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Stormwater Program

collage of Stormwater BMPs - swaled area next to parking lot, raingarden, retention ponds

The management of stormwater runoff is at once a simple concept and a complex problem. Precipitation runs off impervious surfaces rather than infiltrating into the soil. The cumulative impact resulting from the increased frequency, volume, and flow rate of stormwater runoff can lead to destabilization of downstream channels and can also result in increased pollutant loading to waterways.

The Stormwater Management Program provides regulatory oversight and technical assistance to ensure proper design and construction of stormwater treatment and control practices as well as construction-related erosion prevention and sediment control practices, necessary to minimize the adverse impacts of stormwater runoff to surface waters throughout Vermont.

What's New

  • General Permit 3-9040 for Stormwater Discharges to Muncipal Roads (MRGP) was reissued and is effective on January 26, 2023. See the Muncipal Road General Permit page for more information. 
  • Effective July 1, 2022, coverage under a state operational stormwater discharge permit is now required for new development or redevelopment of 1/2 acres or greater of impervious surfaces.  For more information on this transition see the Half-Acre Reduction page. 
  • Applications for coverage under GP 3-9015 and GP 3-9010 are no longer being accepted. Operational permit applications for projects subject to the General Permit must be submitted through GP 3-9050 materials.
    • Applications for INDS permit coverage submitted on or after December 1, 2020 for an activity that is eligible for coverage under GP 3-9050 may need to be revised to be applications under GP 3-9050.  Questions on eligibility under GP 3-9050 and whether an INDS is needed may be directed to the Operational Section district staff.
  • General Permit 3-9050 and Three-Acre Sites
  • Vermont Construction General Permit (CGP) 3-9020 was amended and resissued on February 19, 2020, along with updates to the Low Risk Handbook for Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control and The Vermont Standards and Specifications for Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control.  The new CGP will take effect 90 days from the date of issuance on May 19, 2020.  Please see the Stormwater Program’s construction stormwater discharge permitting page for information on the amended and reissued CGP.
  • The revised Stormwater Rule became effective on March 15, 2019. See the Stormwater Permitting Rule Update page for more information.
  • FAQ for Title Attorneys (revised December 2020)