The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources will host Vermont Clean Water Day from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., with Gov. James Douglas attending. The annual event was established three years ago to honor Vermonters who have worked to improve the state's water quality and to get others to do the same, according to Joshua Gorman, a watershed coordinator at the agency.
"I've been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work with organizations and community members who are doing phenomenal work to protect our water quality," said Gorman. "This day gives a great opportunity to celebrate what they've accomplished and to attract community members interested in the cause."
Each spring, the event is held in one of Vermont's four river basins, Lake Champlain, the Connecticut River, Lake Memphremagog and the Manchester-based Hudson River Basin, home to the Batten Kill. This year, the Battenkill Conservancy and Batten Kill Watershed Alliance are co-hosting the event.
At the event, hands-on activities will be set up to teach children about rivers and watersheds. The agency will also highlight the work of local watershed organizations, and it will name a volunteer and teacher of the year.
Since the Clean Water Act of 1972, the state has been able to successfully address point-source pollutants, which come from a specific pipe, according to Gorman. However, non-point-source pollutants continue to be a problem in some areas, he said. These pollutants enter waterways primarily through sediment or stormwater runoff.
Two issues have recently appeared in the news. Douglas and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have gone back and forth over efforts to reduce phosphorous pollution in Lake Champlain. Also, Didymo, or "rock snot," an invasive algae, which is harmful to fish and aquatic insects, found in the Batten Kill last summer continues to be an issue, said Gorman.
He said two local watershed councils of interested community members have formed. One is responsible for creating a five-year action plan for the Walloomsac and Hoosic watersheds by 2010; the other will do the same for the Batten Kill, identifying steps that need to be taken to keep the river clean and safe.
The Batten Kill Watershed Alliance and the towns of Manchester and Arlington also received a grant to study Didymo this summer and to look for ways to contain it.
In addition, the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife has worked to improve fish habitats on the Batten Kill and buffers have been established by private landowners to help keep pollutants from the water.
"A lot of good things are happening on the Batten Kill," Gorman said.
Anyone interested in joining a local watershed council, which meets monthly, is asked to call Gorman at 802-447-6501.