Preliminary WORKING DRAFT April 2018 Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Watershed Management Division Winooski River TACTICAL BASIN PLAN The Winooski Basin Water Quality Management Plan (Basin 8) was prepared in accordance with 10 VSA § 1253(d), the Vermont Water Quality Standards, the federal Clean Water Act and 40 CFR 130.6, and the Vermont Surface Water Management Strategy. The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources is an equal opportunity agency and offers all persons the benefits of participating in each of its programs and competing in all areas of employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual preference, or other non-merit factors. This document is available upon request in large print, braille or audiocassette. VT Relay Service for the Hearing Impaired 1-800-253-0191 TDD>Voice - 1-800-253-0195 Voice>TDD WORKING DRAFT WINOOSKI BASIN TACTICAL BASIN PLAN i | P a g e Table of Contents Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................................... ix Top Objectives and Strategies .............................................................................................................. x Chapter 1 – Planning Process and Watershed Description .......................................................................... 1 The Tactical Basin Planning Process .......................................................................................................... 1 Contributing Planning Processes .............................................................................................................. 4 The Winooski River Basin .......................................................................................................................... 4 Subwatersheds ...................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2 - Water Resource Assessments .................................................................................................... 2 Assessment Methodology ......................................................................................................................... 2 Stressors, Pollutants and Physical Alterations to Aquatic and Riparian Habitat ...................................... 2 Overview of Water Resources .................................................................................................................. 4 Rivers ..................................................................................................................................................... 4 Lakes and ponds .................................................................................................................................... 5 Wetlands ............................................................................................................................................... 6 Condition of Specific Water Resources ..................................................................................................... 6 Impaired Waters and Priority Surface Waters ...................................................................................... 6 Additional Lake and Pond Assessment Results ................................................................................... 20 Stressors, Pollutant and Project Identification ....................................................................................... 23 Water Quality Monitoring by Citizen Groups ..................................................................................... 23 Stream Geomorphic Assessments ...................................................................................................... 26 Landslide Inventory ............................................................................................................................. 30 Stormwater Master Plans and Mapping ............................................................................................. 31 Road Erosion Inventories (update or see Phase II info) or needed? Could add something above .... 32 Lake Shoreland Protection and Restoration ....................................................................................... 32 Wetland Restoration ........................................................................................................................... 33 Flow Alteration .................................................................................................................................... 34 Hazardous Waste Sites and Landfills .................................................................................................. 39 Modeling Tools to Identify Remediation and Protection Efforts ............................................................ 40 Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Needs ................................................................................ 41 Priority Subbasins for Remediation ........................................................................................................ 45 DRAFT WINOOSKI BASIN TACTICAL BASIN PLAN ii | P a g e Chapter 3 –Addressing Stressors and Pollutants through TMDLs and Regulatory Programs .................... 50 Vermont TMDLs for Stormwater Impaired Waters and related regulations .......................................... 51 Lowland “Urban” Watersheds ............................................................................................................ 52 Mountain Watersheds ........................................................................................................................ 52 General Permit for Centennial Brook ................................................................................................. 52 New and Existing Discharges (Updates to this section expected later in 2018) ........................... 53 Vermont Statewide TMDL for Bacteria-Impaired Waters ...................................................................... 53 The Lake Champlain Phosphorus TMDL Phase II: Winooski River Basin ................................................ 54 The Basics ............................................................................................................................................ 54 Lake Champlain Phosphorus TMDL Phase II Plan ............................................................................... 61 HUC12 Tool ......................................................................................................................................... 63 BMP Scenario Tool .............................................................................................................................. 64 Clean Water Roadmap Tool ................................................................................................................ 65 Limiting Phosphorus Losses from Managed Forest ............................................................................ 70 Reducing Phosphorus Attributable to Unstable Stream Channels ..................................................... 73 Controlling Phosphorus from Agriculture ........................................................................................... 76 Controlling Phosphorus from Developed Lands ................................................................................. 90 Phosphorus Loading from Roads ........................................................................................................ 93 Controlling Phosphorus from Wastewater Treatment Facilities and Other Industrial Discharges .. 108 Summary ........................................................................................................................................... 111 Flood Resilience Efforts ......................................................................................................................... 114 Flood Hazard Regulations ................................................................................................................. 114 Hazard Mitigation Plan...................................................................................................................... 115 Vermont Economic Resiliency Initiative (VERI) ................................................................................. 116 Chapter 4 - Management Goals for Surface Waters ................................................................................. 118 Classification, and Recent Revisions to the Vermont Water Quality Standards................................... 119 Class A(2) to Class B .............................................................................................................................. 122 Class B(2) to A(1) ................................................................................................................................... 122 Class B(1) ............................................................................................................................................... 123 Class B(1) for Fishing ......................................................................................................................... 123 Class B(1) for Aquatic Biota ............................................................................................................... 126 Existing Uses.......................................................................................................................................... 128 DRAFT WINOOSKI BASIN TACTICAL BASIN PLAN