The Lamoille River Basin has a watershed area of 706 square miles. The main stem of the Lamoille River flows over 84 miles from its headwaters in Glover to the outer Mallets Bay in Lake Champlain and traverses 34 towns and 5 counties. Major tributaries to the Lamoille River include the Wild Branch, North Branch, Brewster River, and Browns River. Larger lakes in the watershed include Caspian Lake, Lake Elmore, Green River Reservoir, and Arrowhead Mountain Lake.
2016 Lamoille Tactical Basin Plan
The 2016 Lamoille Tactical Basin Plan was adopted in December, 2016, and is now available for use.
The Lamoille River Tactical Basin Plan (TBP) was developed with the purpose of both improving and protecting water quality and aquatic habitats, and presents the recommendations of State and Federal resource agencies, watershed partner organizations, planning commissions, municipalities, and individual citizens. The Plan provides an overall assessment of the health of the Lamoille River basin and defines on-going and future actions and strategies to address high-priority stressors. An additional goal of the plan is to set priorities for meeting targets for phosphorus loading from the Lamoille River and all of the waters in its drainage basin that contribute to Mallets Bay in Lake Champlain. As such the plan contains a comprehensive chapter addressing the Lake Champlain TMDL requirements, including high-resolution phosphorus load modeling.
A responsiveness summary addressing public comments is also available. For assistance using the Plan, please contact Danielle Owczarski by email at danielle.owczarski@vermont.gov or by phone at (802) 490-6176.
2016 Lamoille Watershed Top Priorities
The central component of the Tactical Basin Plan is an implementation table summary with targeted actions to protect very high quality waters and to address the water quality issues in the Lamoille watershed. Over 140 actions are identified in the plan with over 1000 individual related projects included in the VT Watershed Projects Database.
- Protect very high quality surface waters by monitoring, assessment, and reclassification
- Promote implementation of agricultural water quality practices in high phosphorus loading watersheds by mapping, outreach and implementation of conservation tillage and cover cropping in floodable soils
- Protect river corridors and support stream equilibrium by implementing high priority projects identified in River Corridor Plans
- Inventory municipal road erosion features that discharge into surface water and prioritize and implement best management practices
- Engage prioritiy communities in stormwater master planning and implementation
- Improve lakeshore zone habitat by evaluation, protection, and implementation of projects identified in lakewide assessments
- Identify and implement wetland and floodplain restoration projects
- Increasing understanding of water quality conditions through water quality monitoring