Vermont’s Green Schools Initiative to Fund Storm Water Mitigation at Public Schools

March 18, 2021

Vermont’s Green Schools Initiative will offer assistance to help public schools and state colleges meet the Three-Acre General Permit storm water regulation.

Vermont’s Green Schools Initiative will offer funding and technical assistance to help public schools and state colleges meet the Three-Acre General Permit storm water regulation.

The new Three-Acre General Permit requires sites with three or more acres of paved or developed surfaces, including roofs and parking lots, to treat polluted storm water before it flows into Lake Champlain, according to Vermont’s Agency of Natural Resources press release.

The permit is part of Lake Champlain’s restoration plan.

“In partnership with Senator Leahy’s Office and the Lake Champlain Basin Program, the state has secured funds to support storm water design and permitting for all Three-Acre schools in the Lake Champlain basin that wish to participate,” said Natural Resources Secretary Julie Moore in the press release.

DEC is accepting applications from contractors to oversee a large block grant program that will complete storm water design and permitting work for schools in the Lake Champlain basin, according to the press release. 

Public schools and colleges in the Lake Champlain basin that need to get a permit will be able to get help signing up to receive technical and financial assistance for storm water design. Thereafter, the block grant recipient will select subrecipients to complete initial steps to reduce runoff.

DEC’s Green Stormwater Initiative will partner with Lake Champlain Sea Grant to provide storm water education and outreach to school communities, reported the agency’s press release.

The Lake Champlain Sea Grant will provide schools with watershed and storm water lesson plans as well as training for students and teachers. 

The DEC anticipates additional funding opportunities under the Green Schools Initiative will support a second phase to construct storm water projects for public Three-Acre schools in the Lake Champlain basin and extending to the Lake Memphremagog basin.

More information about the Green Schools Initiative can be found here. School enrollment details and subrecipient opportunities will be available after the selection of the block grant recipients, added the press release.

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Cristina Tuser