Studying Infiltration in Englesby Brook
WNRCD recently received a grant from the EPA to fund a project in the Englesby Brook Watershed aimed at reducing stormwater runoff by increasing infiltration and retention capacity of pervious surfaces such as lawns and green belts. 
 
Englesby Brook was listed as an impaired waterway on the state’s 303(d) list in both 2006 and 2008.  It is a small urban watershed that is shared between Burlington and South Burlington that drains directly to Lake Champlain.  It is estimated that roughly 24-27% of the watershed is covered with impervious surfaces.  Based on the highly urban nature of this watershed, it is likely that the remaining 73-76% of the watershed is able to absorb significantly less stormwater runoff than a more rural area.
 
With EPA funding, WNRCD (in partnership with Stone Environmental) will test infiltration rates at five different areas throughout the watershed this fall.  Next spring, we will implement a variety of low impact development techniques with the goal of increasing infiltration rates.  After the practices have been implemented, we will retest the infiltration at each site and determine whether the practices were successful.  We will then share the finding with interested residents through the area.
The project will serve as a great demonstration of low impact development techniques and how they can be used to improve water quality in impaired watersheds.

3.  It is possible to ensure against future flood damage by straightening and armoring stream channels.There is no way of completely avoiding future flood damages beyond moving all permanent infrastructure out of river corridors and above historic and predicted flood levels.  Armoring banks and straightening channels provide short-term fixes that will be effective until the next large flood.  In addition, these approaches often have the unintended consequence of increasing downstream flooding and erosion risks during moderate flood events.
 
4.  Cutting trees down in the floodplain will prevent debris jams during the next flood.
Large numbers of trees were carried down river channels during the Irene flood clogging bridges and culverts, depositing on islands, and making local flooding worse in some areas.  However, post-flood surveys indicate that wide forested floodplains stayed intact and the trees captured and retained flood debris.  Tree loss was most abundant along narrow buffers and thin stands in floodplains.  Wider forested buffers provide more space to slow water and store sediment and other wood.  Trees play vital roles in river ecosystems and are a natural component of all rivers in New England.  Design and planning is needed to consider the expected load of trees that will be coming down the river channels during future floods.
 
5.  Irene was the 100-year flood so we will never see another flood like this during our lifetime.
Recent data from assessments, design projects, and studies are all showing that Vermont is seeing larger and more frequent flooding.  Several counties had disaster declarations for severe flooding in both May and August this year alone.  It seems likely that we will experience more floods in the future.  The gauge data indicate that flooding from Irene ranged from a 25-year to 500-year flood, with many gauges landing near the 100-year event.  Several gauges experienced the highest flood since they were installed (post 1927 flood).  Over the past several years more large storms have taken place than the gauge statistics suggest should be happening.  The intensity of the rain event in the mountains and the resulting torrent of water, sediment, and woody debris seem to have led to higher flood stages than the predicted 100-year level.  Localized blockages of sediment and debris likely increased local flood stages beyond what stream erosionredict.
 
6.  It is ok to fill in widened channels and floodplains.
Many channels expanded two to ten times the pre-flood width, effectively forming floodplains during the flood.  It is tempting to fill in some or all of these areas to reclaim land.  However, the post-flood river channel has shown the space it needs to convey the water, sediment, and debris during a large flood.  This same area will likely be active river area during the next large flood.  Filling should be as limited as possible to minimize future flood and erosion risks.

7.  All of the aquatic life is dead after such a large flood so it does not matter what we do to our rivers now.
Fish and insects that live in streams have amazing survival instincts given how dynamic their home is.  When floods or droughts take place fish find safe areas to hide behind rocks, under logs, along the channel edges, or in small tributaries.  Insects burrow into the streambed and hide from the turbulent flow.  Although mortality does happen during stressful times such as floods or droughts, these disturbances are actually an essential part of the aquatic ecosystem.    Floods regenerate the bed by moving large amounts of sediment, clean the channel of waste and decayed material, and create new habitat features.
 
