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…

The Environmental Protection Agency Region 1 awarded the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation $212,000 on October 1, 2025, under the Water Quality Management Planning program (CFDA 66.454) to fund the state's water quality management planning activities that improve impaired waters and protect unimpaired waters across Vermont by conducting planning to inform and support implementation of Clean Water Act programs.

Vermont will conduct the statewide rotational river basin water quality assessment, completing field work, compiling data, and generating assessment reports. The Department of Environmental Conservation will continue development of a statewide integrated watershed assessment incorporating water quality, stream geomorphology, aquatic biota, hydrology, and other factors affecting watershed health. The state will distribute at least 40 percent of funding through a request-for-proposal process to regional or interstate watershed management planning agencies for projects including design and construction of water pollution abatement and control projects targeting nonpoint sources of pollution, municipal outreach and coordination for water infrastructure sponsorship programs, and enhanced regional and municipal planning for watershed restoration and protection related to extreme weather impacts, flood mitigation, and community engagement.

The period of performance runs from October 1, 2025, through January 30, 2027. All work is performed in Vermont. The Rutland Regional Planning Commission received a sub-award on March 18, 2026, for tactical basin planning services under the 2025 604(b) Water Quality Management Planning allocation, distributed through the state's request-for-applications process.

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: 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 enhance regional and municipal planning for watershed restoration and protection related to extreme weather impacts, flood mitigation, and community engagement. Subrecipient:vermont's FY2025 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. While this RFP will incorporate a larger set of tasks than can be supported using available pass-through 604(B) funds, specific performance deliverables eligible for 604(B) funding will be identified and tracked separately, including possible tasks such as: river basin planning and project compilation for migration into DEC's watershed project database, enhance regional planning for WQ protection as IT relates to flood mitigation and resilience, community engagement, enhance community access to clean water state revolving loan fund and other vermont clean water funding, develop sub-watershed resiliency plan based on the municipal protectiveness table, and design and construction of water pollution abatement and control projects that target nonpoint sources of pollution.outcomes:the anticipated deliverables include updated assessments, via basin assessment reports, for specified tactical basin planning units, and ongoing development and utilization of integrated watershed assessment tools that will be used to inform the 2026-2027 monitoring and assessment summary report that contains narrative elements of the 305(B) report. For pass-through projects, deliverables include notice sent to eligible region comprehensive planning organizations regarding availability of 2022 604(B) funds outlining nature of work scope; and performance-based 604(B) grant agreement and associated products or deliverables. The expected outcomes resulting from these efforts include updated basin assessments that will help inform clean water project implementation through the identification of critical source areas; increased knowledge of surface water quality conditions and trends as well as modeled watershed condition through statewide integrated watershed assessment will help direct implementation projects and prioritize future monitoring and assessment efforts; enhanced understanding related to hazard mitigation and resilience accrued due to the ability of communities to access clean water funding, such as vermont's cwsrf; and completion of a variety of water Q