The eighth Place in the Basin takes us further south in the watershed than we’ve been before, into the heart of a small community: Pawlet, Vermont.
Underneath the intersection shown in this clip is Flower Brook Gorge, a natural feature along the Flower Brook, which is a tributary to the Mettowee River. Downstream of this location, the Mettowee River joins the Poultney River near Whitehall, New York, then flows into Lake Champlain.
Spanning 309,000 acres, the drainage basins of the Poultney and Mettowee rivers make up the majority of the South Lake watershed. These two rivers originate in the foothills of the Green Mountains in Southern Vermont and converge just a few miles from Lake Champlain in Whitehall, New York.
The Poultney River forms from a mountain spring in Tinmouth, Vermont. Its main stem meanders through a largely rural landscape and is fed by small brooks until it reaches the towns of Fair Haven and West Haven. There, just a few miles from each other, the larger Castleton and Hubbardton Rivers join the Poultney.
The Mettowee River originates on the southern slopes of Dorset Mountain and flows through the Mettowee Valley. A variety of rapids bring thrill-seeking rafters and kayakers to its waters.
The Poultney-Mettowee watershed includes a total of 25 lakes and ponds that provide solace, relaxation, and opportunities for recreation. The two largest lakes, Lake Bomoseen and Lake St. Catherine, bring countless residents and visitors to their shores every summer.
The two rivers flow through a predominantly forested landscape, but agriculture, roadways, and development have impaired the rivers’ function and send phosphorous, sediment, and other kinds of pollution downstream. Residents and watershed organizations have been working together for decades to restore stretches of lakeshore and streambank. Farmers have joined the effort to reduce phosphorus pollution. Together, the communities who call the Poultney-Mettowee watershed home are helping to improve the health of their waterways for generations to come.