While the VT Rivers Program has been under development for a decade, there has been a cascade of public policy around river and floodplain management since the devastation wrought by Tropical Storm Irene nearly 3 years ago. Now available:
A Stream Alteration General Permit
Standard River Management Principles and Practices
Appendices
(Prepared for the VTDEC by Milone & MacBroom, Inc. and Fitzgerald Environmental Associates, LLC)
These regulations and technical guides center on the principles of fluvial geomorphology and have set standards for managing streams and rivers toward dynamic equilibrium conditions. A connectivity standard has also been set for vertical and horizontal continuity, so important to functioning floodplains and aquatic organism passage.
The new Rules and GP engender standards for conducting emergency and next-flood protective measures that place a priority on public safety and infrastructure, while maximizing the extent to which we achieve our equilibrium and connectivity standards.
The Standard Principles and Practices are written to serve the technician working to solve problems, analyze alternatives, and design river projects.