NRCC Clean Water Design and Implementation Block Grant
The State Natural Resources Conservation Council (NRCC) is one of several administrators of the Design & Implementation Block Grant, made possible by funding from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). This program aims to restore and safeguard water quality by undertaking projects that target nutrient and sediment pollution across the diverse landscapes of Vermont. Each project funded under this program plays a crucial role in assisting Vermont in achieving its clean water restoration goals, commonly referred to as the TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load). The TMDL establishes explicit pollutant limits for water bodies such as Lake Champlain and Lake Memphremagog, outlining the required reductions in pollutant levels to ensure improved water quality.
Since the beginning of the agreement in 2020, NRCC has awarded 85 projects. A complete list of projects is available here. Most recently, in our 2022 grant round, a total of $684,846 was awarded to 10 organizations to support engineering design and construction of 23 clean water projects statewide. NRCC and the Vermont Association of Conservation Districts (VACD) will support Vermont’s Natural Resources Conservation Districts, watershed groups, and municipalities in the successful completion of projects that will stabilize eroding shorelines, restore stream flow, mitigate erosion, filter sediment and nutrient pollution, and naturalize stormwater remediation.
Clare Ireland, serving as NRCC Finance Director and Administrator since 2020, has witnessed the remarkable evolution of projects from their initial development to successful implementation. Ireland expresses, “These clean water initiatives come with an abundance of co-benefits that ripple through our communities, fostering thriving ecosystems, reestablishing native habitat, increasing the vibrancy of local economies, and supporting climate resiliency for generations to come.”
NRCC looks forward to accelerating the great work and innovation already underway across the state through the following projects awarded in the most recent round:
| Projects Awarded in Spring 2023 | ||||
| Organization | Town | Project Type | # Projects | Project Description |
| Bennington County Natural Resources Conservation District | Rutland | Preliminary Design | 6 | Preliminary engineering design of lake shoreland best management practice installations on six residential properties composing the shoreland area around Big Pond. |
| Caledonia County Natural Resources Conservation District | St. Johnsbury | Final Design | 4 | Final design of four lakeshore projects along Joe’s Pond that include buffer plantings, infiltration steps or path, small shoreline stabilization, and dripline trench. |
| Caledonia County Natural Resources Conservation District | St. Johnsbury | Final Design | 1 | Final design of a stormwater treatment and erosion control project at the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife Peacham Pond Access Area. |
| Essex County Natural Resources Conservation District | Brunswick | Implementation | 1 | Implementation of two projects to reduce erosion and sediment transport via sheet flow to the Moose River. Projects will include underground infiltration chambers and a closed drainage system to capture overflow. |
| Franklin County Natural Resources Conservation District | St. Albans | Implementation | 1 | The removal of a small agricultural bridge that acts as an encroachment on the Dead Creek downstream of Fairfield Swamp Wildlife Management Areas to reduce stream erosion and improve water quality and improve habitat. |
| Franklin County Natural Resources Conservation District | St. Albans | Implementation | 1 | An active restoration project to remove two concrete blocks from the shoreline and replace them with a bioengineered shoreline practice, preventing crumbling concrete and sediment from eroding into Lake Carmi. |
| Franklin County Natural Resources Conservation District | St. Albans | Final Design | 1 | Final design for the implementation of check dams in stormwater gullies on a private residential property. These check dams will be constructed using environmentally friendly, natural materials. |
| Friends of Northern Lake Champlain | St. Albans | Final Design | 1 | Preliminary and final engineering design for stream restoration, vegetated buffer enhancement, and protection of existing infrastructure at a site along the Miller River. |
| Lamoille County Natural Resources Conservation District | Morrisville | Final Design | 1 | Final design of a stormwater project to reroute pipes to a subsurface sand infiltration system behind the Johnson Town Library. |
| Lamoille County Natural Resources Conservation District | Morrisville | Final Design | 1 | Final design of a stormwater projects at the Lake Elmore Fish & Wildlife Boat Access. Project includes stabilization of lakeshore with native plantings and a designation of a no-mow zone, and small naturalized basin on both sides of the boat ramp. |
| Memphremagog Watershed Association | Newport | Preliminary & Final Design | 1 | Preliminary and final design for a small, green stormwater infrastructure retrofit to address stormwater runoff at the Glover Town Office and Community School properties. |
| Orleans County Natural Resources Conservation District | Newport | Preliminary & Final Design | 2 | Preliminary design to address stormwater road runoff that flows from a steep paved driveway causing soil erosion resource concerns for into Shadow Lake; and a shoreland design to address erosion and habitat resource concerns with core logs, dripline trenches, defined water access, and plantings. |
| Poultney Mettowee Natural Resources Conservation District | Poultney | Final Design | 1 | Final design of large underwater treatment tanks that will address stormwater runoff from the entire neighborhood of Fair Haven. |
| White River Partnership | S. Royalton | Implementation | 1 | The replacement of an undersized, stream-crossing culvert resulting in sediment and nutrient pollution. |
The State Natural Resources Conservation Council (NRCC) supports Vermont’s 14 Natural Resources Conservation Districts. NRCC’s mission is to advance state conservation and water quality efforts by providing strategic guidance and operational support to Conservation Districts, contributing a local perspective on state conservation policies, and facilitating the sharing of information among members and partners.