FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mike Miller Director of Planning & Community Development
mmiller@montpelier-vt.org (802) 262-6269
Stormwater Master Plan Completed for the City of Montpelier
The impacts of stormwater on our rivers and streams has been an increasing topic of concern in the state over the past few years. In response, the City of Montpelier added a goal to its Council priorities in 2014 to develop a stormwater master plan and in 2015 applied for and received an Ecosystem Restoration Program (ERP) grant from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation to develop the plan. The consulting team of Stone Environmental and Greenman Pedersen was hired by the City and recently completed the project. A copy of the plan is available at http://www.montpelier-vt.org/documentcenter/view/3620 and is also summarized below.
The goals for stormwater master planning, and for Montpelier’s Stormwater Master Plan, include:
- Identifying as many needs as possible, along with conceptual projects or solutions to meet those needs;
- Prioritizing potential projects based on criteria that accounts for both local and state-level priorities;
- Supporting the near term implementation of one or more projects; and
- Providing a basis to move from reactive one-off projects to a comprehensive and proactive program.
The consultant team collaborated with the City to develop a thorough understanding of previous work and the City’s current related activities. Information was inventoried, assessed, and documented from a variety of sources. Through this work a total of 58 potential problem areas were identified throughout the City. The stormwater problem areas identified through the screening were carried forward through a more detailed examination and prioritization process that considered possible regulatory changes, future growth, and the suitability of different types of best management practices to each identified problem area.
The highest priority opportunities were advanced to concept design, including:
- Green stormwater infrastructure opportunities to be incorporated with planned road reconstruction and combined sewer separation.
- Addressing areas of steep slopes and concentrated flow adjacent to neighborhood streets.
- Addressing erosion and drainage issues in Hubbard Park’s gravel road network, using strategies that include ditch and culvert improvements, plunge pools, and ditch turn-outs to sediment basins.
- Supporting Montpelier’s Department of Public Works on-going effort to decrease roadway width (where applicable) to reduce the amount of impervious surface, and therefore reduce stormwater run-off by developing approaches for road shoulder protection and restoration following pavement and subbase removal.
In addition, three sites were chosen as models for illustrative concepts for integrating green stormwater management practices into other City infrastructure (such as roadways and parking lots) in the future, one of which is shown below.
For more information about these projects, please contact Mike Miller, Director of Planning & Community Development for the City of Montpelier at 802-262-6269 or mmiller@montpelier-vt.org .