Improving the Health of the Missisquoi Bay Watershed

The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources' Planning with Partners for Continued Success

MIssisquoi Bay from Rock River outlet on a sunny spring day

Watershed Planning

The 2021 Missisquoi Bay Tactical Basin Plan guides the Agency of Natural Resources and its partners in protecting and restoring the watershed's lakes, wetlands and rivers for recreational opportunities and aquatic habitat among many other uses as described in the Vermont Water Quality Standards.

As the primary sources of pollution to the Bay are associated with land use activity, much of the Agency's planning is focused on how to best provide resources to the community to improve stewardship practices on their property.

The Agency recognizes that for a community to adopt new land use practices, successful connections with land managers must be made and the necessary assistance and resources provided. This is most effectively done with the assistance of community-based partners. Rock-lining road side ditches to prevent erosion is one such practice.

The participation of watershed groups, regional planning commissions, Natural Resource Conservation Districts and other community partners in the Missisquoi in the planning process as well as project implementation ensures success. This story map describes the planning process as well as partners' roles in implementing the plans' strategies. In addition, this story map describes the watershed's health and includes interactive maps used to identify areas for protection and restoration and support strategy development. Use the buttons below to access the plan and to learn more about watershed planning.

Planning in the Missisquoi Bay Watershed

The Missisquoi Bay planning process brought together the Agency and partners to discuss how to facilitate the community's adoption of stewardship practices for a healthier Missisquoi Bay and its contributing waterways.

The resulting tactical basin plan for the Missisquoi Bay includes strategies that document the outcome of discussions with partners as to how best to direct available technical assistance, and outreach and education. The range of Agency of Natural Resources' assistance across all land use sectors is described in the  Vermont Nonpoint Source Management Plan 2021-202 5.

The implementation of these strategies will result in an increase in Best Management Practice adopted by the community, leading to a reduction of pollutants entering our waterways. 

Outcomes ensure that we can continue to enjoy our lakes, wetlands and rivers and that these surface waters.


Watershed Description

The Missisquoi Bay watershed extends from the eastern slopes of the Jay Range to Lake Champlain's Missisquoi Bay. The three largest rivers in the basin, the Missisquoi, the Pike and the Rock, loop north into Quebec and then back into Vermont. The map below identifies the other tributaries as well as towns within the watershed.

Tributaries to the Missisquoi Bay and towns in the watershed

Land use and Land cover: challenges and attributes

Heathy rivers, streams, ponds, lakes and wetlands are supported where the community adopts practices to reduce erosion and other pollutant runoff or supports natural resource protection. Protecting a natural resource like forested land cover on its own will protect surface waters by allowing for the slowing and infiltration of runoff to avoid pollutant loading through erosion.

beaver wetland in forested landscape

The predominantly forested areas in the watershed are associated with Trout River and upper Missisquoi River, while the Rock River and lower Missisquoi have higher percentages of agricultural and developed land. A lower percentage of forested cover often corresponds with degraded surface waters identified in the degraded surface water map (see Map Section). In contrast, surface waters that meet criteria for more pristine watershed tend to be located in areas where forest makes up a higher percentage of the landscape.

Landuse and cover in the Missisquoi Bay Watershed

Summary of 2021 Missisquoi Bay Tactical Basin Plan Strategies

The above table is a summary of the 2021 Tactical Basin Plan strategies by land use or land cover. Found in Chapter 5 of the plan, the Implementation Table identifies priority areas for protection or restoration and includes information about available resources to implement the strategies. The outcome supports land managers in adopting land and water resource stewardship practices that contribute to a healthy watershed.


Reading the Plan

The following slides (click on right side of screen) describe where to find information in the plan.

