GMWEA is now on Facebook!


December 2011
This announcement is a little delayed. We apologize for that!
Congratulations to Riya Patel on being the GMWEA Stockholm Junior Water Prize recipient for 2011 and for attending the National Competition in Chicago, Illinois.
The competition for the 2012 State Champion, judged in part by the GMWEA Board of Directors, will take place on March 31, 2012 at Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont.

November 2011
GMWEA recently held it's 2011 Fall Trade Show and Technical Program at the Sheraton Burlington Hotel. We were pleased to have more than 90 exhibitors present selling their wares to more than 220 attendees.
September 30, 2011
LCRCC
802-863-3489
www.vermont.org
PRESS RELEASE
Announcing the First Round of TMDL Small Group Meetings
For Immediate Release
Contact: Michaela Stickney September 21, 2011
(802) 241-3619 Waterbury - The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VTDEC) are jointly holding a series of meetings to discuss progress on the Lake Champlain Phosphorus cleanup plan, technically referred to as the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). The first round of meetings will be from October 4-6, 2011. These meetings are the next step in gathering stakeholder input on practices, policies, and funding commitments necessary to achieve phosphorus pollution load reductions required by the TMDL. The meetings will also explore additional actions that should be taken if certain nonpoint source actions are not implemented according to the established timeline. Participants will also hear from a technical team tasked with updating and analyzing watershed and lake modeling data. These meetings will build on progress described in the Revised Implementation Plan for the Lake Champlain Phosphorus TMDL, dated January 15, 2010. The VTDEC conducted a public process during 2009 which led to a Revised Implementation Plan for the Lake Champlain TMDL. The January 2010 revised plan presented approximately 200 strategies for improving water quality in Lake Champlain. The 2010 implementation plan will be used as a starting point for the upcoming discussions, and is available at: http://www.anr.state.vt.us/cleanandclear/news/TMDL%20impl%20plan%20final%20-%20011510.pdf
Each of the meetings will focus on one sector, giving USEPA and VTDEC the opportunity to hear in depth how agencies, organizations and individuals should help implement the TMDL, factors that hinder compliance with the TMDL, and recommendations for next steps, if compliance is unsatisfactory. The first series of meetings will occur October 4-7, 2011 and will focus principally on the northern half of the Lake Champlain Basin.
The six sectors to be discussed at the first series of meetings that will be specific for the northern half of the Lake Champlain Basin include: northern lake committees, northern municipalities, agricultural interests, nonprofit organizations, stormwater/urban interests, and business interests. If you are unable to attend any of these meetings, USEPA and VTDEC would still like to hear from you. Please view the contact information below to arrange other options to participate:

1. Tuesday October 4, 10am - 12pm
Agricultural Sector Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District (NRCD) 617 Comstock Rd, Suite 1 Berlin, VT Phone: (802) 828-4493 Ext. 113 ? (meet in the UVM Extension conference room in the complex)
2. Tuesday October 4, 3-5pm
Northern Municipality Sector Northwest Regional Planning Commission (NRPC) 155 Lake Street St. Albans, VT (802) 524-5958 ? (meet at NRPC offices)
3. Wednesday October 5, 11:30am-1:30pm
Business Sector Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce & Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation 60 Main Street, #100 Burlington, VT (802) 863-3489 ? (meet at LCRCOC offices)
4. Wednesday October 5, 5:30-7:30pm
Nonprofit/Mid-lake Watershed Group Sector ECHO/Leahy Center 1 College St. Burlington, VT (802) 864-1848 ? (meet in Alcove upstairs)
5. Thursday October 6, 10am-12pm
Northern Lake Committee Sector Lake Champlain Basin Program 54 West Shore Rd. Grand Isle, VT (802) 372-3213 ? (meet at LCBP offices)
6. Thursday October 6, 2-4pm
Stormwater/Urban Sector Lake Champlain Committee 208 Flynn Avenue, Building 3, Studio 3F Burlington, VT (802) 658-1414 ? (meet at LCC offices)
Meetings are open to the public, and space may be limited, so please RSVP to ensure that space is arranged accordingly. To RSVP for a particular meeting of interest, please contact by e-mail: Michaela Stickney, VTDEC Lake Champlain Basin Coordinator, michaela.stickney@state.vt.us
If you have further questions about the range of public meetings, please either e-mail or call Michaela Stickney at (802)241-3619. If you are unable to attend either group of meetings, please e-mail or call to arrange other options to participate. Your participation is vital to this process and we welcome your input.

September 2, 2011

From Vermont DEC: All Community and Non-Transient-Non-Community Water Systems in south/central Vermont are strongly recommended to turn on your disinfection until the state of Vermont Water supply staff can visit your site. If you have had a power outage, flooding of any wells or infrastructure damage the Vermont DEC Water Supply Division requires you to disinfect your water.