The Rutland Regional Planning Commission (RRPC) announced Friday, Jan. 24, that the Agency of Natural Resources, Dept. of Environmental Conservation, Water Quality Division has awarded the RRPC a contract to administer water quality improvement programs in partnership with the 11 Regional Planning Commissions (RPCs) across the state of Vermont. Funded through the 604(b) Water Quality Management Planning Grant Program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this initiative aims to promote water quality planning and improvements statewide.
Regional Planning Commissions will use the funding for the following initiatives:
River basin planning and database updates: Compile river basin planning and assessment projects for integration into the DEC’s watershed projects database to design and implement projects that restore and protect Vermont’s water bodies from nutrient and sediment pollution. Funding priorities include alignment with tactical basin planning, pollution reduction potential, and project readiness.
Municipal outreach: Identify towns interested in developing water infrastructure sponsorship program projects and provide initial coordination to advance project development.
Regional water quality planning: Enhance regional planning with a focus on climate change, flood resilience, and environmental justice. Assess access to water quality programs, identify obstacles for disadvantaged communities, and coordinate high-priority resilience projects. Activities may also include developing sub-watershed resiliency plans, updating municipal infrastructure priorities through FEMA mapping outreach, and engaging communities to document flood damage and infrastructure concerns.
“The RRPC is proud to continue playing a key role in supporting statewide water quality planning through the 604(b) Water Quality Management Planning Grant Program,” said Devon Neary, RRPC executive director. “The 604(b) Program enables Vermont’s Regional Planning Commissions to collaboratively advance tactical basin planning services. This ongoing effort is essential to safeguarding Vermont’s surface waters, which are critical for protecting natural resources, bolstering our economy, and building resilience in our communities.”
As part of this initiative, RRPC will solicit water quality planning work plans from partner RPCs and administer sub-awards for eligible projects. Work under this contract is expected to be completed by Nov. 30, 2025.
For more information, visit: rutlandrpc.org.