FIND THE PLAN  HERE 

The plan includes five chapters

Chapter contents include the following information

Questions about the planning process are covered in Chapter 1

Description of how the Agency addresses water quality stressors by land use or land cover is included in Chapter 4

Read the strategies that support the work of the Agency and partners in Chapter 5

The summary of strategies shown here are located in the Executive Summary

Role of Partners

The Missisquoi Bay's watershed partners contribute to the success of the plan by providing community perspective as well as managing projects

How Watershed Partners Contribute

See the Lake Champlain Basin Program video about their contributions through out the Lake Champlain Basin and then continue on to learn about The Missisquoi Bay Partners

Continue the slide show to learn about the Missisquoi Bay partne

Franklin Natural Resources Conservation District (FCNRCD)

A locally led and operated organization that promotes and supports soil and water conservation. The mission of the Districts is to “help provide conservation assistance to the people living in the area through education programs and partnerships with federal, state, and local entities involved in natural resources management.”

Friends of Northern Lake Champlain (FNLC)

A non-profit, citizens’ group dedicated to the rehabilitation and protection of Missisquoi Bay and northern Lake Champlain. Through educational programs and community involvement, they strive to foster public and governmental awareness of the environmental issues affecting water quality. 

Missisquoi River Basin Association (MRBA)

An active, non-profit group of volunteers dedicated to the restoration of the Missisquoi River, its tributaries, and the Missisquoi Bay. They bring together diverse interest groups within the community – teachers, farmers, summer residents, loggers, business owners, environmental experts, outdoor enthusiasts, municipal officers, woodland owners, and concerned citizens like you.

Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP)

A congressionally designated initiative to restore and protect Lake Champlain and its surrounding watershed. The program works with partners in New York, Vermont, and Québec to coordinate and fund efforts to address challenges in the areas of phosphorus pollution, toxic substances, biodiversity, aquatic invasive species, and climate change. The LCBP also administers the  Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership , which builds appreciation and improves stewardship of the region’s rich cultural resources by interpreting and promoting its history 

Orleans Natural Resource Conservation District (OCNRCD)

A locally led organization that delivers high quality, land-user friendly technical, financial, and educational programs and resources that meet the needs of local land users and support best management practices to improve soil and water quality. In the Upper Missisquoi, OCNRCD staff focus on helping farmers write, update, and implement their nutrient management plans (NMPs) NMPs ensure the protection of the county’s waters by providing a guide for nutrient applications on each farm based on the four R’s of nutrient management – right place, right source, right placement, and right timing. The OCNRCD provides conservation equipment rentals - including portable truck scales, a no-till drill, and a soil aerator – and services – including soil and manure sampling - to help producers follow their NMP, improve their soil health, produce high quality feed for their animals, and protect the waters of Orleans County. We work with municipalities to address road erosion to meet the standards of the VTDEC Municipal Roads General Permit. Lastly, we offer the Trees for Streams riparian restoration program to landowners looking to improve water quality by improving the river system with forested buffers

A locally led organization that delivers high quality, land-user friendly technical, financial, and educational programs and resources that meet the needs of local land users and support best management practices to improve soil and water quality. In the Upper Missisquoi, OCNRCD staff focus on helping farmers write, update, and implement their nutrient management plans (NMPs) NMPs ensure the protection of the county’s waters by providing a guide for nutrient applications on each farm based on the four R’s of nutrient management – right place, right source, right placement, and right timing. The OCNRCD provides conservation equipment rentals - including portable truck scales, a no-till drill, and a soil aerator – and services – including soil and manure sampling - to help producers follow their NMP, improve their soil health, produce high quality feed for their animals, and protect the waters of Orleans County. We work with municipalities to address road erosion to meet the standards of the VTDEC Municipal Roads General Permit. Lastly, we offer the Trees for Streams riparian restoration program to landowners looking to improve water quality by improving the river system with forested buffers

Northwest Regional Planning Commission (NRPC)

 A governmental organization uniquely positioned to coordinate and guide activities between state and local governments. Our region is made up of 23 (19 towns, 3 incorporated villages, and 1 city) located in Franklin and Grand Isle Counties in northwestern Vermont.

