Observations of several mussel species made during the 3-Trifluoromethyl-4-Nitrolphenol (TFM) treatment of Lewis Creek, Vermont, October 22, 2002
- Biological and Aquatic Life Use Attainment Assessment of Moon Brook