Totaling $105,000 Awarded to the Memphremagog Watershed Association

The Memphremagog Watershed Association (MWA) was recently awarded nearly $105,000 in grant funding from the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (VHCB) in their role as the Memphremagog Clean Water Service Provider (CWSP). MWA requested these funds from the Water Quality Restoration Formula Grant program and will use the monies to design and/or implement four water quality and fish habitat restoration projects in the towns of Derby, Newport, Holland and Morgan.

The CWSP model is a recently developed program led by Vermont Dept. of Environmental Conservation, and run locally by VHCB, that allows municipalities and conservation groups to request grant funding to develop projects that reduce phosphorus and sediment loading to waterways. Projects can also be awarded funds based on their capacity to provide additional co-benefits beyond pollution reduction, such as flood resilience, education, recreation, and environmental justice. Reducing phosphorus loading to our waterways is the primary goal of the Memphremagog Total Maximum Daily Load and the Tactical Basin Plans, two planning tools that addresses nutrient pollution and the resulting harmful algae blooms that occur in Lake Memphremagog.

The four projects that were awarded funding are all located in the Clyde River watershed. Two of the projects are located on private properties off Hinman Settler Road, below Salem Hill and above Salem Lake, and will involve woody riparian buffer enhancement and stream and wetland restoration. Together, these two projects will help to reduce erosion, trap sediment, maintain cool water temperatures, and enhance fishery habitat. Approximately $5,000 will be used to plant a half-acre of riparian buffer along the brook and approximately $19,000 will support stream and wetland restoration design and permitting efforts located just downstream of the buffer planting.

The third project is located on a tributary of the lower Clyde River off Crawford Road, near Clyde Pond. Partnering with the Vermont Electric Power Company (VELCO), MWA will work to enhance wetlands, stabilize gullies, and improve snowmobile trails to reduce erosion and sediment loading in a stream that hosts Brook Trout and landlocked Atlantic Salmon. Approximately $8,000 is available to support design and permitting for various restoration actions across a large, forested property.

The fourth project is a continuation of recent work on Valley Brook in Morgan. Phase 2 of the Valley Brook Restoration Project will extend upstream and downstream of last years’ stream and floodplain restoration project to redesign four problematic culverts that were damaged during the July 2023 floods. Two of the four culverts are privately owned, while the other two are owned by the Towns of Morgan and Holland, respectively. MWA will work with a contracted engineering firm to redesign the four crossing structures to effectively convey flood flows while providing full passage for fish and other aquatic organisms. Approximately $73,000 is available to design four new crossing structures and various stream restoration practices.

The work for these four projects is being managed and overseen by the Memphremagog Watershed Association in partnership with the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department and Orleans County Natural Resources Conservation District. MWA would like to thank VELCO, private landowners, and the Towns of Morgan and Holland for their support in developing these projects. MWA was founded in 2007 as an organization dedicated to the preservation of the environment and natural beauty of the Memphremagog Watershed and to ensure its protection for generations to come. Please contact Patrick Hurley, MWA Project Manager, with questions at phurley@mwavt.org.