Commissioners appointed by local governments serve on the  Board of Commissioners  and guide the work of NRPC. The Board meets monthly with topics covering a broad range of concerns: regional land use issues, transportation priorities, emergency preparedness, economic development, natural resource issues, public/private sector cooperation, and review of Act 250 projects.​

The Farmers Watershed Alliance (FWA)

The Franklin and Grand Isle Farmer’s Watershed Alliance mission is to ensure environmentally positive solutions and enable the dairy industry through education and funding to better the soil, air, and water of the Lake Champlain Watershed while remaining economically viable. Secondly, to promote and defend dairy farming to further its future as one of the largest contributors to the state’s economy.

The Franklin and Grand Isle Farmer’s Watershed Alliance mission is to ensure environmentally positive solutions and enable the dairy industry through education and funding to better the soil, air, and water of the Lake Champlain Watershed while remaining economically viable. Secondly, to promote and defend dairy farming to further its future as one of the largest contributors to the state’s economy.

Northeastern Vermont Development Association (NVDA)

NVDA serves the 55 municipalities in this northeastern corner of Vermont as the Regional Planning Commission. We assist with regional and municipal land use and Transportation Planning.

NVDA also serves the businesses in the Kingdom and encourages sustainable economic growth as the Regional Economic Development Corporation in the three counties of Caledonia, Essex and Orleans.

Upper Missisquoi and Trout River Wild and Scenic Committee

The Upper Missisquoi and Trout Rivers Wild & Scenic Committee is formed of town appointees and partners who will help guide the future of our designated Wild and Scenic rivers, and will make decisions about how federal funds should be allocated to best maintain and improve the rivers according to the Management Plan. Our goal is to highlight, uphold, and enhance the quality and special features of these rivers and protect access, so that residents and visitors may fully enjoy our beautiful landscape.

Lake Champlain Sea Grant (LCSG)

The Watershed Forestry Partnership of LCSG facilitates research, communication, collaboration, and implementation of forest restoration and management practices that protect water resources in the Lake Champlain basin. We are a collaborative of practitioners, researchers, agency representatives, and others, who share best practices, new information, and coordinate efforts around funding opportunities and basin-wide restoration strategy. We are currently focused on  riparian forest restoration  as a key strategy to achieve water quality goals and provide other important benefits.

Vermont Land Trust (VLT)

We conserve land with a legal tool called a conservation easement that permanently restricts development and protects natural features.

Most of the land we protect is privately owned and actively farmed or managed for timber. Farmland and forests are critical to our rural economy and the Vermont way of life.

Most of the land we protect is privately owned and actively farmed or managed for timber. Farmland and forests are critical to our rural economy and the Vermont way of life.

We integrate stewardship of natural features into our conservation agreements and offer education to landowners and the public to further this work.


Progress

Land Stewardship in the Watershed: Landowner, Partners and Projects

Examples of projects completed by watershed partners to address pollutants across all land uses follow. Other clean water projects are identified in the  Vermont Clean Water Project Explorer .

Monitoring to understand success of new practices

Monitoring to understand success of new practices. Click to expand.

An aeration system installed in Lake Carmi in 2019 will reduce input of of legacy phosphorus from lake bottom sediments. UVM, FWC and DEC will all help to collect data to document level of success of this new practice in the watershed

Restoring Wetland

Restoring Wetland . Click to expand.

One acre wetland was created in a field too wet for productive cultivation by VLT, MRBA, DEC in 2019

Restoring Pike River Tributary and Floodplain

Restoring Pike River Tributary and Floodplain. Click to expand.

An eroding ditched stream is restored with floodplain on a Berkshire farm, see before and after pictures above. See the write up in DEC's Blog FLOW - Franklin Natural Resource Conservation District with ANR and AAFM funding

Prioritizing Private and State Park Roads for Stormwater Management

Prioritizing Private and State Park Roads for Stormwater Management. Click to expand.

Working with community and landowners to increase adoption of private road management practices to reduce stormwater runoff into Lake Carmi. Assessment will be followed by road fixes in partnership with landowners and local contractors. 2020-2021 by NRPC and FNLC with LCBP funding

Mapping and Managing Japanese Knotweed Along the Upper Missisquoi

Mapping and Managing Japanese Knotweed Along the Upper Missisquoi. Click to expand.

