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Lewis Creek Association describes neighborhood-focused, non-regulatory water-quality projects
Summary
Andrea Morgante of the Lewis Creek Association told the Clean Water Advisory Committee the group uses neighborhood outreach, school rain-garden projects and constructed wetlands to develop non-regulatory stormwater work and partners closely with municipalities as a pre-approved Basin 5 CWSP project manager.
Andrea Morgante, representing the Lewis Creek Association, outlined how the nonprofit identifies and develops non-regulatory water-quality projects for the Basin 5 watershed during the Chittenden County Clean Water Advisory Committee’s June 3 meeting.
Morgante described LCA’s long history of monitoring—more than 30 years—and its role as a pre-approved project manager for Basin 5’s Clean Water Service Provider work. She said LCA’s non-regulatory portfolio includes stormwater master plans, work on undersized culverts and Agricultural Operational Practices (AOP), and projects that pre-dated the current stormwater regulatory environment. She emphasized that strong relationships with landowners and municipal staff are central to delivering projects.
Morgante shared several local project examples: a condominium complex where LCA secured funding and advanced final design for a constructed wetland to treat runoff, and a wetland-restoration project to address stormwater pooling behind a church in Hinesburg. She also described rain-garden projects at schools in Shelburne that drew strong community engagement.
In response to questions from Keith Fritschie of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation about outreach messaging, Morgante said LCA often holds neighborhood meetings and multi-town events (including a series the organization called “Water Matters”) and frames projects around multiple community benefits—such as wildlife habitat—to attract landowner interest without overstepping landowner concerns.
The presentation concluded with recognition from Dean Pierce of NRPC for Morgante’s work. The discussion offered practical models for how municipalities and nonprofit partners can surface small-scale, locally owned projects that collectively address stormwater and phosphorus reduction.
