LCC To Conduct School Stormwater Assessments

LCC has received grant funding from the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) to conduct stormwater assessments of schools in the Champlain Basin.  LCBP created a new category of grants this year to identify and resolve impervious surface and stormwater runoff issues in public and private school systems, and to engage students through direct involvement or related demonstration and curricular participation. However, there are a limited number of schools poised to take advantage of the opportunity. LCC’s work will help prepare schools for future rounds of grant funding. 

Under the grant, LCC will conduct assessments of the existing stormwater infrastructure for four to five  schools and provide recommendations about ways to increase infiltration and water quality treatment. The assessments will evaluate the current state of each school’s stormwater management and make recommendations for increasing infiltration and low impact development.  Schools undertaking the assessments will be better positioned to seek future funding for stormwater remediation projects.

LCC will be working with the Rock Point School in Burlington and Vergennes Union High School on the project and is looking for additional school involvement. Vergennes Union High School, "has quite a bit of impervious surface and we anticipate there could be some good stormwater reduction projects on the grounds. The City of Vergennes has identified ‘working with the school to modify the school’s stormwater extended detention pond” as a high priority project in the Vergennes city plan," noted principal Stephanie Taylor in her letter of support for the project. "We welcome LCC’s participation in reducing VUHS’s impacts from stormwater runoff and look forward to working with them."

Participating schools need to identify appropriate staff to attend two meetings with LCC, and allow LCC access to school grounds to conduct their assessment. The pre-meeting will define the scope of work and troubleshoot any potential problems. Once LCC completes the on-site assessment, we'll meet with school representatives to review the work and prioritize future stormwater remediation projects. The project is a great opportunity to engage teachers, students and staff in identifying and addressing stormwater problems at their schools. Please contact LCC Staff Scientist Mike Winslow for more information (802 658-1461).