The Bennington County Conservation District (BCCD), on behalf of the Battenkill Valley Supervisory Union, received an Ecosystem Restoration Grant in December 2019 through Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Clean Water Initiative Program.  The grant has provided funding to secure the topographic surveys and 100% designs needed for four stormwater retrofits near the Martha Canfield Library, Fisher Elementary and Arlington Memorial High School in Arlington, VT.

All of the stormwater projects were initially summarized in the Town of Arlington Stormwater Master Plan.  This stormwater master plan was completed in 2019 by Fitzgerald Environmental Associates.  The four projects (SW-4, SW-10, SW-11 and SW-12) will address rooftop and parking lot runoff by reducing erosion and sediment loads, once installed.  Proposed practices include a meandering naturalized channel, stone-lined ditches, check dams, level spreaders and infiltration basins.  Additional options are also being considered to treat runoff from the Martha Canfield Library’s gravel parking lot.  Another great benefit of this project is the potential for student and public education, as the new stormwater structures would be constructed in highly visible and frequently accessed areas.

BCCD has partnered with Fitzgerald Environmental Associates to complete the necessary topographic surveys and final designs.  Dufresne Group Consulting Engineers is also assisting with the design process.