Controlling invasives like Japanese Knotweed allows for reforestation of streambanks (picture by . 2020 - MRBA, Montgomery Rec Dept. and Enosburgh Conservation Commission with LCBP funding

Adding Woody Vegetation to Stream Channels

Adding Woody Vegetation to Stream Channels. Click to expand.

Willow whips were buried in layers along a regraded stream bank to reduce erosion and increase shrubs to enhance habitat. 2020 - UMATR

Restoring floodplain and the Brownway river walk

Restoring floodplain and the Brownway river walk. Click to expand.

In 2003, floodplain and upland forest restoration began on 27.5 acres of bottom land with Missisquoi River frontage. Natural hydrology was restored and 9,000 trees planted with support from the landowner, Abraham Brown, and Enosburg community, MRBA, VLT and USFWS among others.

Monitoring to understand success of new practices

An aeration system installed in Lake Carmi in 2019 will reduce input of of legacy phosphorus from lake bottom sediments. UVM, FWC and DEC will all help to collect data to document level of success of this new practice in the watershed

Restoring Wetland

One acre wetland was created in a field too wet for productive cultivation by VLT, MRBA, DEC in 2019

Restoring Pike River Tributary and Floodplain

An eroding ditched stream is restored with floodplain on a Berkshire farm, see before and after pictures above. See the write up in DEC's Blog  FLOW   - Franklin Natural Resource Conservation District with ANR and AAFM funding

Prioritizing Private and State Park Roads for Stormwater Management

Working with community and landowners to increase adoption of private road management practices to reduce stormwater runoff into Lake Carmi. Assessment will be followed by road fixes in partnership with landowners and local contractors. 2020-2021 by NRPC and FNLC with LCBP funding

Mapping and Managing Japanese Knotweed Along the Upper Missisquoi

Controlling invasives like Japanese Knotweed allows for reforestation of streambanks (picture by . 2020 - MRBA, Montgomery Rec Dept. and Enosburgh Conservation Commission with LCBP funding

Adding Woody Vegetation to Stream Channels

Willow whips were buried in layers along a regraded stream bank to reduce erosion and increase shrubs to enhance habitat. 2020 - UMATR

Restoring floodplain and the Brownway river walk

In 2003, floodplain and upland forest restoration began on 27.5 acres of bottom land with Missisquoi River frontage. Natural hydrology was restored and 9,000 trees planted with support from the landowner, Abraham Brown, and Enosburg community, MRBA, VLT and USFWS among others.


Meeting Clean Water Goals

Although the plan addresses all pollutants and physical alterations that result in degraded surface waters, a focus of the planning process is phosphorus reduction to meet the Lake Champlain Phosphorus TMDL as well as the Lake Carmi Phosphorus TMDL. TMDLs and their associated implementation plans are supported by the tactical basin plans. Learn about TMDLs below.

Clean Water Commitment: What is the TMDL?

Phosphorus reduction goals for Lake Champlain

The phosphorus reduction goals for each Vermont basin, including the Missisquoi Bay watershed (basin 6) are included on Page 2 of the Power BI below. The Agency has estimated how the basin's required TMDL load reduction targets could be divided among the land use sectors based on their phosphorus loading estimates. The Agency has also estimated phosphorus load reductions targets needed by subbasin (HUC12). For example, Hungerford Brook watershed, with significant crop land, could provide opportunities for phosphorus reduction off agricultural land. This information is used to identify the most cost-effective actions for pound of phosphorus reduced.

