AND CONNECTICUT RIVER DIRECT TRIBUTARIES
Including: Mill, Mill, Lulls, Hubbard, Spencer and Commissary Brooks, and portions of the
Connecticut River
What's New
The DRAFT Tactical Basin Plan is available for public review.
This StoryMap provides an overview of the Plan, introduces you to the Basin and describes the strategies and actions being recommended for implementation over the coming years.
The Tactical Basin Plan identifies actions that will protect or improve rivers, lakes, and wetlands through cost-effective projects, including floodplain restorations and dam removals. The plan includes 57 priority strategies focused on water quality and aquatic habitat. One such project is to work with lake communities to mitigate stormwater runoff from development and private roads reaching the lakes.
The DEC Watershed Planning Program is charged with developing and implementing Tactical Basin Plans in collaboration with state, federal and municipal organizations, local conservation groups, interested stakeholders, and a variety of landowners and concerned citizens. Plans summarize existing water quality conditions, identify water quality issues and concerns, set priorities for surface water protection and restoration of degraded waters and guide management of the waters in the Basins.
The Public is Invited to Join Meeting to Discuss the Water Quality Plan for the Ottauquechee and Black Rivers and Nearby Connecticut River
State and regional planners hosted two meetings in May 2023 about the state’s Draft Tactical Basin Plan for the Ottauquechee and Black Rivers and adjacent Connecticut River Tributaries (Basin 10). This Plan has been developed to protect and restore rivers, lakes, and wetlands in southeastern Vermont from Killington to Springfield.
May 22, 2023 at 6:00 PM
- In-Person Location: The Thompson Senior Center, 99 Senior Lane, Woodstock, VT 05091
- Watch the Meeting Recording
May 23, 2023 at 6:00 PM
- In-Person Location: Weathersfield Town Office, 5259 US-5, Ascutney, VT 05030
- Watch the Meeting Recording
The DRAFT Plan can be reviewed here or a paper copy can be requested by contacting Marie Caduto at Marie.Caduto@vermont.gov or 802-490-6142.
The public comment period for this water quality plan runs from May 10 until June 10. Please submit your comments at one of the public meetings or by email at Marie.Caduto@vermont.gov. Public comments can also be submitted by mail to Marie Caduto, Basin 10 Comments, 100 Mineral Street, Suite 303, Springfield, VT 05156. State officials will respond to each comment in a summary written later this summer.
The Basin
Basin 10 consists of two major watersheds in southeastern Vermont - the Ottauquechee River watershed and the Black River watershed. Both rivers flow from the central Green Mountain range with Killington Peak in the northwest, Ludlow or Okemo Mountain in the southwest boundary and Mount Ascutney to the east along the Connecticut River.
Basin 10 also includes about 33 miles of the mainstem of the Connecticut River and the streams that flow directly into it from White River Junction down to the mouth of the Williams River in Rockingham. [Map Description automatically generated] Among these tributaries are the two Mill Brooks that run on the north and south sides of Ascutney Mountain, Lulls, Hubbard, Spencer, and Commissary Brooks.
The Ottauquechee River has a mainstem length of 38 miles and drains an area of 223 square miles. From Killington Peak the river drops almost 3900 feet in elevation down to the Connecticut River in Hartland.
The Black River has a mainstem length of 40 miles and drains an area of 202 square miles. It is formed at the outlet of Black Pond in the town of Plymouth and drops 3040 feet in elevation from the top of Ludlow Mountian (Okemo) to Hoyts Landing in Springfield.
There are 32 lakes and ponds in the Basin that are 10 acres or larger covering approximately 1,877 acres. The North Springfield Reservoir, North Hartland Reservoir, Echo Lake, Lake Rescue, Lake Ninevah and Woodward Reservoir are the largest bodies of water in the Basin, each being over 100 acres in size.
Protection and restoration projects are underway and many have been identified for implementation. This planning process hopes to identify other projects needing to be done and gain support and participation in implementing them.
Projects in the Basin can be found in the Clean Water Project Explorer an interactive mapping application that displays clean water project information, including funding, results, and nutrient reductions from the State of Vermont's clean water tracking database. Users can search clean water project data from six state agencies and download individual project reports.
Projects can also be found in the Watershed Projects Database, a list of all projects searchable by Basin.
Black and Ottauquechee Rivers Tactical Basin Plan
- 2018 Tactical Basin Plan for Basin 10 (6/13/2018)
- 2012 Final Basin 10 Water Quality Management Plan and Appendix
For more information or to become involved in the basin planning process contact:
Marie Levesque Caduto, Watershed Coordinator
Vermont ANR / Department of Environmental Conservation
100 Mineral Street, Suite 303
Springfield, VT 05156-3168
Phone: 802-490-6142
Email: Marie.Caduto@vermont.gov
Additional Resources
- B10 Existing Use Tables 2023.pdf
- Watershed Assessment Reports
- Black River Corridor Plan 2009
- Black River Corridor Plan Addendum - Patch and Buffalo Brooks 2010
- Ottauquechee River Corridor Plan 2013
- Roaring Brook Phase 1 and 2 2006
- Municipal Stormwater Infrastructure Maps, Stormwater Master Plans, and Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE) Reports