U.S. Army Corps and South Burlington, Vt., Begin $1.65 Million Storm Water Projects

U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) announced plans to move forward with $1.65 million in storm water management projects in South Burlington, Vt. USACE and the city of South Burlington have signed an agreement to develop the projects. Nonpoint source storm water runoff is among the largest sources of phosphorous and other pollutants entering Lake Champlain, and Bartlett Brook in South Burlington has been identified as falling short of Vermont water quality standards because of storm runoff.

The agreement includes drainage improvement work in the Stonehenge neighborhood and construction of a storm water treatment pond in nearby Szymanski Park. Another initiative will boost the capacity of the drainage system in the Laurel Hill South neighborhood, which is often hit by localized flooding during big storms.

USACE will manage the design and construction of the projects, and provide more than $1 million of the total $1.65 million cost under the Lake Champlain Environmental Assistance Program, a law written by Leahy that was enacted in 2000. More than a dozen other projects across the basin have been completed or at various stages of planning or construction under the Leahy program.

“I’m happy to move forward on this partnership with the city of South Burlington to improve the lives of Vermonters while also protecting the water quality of the Lake Champlain Basin,” said New York District Commander Col. John R. Boulé. “This project takes advantage of a great opportunity to leverage available federal funding to make storm water management enhancements for South Burlington.”

Source: Office of Senator Patrick Leahy