8.  The rapid replacement of failed culverts and bridges with structures of the same size is suitable.
Countless culverts and bridges failed during tropical storm Irene due to high flows, plugging with sediment and trees, and water flowing around the structure.  Many of the failed structures were designed using best practices at the time of installation; unfortunately traditional design methods were based on a flow rate without consideration of channel characteristics, sediment load and woody debris.  We now know that the ideal structure imitates natural channel conditions and is invisible to the stream.  At a minimum the structure should span the full channel width, and consider the sediment load and woody debris that may be washing through the structure during flooding.  Paying once for a larger structure that fits the stream channel is more economical than replacing smaller structures that repeatedly fail.
 
9.  All sediment should be scraped off of floodplains.
River flooding into flat floodplains on valley bottoms is responsible for the historic formation of the fertile fields of many of Vermont’s most productive farms.  The size and quality of newly deposited river sediment can widely vary.  Whenever possible, deposited sediment should be left on fallow land or incorporated into active fields to grow food, build soil, and protect water quality by limiting soil and nutrient export to Lake Champlain or the other receiving waters of the state.  Selective removal of the coarser or contaminated parts of the deposited sediment could be performed while leaving the finer clean sediment often associated with nutrients on the fields for the next growing season.
 
10.  FEMA or the State will pay for flood damages.
The unfortunate reality is that federal and state funding is not adequate to cover all of the damages.  It is likely that many towns and people are going to shoulder some of the financial burden of Irene for a long time.  This harsh reality makes it more critical to engage in planning to minimize vulnerability to future flooding.  Planning, proactive flood protection, and risk avoidance are more cost-effective than crisis response.
 
11.  Proper river management is new to Vermont and we must look elsewhere for answers.
Vermont responds to flood disasters every year.  The Vermont Rivers Program, scientific community, watershed groups, and conservation districts have helped establish and successfully implement current river science, channel management, and floodplain protection approaches.  The methods used in Vermont today that have developed from this experience in reducing flood and erosions risks, improving water quality, and protecting aquatic habitat are being explored and implemented throughout the United States.
 

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Local Farm and Forestry Tours
Every year WNRCD Board and Staff visit local farm and forest operations through the district.  This year we visited the Dog River Farm, Kingsbury Farm, and Bear Cobble Tree Farm.

The Dog River Farm (www.dogriverfarm.com), located in Berlin, has several different programs and projects on the farm that benefit the environment and the community.  From implementing good stream bank practices to working with the local school district on composting,  the farm gives back to the land and the people.  Farm owner George Gross manages his farm while ensuring safe habitat for endangered plant species and wildlife.  Most notably Gross has partnered with Screaming Ridge Farm to create the Central Vermont Food Hub.  The food hub will bring together Washington County growers with Washington County residents and laborers.  The food hub will promote year-round local produce and products.

The Kingsbury Market Garden (http://www.kingsburymarketgarden.com/) is a 22 acre farm that was bought by the Vermont Foodbank (VFB) from the Vermont Land Trust in 2009.  Aaron Locker, a long time farmer and local foods advocate, leases the land from the VFB.  In exchange for use of the farm, Locker commits a portion of the farm’s acreage to growing storage crops for the VFB.  Locker has agreed to provide VFB with 35,000 pounds of produce annually.  One of Locker’s main goals on the farm is to re-mineralize the fields by using basalt fines that are incorporated into the compost in addition to coarser basalt and granite in bulk applied directly to the fields. Noticing deficiencies in the late stages of growth, Locker is working to improve the mirco-nutrients available to the plants, not just in the soil.  With extensive soil testing and gleaning information from www.realfoodcampaign.org, Locker is implementing new principles for soil building.  Next year, Locker plans to plant his pathways in clover, continue practicing stale bed seeding and hopes to get the organic matter up to 4%.

The Bear Cobble Tree Farm is a series of large, forested parcels of land located on the back side of Mount Ellen.  Collectively, these parcels total over 1800 acres and span three towns (Starksboro, Buel's Gore, and Fayston).  The owners of the property, Ti'an and Jake Callery, began purchasing parcels in 1966 because of a love of wild areas.  With the help of a Forest Management Plan, the land has been effectively managed for timber, sap production, and wildlife.  Kudos to Ti'an and Jake for all their hard work. 

All of these individuals will be honored at our Annual Meeting for their thoughtful stewardship of the land.
 

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