What's New
The two-year planning process for the revision of the Winooski River Tactical Basin Plan has begun and will end with the release of the updated plan at the end of 2023.
2018 Winooski River Tactical Basin Plan
The 2018 Winooski River Tactical Basin Plan (TBP) is a five-year water quality management plan. The Plan provides an overall assessment of the health of the Winooski River Basin and defines on-going and future actions and strategies to address high-priority stressors such as encroachment, stream channel erosion, land erosion, and pathogens. The plan also includes recommendations for protection of high-quality water resources in the basin.
State and federal resource agencies, watershed partner organizations, regional planning commissions and municipalities assist the Agency of Natural Resources with the development and implementation of the plan.
The Plan also includes the Phase II content (Chapter 3) for the Lake Champlain Phosphorus Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), including setting targets for phosphorus loading from the Winooski River to Lake Champlain. The Phase II content includes high-resolution phosphorus load modeling and projected phosphorus reductions for smaller sub-watershed as well as by types of sources (wastewater treatment plant, developed lands stormwater, roads, forestry and agricultural). The TMDL as well as the associated Phase I Implementation Plan both point to issuance of this plan as a component of the accountability framework.
The central component of the Tactical Basin Plan is an implementation table summary with targeted actions to protect high-quality waters and to address the water quality issues in the watershed. Individual projects are included in the VT Watershed Projects Database (WPD).
The Winooski River begins in the Town of Cabot and flows 90 miles to Lake Champlain. Draining approximately 1,080 square miles, the Winooski River watershed encompasses all of Washington County, about half of Chittenden County, and portions of Lamoille and Orange Counties. The 7 major tributaries of the Winooski River are the Little River, Kingsbury Branch, North Branch, Stevens Branch, Dog River, Mad River, and Huntington River.
See below for additional information:
- Story Map
- Winooski Basin Existing Uses
- Color map of the Winooski River basin with major tributary watersheds highlighted
- Winooski River Basin Water Quality and Aquatic Habitat Assessment Report
- Water Quality Assessment Maps
- Final 2012 Basin 8 Water Quality Management Plan and Appendix (5/18/2012)
Basin Specific Reports
- Impact Assessment of the Barre Coal Tar Site on the Aquatic Biota of the Stevens Branch, Barre, VT
- Aquatic Life Use Attainment Assessment of Big Spruce Brook
- Aquatic Life Support Use Assessment of Centennial Brook
- Bioassessment of the Dog River
- Biological Assessment of the Macroinvertebrate and Fish Communities of Great Brook, Plainfield, VT
- Aquatic Life Use Support Attainment of a tributary of Joiner Brook
- Aquatic Life Use Support Attainment of the Little River below Waterbury Reservoir
- 2017 Upper Winooski Watershed Fisheries Summary
Additional Resources
Programs or Organizations with Specific Ties to the Winooski River Basin
- Lake Champlain Basin Program
- Association of Vermont Conservation Commissions
- Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission
- Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission
- Winooski Natural Resource Conservation District
- Friends of the Winooski
- Vermont League of Cities and Towns
- Friends of the Mad River
- Vermont Rivers Conservancy
- Trout Unlimited (Mad Dog Chapter)
- Trout Unlimited (Central Vermont Chapter)
- Vermont Land Trust
- Vermont Paddlers Club
- Huntington River Conservation Partnership
- Regional Stormwater Education Program
- Chittenden County Stream Team
DEC-produced Publications & Guidance
- Tactical Basin Planning
- TMDL Information web page
- Lake Champlain Phosphorus TMDL
- Map of Vermont’s 15 Major Drainage Basins
- Flow: the Watershed Management Division's Blog