Learn more about sources of phosphorus loading to Lake Champlain from the Missisquoi Bay watershed (Basin 6) in the following online report

Power BI Report

Minimal riparian buffer between managed landscape and Marsh Brook

Learn about agricultural sources and the best practices to reduce pollutant loading

Phosphorus reduction in the Agricultural sector has been calculated by land use and BMPs adopted between 2016 and 2020 within each subbasin. See the interactive Power BI map showing this information  here  (Picture: OCNRCD)

Example of information found in the Power BI map - Approximately 7,895 kg of agricultural phosphorus were estimated to have been reduced in 2020 by agricultural BMP implementation in the basin

Keeping Track of Progress

The Agency compiles data on all projects completed in the basin, including crediting phosphorus removed. Annually, the progress is reported in the Vermont Clean Water Initiative Performance Reports for the state as well as each basin.


The Health of the Watershed

The Tactical Basin Planning process directs work towards areas in need of protection or restoration. These areas are identified based on the Agency's collected chemical, biological and physical data and analyses. The  Vermont Water Quality Standards  provide the criteria for establishing the desired conditions of a surface water. Assessing surface water conditions includes reviewing any new data collected by the Agency and partners as well as collecting community insights to identify any changing conditions of waterways and opportunities for protection and restoration.

The results of the monitoring and assessment (description provided through the above button) include a list of degraded surface waters that become a priority for restoration strategies. In addition, results identify surface waters that are considered closer to a pristine conditions than most waters. These waters can become candidates for protection through reclassification and designations. These very high quality waters are also the focus for strategies that protect or enhance existing forest cover in their watersheds as well as contributing streams and wetlands.

Maps

During the planning process, the following maps were used to better understand the health of the watershed as well as identify opportunities to protect, restore. Explore the watershed using these maps.

Opportunities for Protection

These waters may be priorities for protection. Monitoring and assessment identifies these surface water as having the higher quality of surface waters or habitat necessary to meet higher reclassification or designation criteria

Opportunities for Restoration and Remediation

Impaired and Altered Waters. See Chapter 2 in the Missisquoi Tactical Basin Plan for additional information

lake score card for basin 6 lakes

Additional information collected on lakes is used to develop the Lake Score Card. Protection strategies will be directed to areas where shoreline and watersheds are in good conditions. Restoration strategies are appropriate for

River geomorphic assessments and river corridor plans identify stream segments that are in disequilibrium with stream system, and the later includes projects that assist in moving the stream systems towards equilibrium. The segments in poor and fair conditions identified on this map identify those areas that may be most in need of restoration practices.

Opportunities for additional collection of monitoring and assessment data - see Tables 15 and 16 in the plan. Some of those opportunities are identified in both areas where land use is heaviest to identify additional restoration needs, as well as where forest is predominant, to identify additional protection needs.

Where should monitoring and assessment focus be in next five years? Streams with the highest percentage of active landuse, including agricultural and developed land would be a priority


Acknowledgements

Created as part of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources' Missisquoi Bay Tactical Basin Planning Process

Cover Photo

Karen Bates, DEC Water Investment Division (WID)

Additional Photos

Karen Bates, DEC WID, and Martha Macy through the Missisquoi Basin Watershed Association

Maps

Sean Regaldo, DEC WSMD

Power BI

Phillip Jones, DEC WID

Tributaries to the Missisquoi Bay and towns in the watershed

beaver wetland in forested landscape

Landuse and cover in the Missisquoi Bay Watershed

Summary of 2021 Missisquoi Bay Tactical Basin Plan Strategies

Minimal riparian buffer between managed landscape and Marsh Brook

These waters may be priorities for protection. Monitoring and assessment identifies these surface water as having the higher quality of surface waters or habitat necessary to meet higher reclassification or designation criteria

Impaired and Altered Waters. See Chapter 2 in the Missisquoi Tactical Basin Plan for additional information

Additional information collected on lakes is used to develop the Lake Score Card. Protection strategies will be directed to areas where shoreline and watersheds are in good conditions. Restoration strategies are appropriate for

River geomorphic assessments and river corridor plans identify stream segments that are in disequilibrium with stream system, and the later includes projects that assist in moving the stream systems towards equilibrium. The segments in poor and fair conditions identified on this map identify those areas that may be most in need of restoration practices.

Where should monitoring and assessment focus be in next five years? Streams with the highest percentage of active landuse, including agricultural and developed land would be a priority