This agreement is to fund the state of vermont's water quality management planning program to improve impaired water and protect unimpaired waters across the state by conducting planning that…

This $164,000 formula grant award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Water Quality Management Planning program (CFDA 66.454) supports the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation's (VT DEC) efforts to improve impaired waters and protect unimpaired waters across the state. Key activities include:

• Conducting statewide rotational river basin water quality assessments, field work, data compilation, and assessment report generation
• Developing a statewide integrated watershed assessment to evaluate factors affecting watershed health
• Providing pass-through funding via a competitive RFP process to support projects such as water pollution abatement, municipal outreach, and federal mapping updates

The grant requires VT DEC to pass through at least 40% of the funding to regional or interstate watershed management planning agencies. The Rutland Regional Planning Commission was awarded a $61,402 sub-grant to undertake activities like regional water quality planning, climate resilience, environmental justice analysis, and hazard mitigation planning.

This agreement is to fund the state of vermont's water quality management planning program to improve impaired water and protect unimpaired waters across the state by conducting planning that informs and supports implementation of clean water act programs. In accordance with clean water act section 205(j)(3), unless a waiver request is approved by EPA, the recipient will jointly develop workplans with and passthrough at least 40% of funding to regional or interstate watershed management planning agencies. This agreement is supported by funding provided under the infrastructure investment and jobs act (IIJA) (PL 117-58). Activities:the activities to be performed include the following water quality management planning activities include: vermont will conduct the statewide rotational river basin water quality assessment to complete field work, compile data, and generate assessment reports; vermont department of environmental conservation (DEC) will continue development of a statewide integrated watershed assessment that will incorporate multiple factors that affect watershed health such as water quality, stream geomorphology, aquatic biota, hydrology and other factors. Pass-through funding via DEC's request for proposal process will seek to support projects that include but are not limited to the design and construction of water pollution abatement and control projects that target nonpoint sources of pollution, municipal outreach and coordination for water infrastructure sponsorship program, and municipal outreach and coordination for federal emergency management agency mapping updates.subrecipient:vermont's FY2024 604(b) pass-through allocation will be distributed via a request for applications for tactical basin planning services, to be offered to vermont's regional planning commissions. The following (sub) tasks have been identified as eligible work plan activities associated with the 40% of 604(b) passthrough funding to rcpos: - river basin planning and project compilation for migration into DEC's watershed project database. - enhance regional planning for WQ protection as IT relates to climate change, flood resilience, - environmental justice - enhance disadvantaged communities' access to clean water state revolving loan fund and other vermont clean water funding (i.e., for the municipal level projection of infrastructure needs). - assess the extent to which their water quality management planning activities and programs benefit disadvantaged communities; determine whether institutional barriers exist that prevent these communities from accessing water program benefits; and identify actions that could enhance the delivery of CWA programs and benefits to disadvantaged communities. As a function of vermont's forthcoming environmental justice law, the anticipated creation of the creation of the VT EJ mapping tool, rcpo's can utilize existing tools (*) in order too assess the benefits that would be accrued through the enhancement of disadvantaged communities' abilities to access clean water programs and attendant funding. - hazard mitigation planning - assess multiple towns within a smaller sub-basin. O rcpos coordinate with towns to identify resilience projects that are high priorities o select 1 of 2 projects from each town for project development and design - develop sub-watershed resiliency plan based on the municipal protectiveness table identify opportunities to mitigate impacts of severe precipitation events on communities through implementation of nature-based restoration projects or practices that increase natural flood water attenuation and storage. Outcomes:the deliverables to be provided under this agreement are: for state projects and activities, deliverables include the annual 604(b) status report, including list of completed river basin assessments, water quality planning and assessment activities