The primary mission of the Water Quality Division is to protect, maintain and enhance the overall quality of Vermont's surface-water resources.  Inherent in this goal is the support of both healthy ecosystems as well as appropriate public uses in the 808 significant lakes and ponds, 7,100 miles of rivers and streams and 300,000 acres of wetlands that exist within the State of Vermont.

Specifically, the Water Quality Division:

    * Conducts chemical, physical and biological environmental monitoring and publishes assessments of streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands.

    * Provides guidance to citizen monitoring programs designed to evaluate the quality of the State’s water resources and potential threats to that quality.

    * Assures that permitted effluent discharges, and stream flows below dams, water withdrawals and hydropower reservoirs meet water quality standards.

    * Issues grants and provides technical assistance to support local nonpoint source pollution management activities in lake and river watersheds.

    * Devises plans designed to both protect high quality waters and to bring impaired waters back into compliance with water quality standards.

    * Implements regulatory permitting programs for wetlands, stormwater runoff, erosion control, aquatic nuisance control, lakeshore encroachments, stream alterations, and the Vermont Water Quality Standards.

    * Administers an aquatic nuisance management program, a river management and flood hazard mitigation program, and sponsors Water Education for Teachers (Project WET).

    * Prepares watershed plans for 17 major planning basins through a public-private collaboration that identifies water quality problems and develops and implements corrective strategies.

We welcome you to the Division’s website, and appreciate your interest in the State’s water resources.  Please refer to the Contact List for staff contact information relative to your specific questions and needs.  Thank you.