Funding this award will help to implement the lake champlain management plan in the vermont portion of the lake champlain basin as identified in clean water act section 120

This $15,366,267 federal Project Grant award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Geographic Programs - Lake Champlain Basin Program (CFDA 66.481) will fund a range of environmental initiatives in the Vermont portion of the Lake Champlain Basin. Key activities include:

Continuation of long-term water quality, biological, and cyanotoxin monitoring in Lake Champlain; coordination with the Lake Champlain Basin Program; flood resiliency capacity building; and water chestnut mapping and removal. The award will also support implementation of the 2016 Lake Champlain Phosphorus Total Maximum Daily Load through best management practice implementation, wastewater treatment facility asset management planning, wetland restoration and conservation, agricultural practice enhancement, and green stormwater infrastructure projects at public schools and state colleges.

A sub-award of $XXX,XXX to the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets will target agricultural phosphorus reduction efforts under the Vermont Lake Champlain Phosphorus TMDL Agricultural Management program.

These projects will help improve and/or evaluate the water quality and ecological health of the lake champlain basin by conducting lake champlain's long-term water quality, biological, and cyanotoxin monitoring program, coordinating with the lake champlain basin program, flood resiliency capacity building, and water chestnut mapping and removal. Work to support implementation of the 2016 lake champlain total maximum daily load for phosphorus will also address loading through best management practice implementation, wastewater treatment facility asset management planning, continued support of priority wetland restoration and conservation, enhanced agricultural practice implementation, and the planning, design, and construction of green stormwater infrastructure at public schools and vermont state colleges in the lake champlain basin.activities:activities to be performed with this award include continuation of vermont's participation in the lake champlain's long-term water quality, biological, and cyanotoxin monitoring program, lake champlain basin program coordination, priority wetland acquisition, and water chestnut mapping and removal. Subrecipient deliverables, which will also benefit all residents of the lake champlain basin, include addressing phosphorus loading through BMP implementation, continued support of priority wetland restoration and conservation, enhanced agricultural practice implementation, and the planning, design, and construction of green stormwater infrastructure at public schools and vermont state colleges in the lake champlain basin.subrecipient:activities to be implemented through subawards include organizational capacity grant requests for assistance program; grants to municipal separate storm sewer system communities for stormwater projects; memorandum of agreements with vermont fish and wildlife department and the agency of agriculture, food, and markets to implement subaward programs; and department of environmental conservation pollution control grants and/or clean water funded projects. Outcomes:anticipated deliverables include data collected to analyze long-term water quality trends for lake champlain data to evaluate successes of opportunities for action strategies/goals, progress towards the lake champlain phosphorus total maximum daily load implementation plan, and management activities around the basin; reduction in water chestnut presence to stop the spread of aquatic invasive species; assessment of private, non-municipal roads with associated maps to prioritize best management practice implementation that will reduce phosphorus loading; support watershed groups and partners in the lake champlain basin to increase technical expertise, capacity, and workforce development to support clean water project implementation and funding initiatives; design and/or implementation of stormwater treatment practices to support municipally separate storm sewer system (MS4) communities and reduce stormwater runoff, phosphorus, and pollutant loading to the lake champlain basin; research and development of tools for onsite wastewater treatment systems' site evaluation and design in fine-textured soils leading to increase knowledge of best practices for onsite wastewater system design, and installation; continued support of vermont's lake wise evaluator training, natural shoreland erosion control trainings, and best management practice installation site identification to improve lake water quality and shoreland habitat; acquisition of 3-5 wetland sites for restoration to reduce phosphorus loading to the watershed and improve natural function; support for vermont's farm agronomic practices program, engineering services, technical assistance, and farmstead best management practices program, and c