NRPC outlines QISP role, steep phosphorus targets and $10M-plus in state funding for Missisquoi Basin
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Summary
NRPC staff described the commissions role as a clean-water service provider (QISP) for the Missisquoi and Lamoille basins, citing annual phosphorus reduction targets, examples of funded projects and formula grant funding that will top roughly $10 million for the Missisquoi Basin by FY2026.
Dean Pierce, NRPCs water resources lead, told the board that the commission is the state-designated clean-water service provider (QISP) for the Missisquoi and Lamoille basins and is responsible for administering non-regulatory projects aimed at reducing phosphorus in Lake Champlain.
Pierce said the QISP role focuses on identifying, funding and maintaining voluntary clean-water projects and on implementing required administrative and financial reporting. He described project types supported by the program—gully stabilization, wetland restoration, riparian buffers, stormwater system design and dam removal—and said projects are prioritized primarily by how many kilograms of phosphorus they will reduce and by cost-effectiveness.
"The trend is fairly clear," Pierce said. "The phosphorus load in the Missisquoi Watershed needs to be reduced by over 60 percent," a reduction measured in modeled kilograms per year linked to the Lake Champlain TMDL. He said the program measures success by quantifiable annual phosphorus reductions using a state-accepted formula and that targets run through the TMDL time horizon (to 2036).
Pierce described funding from the states formula grant, noting the cumulative funding available to the Missisquoi Basin will top roughly $10,000,000 by state fiscal year 2026. He said administrative and program-delivery costs are constrained by contract rules and cannot exceed 15% of total program funds and that payments are on a modified cost-reimbursement basis.
Commissioners asked whether QISP funds could support outreach on the states "3-acre" permit and about how near-term storm damage affects modeled targets. Pierce said some tactical-basin planning work includes educational sessions on the 3-acre rule, separate legislative grant applications for broader outreach had not been selected, and immediate storm events do not change the modeled annual targets though future model iterations could reflect changed patterns.
Pierce identified partner organizations that have participated in the effort, including Friends of Northern Lake Champlain, conservation districts and watershed organizations, and he noted NRPC manages the Basin Water Quality Council (WIC) that reviews and prioritizes applications. He closed by saying NRPC is running its ninth call for applications, has dozens of prequalified partner organizations and is managing a growing portfolio of prequalified contractors to implement projects.
The board did not take a formal action on the presentation; members were invited to follow up with staff and to review the interactive project map Pierce referenced.
