Vermont: Burlington - Public Interest Drives SWP

   in Vermont

   Background

   Burlington, Vermont, is a city of approximately 40,000 residents located on the shores of
   Lake Champlain. Not only is Burlington the largest city in Vermont,  but it is also located
   in the most populous and fastest growing county in the state. In addition to being a
   popular source of recreation and commerce, the 120-mile long, 12-mile wide lake is the
   source of drinking water for Burlington and other waterfront municipalities; there are no
   public ground water sources in the City. The watershed for the lake spans most of
   upstate Vermont, stretching from western Vermont into eastern New York State. As with
   other large resource areas that stretch across multiple jurisdictions, protection of the
   Lake Champlain watershed requires thoughtful coordination between federal, state, and
   local governments, agencies and individuals. Because the city discharges its treated
   wastewater and storm water into Lake Champlain and takes its drinking water from the
   same source, the citizenry and businesses of Burlington have taken a strong interest  in
   the lake's water quality. This has led to an exemplary drinking source water
   management and protection program.

   Priority Contamination Threat

   Nonpoint source pollution from treated waste water and storm water agriculture is the
   priority contamination threat to the water supply.

   Local Involvement and Developing the Protection Plan

   Community involvement has been  part and parcel of Burlington's source water protection
   program.  Public forums held during the 1980's to address beach closure issues on Lake
   Champlain initiated much of the subsequent planning work. The upgrading of three
   Burlington wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) was tied into a bond issue on a public
   ballot. Hearings to address the WWTP upgrades, extension  of one  WWTP outfall further
   into the Lake, and the separation of combined sewer outfalls (CSOs) were well attended
   by the public and gained considerable news coverage. There was significant general
   public involvement in the upgrade to the Drinking Water Treatment Plant and in efforts to
   protect the area around the intake. For example, a broad representation of the public
   was involved in the extension  of a wastewater outfall beyond the breakwater and
   Burlington Harbor. Representatives of interests from the perspectives of marinas to the
   preservation of historic sunken ship sites were involved in the successful location of the
   new outfall. Citizens have been involved through committees, surveys, and meetings  at
   each juncture of the program's development. There will also be a public outreach
   component as part of the Englesby Brook Watershed Restoration project.

   Management Measures
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   In response to local concerns, and in concert with State and federal regulations, the City
   of Burlington developed a Source Water Protection Program (SWPP), which was
   approved by the Vermont State Water Supply Division in 1994. Development of the
   SWPP was managed by the city, with assistance from the state, and enhanced by the
   involvement of businesses and concerned citizens. Public meetings were held to discuss
   the State SWPP development. During the development and implementation of the
   SWPP, the state met with local farmers to discuss  strict agricultural standards for the
   management of spring runoff of nutrients from still-frozen fields onto which manure had
   been spread over the winter.  The purpose was to work with the farmers to achieve an
   equitable balance between the water quality mandates of the state and the financial
   concerns of the agricultural community, instead of  handing down unattainable standards.
   Some management measures adopted were a moratorium on manure spreading on still-
   frozen fields and/or building lagoons for holding waste until the frost leaves the ground.
   The Source Protection Plan was updated and adopted  on February 8, 2006. The SWPP
   is complemented by the additional protection efforts described below.

   State of Vermont Act 250

   In addition to the existing federal regulations, the State of Vermont has promulgated
   comprehensive laws through Act 250, which each town and city within the watershed
   must follow, regardless of the towns'  individual differences in regulatory protocol. These
   regulations govern many of the land uses within the watershed,  providing carefully
   monitored protection strategies that augment Burlington's protection efforts. The Act
   regulates the  land use permitting process near lake shores and  rivers, taking into
   account sewer system plans for new  developments near Lake Champlain and its
   tributaries as well  as timber management, proposed impervious surface areas, water
   use by ski areas to make artificial snow, and other issues. The Act helps to preserve the
   quality of the Lake both within and outside of Burlington's jurisdiction.

   City of Burlington Discharge Management Measures

   Municipal wastewater treatment is commonly used to treat wastewater before
   discharging to surface water bodies. When Burlington's first treatment plant was built in
   1951, a single pipe carried combined storm water and wastewater flows. As the city
   grew, problems arose during  storm events, when excess flows overwhelmed the system
   by 20 to 40 times its capacity, causing subsequent discharge of untreated sewage into
   Lake Champlain. Pollution events such as these piqued residents' concerns, leading the
   city to address the system's design. In the mid 1980's, several public forums were
   sponsored  by the  Department of Public Works to gain public input on these problems
   and generate consensus for solutions. The result was a $52 million bond vote for a
   system upgrade, which was completed in 1996.  Due to the prohibitive costs of
   separating wastewater and storm water systems, as well as the  pollution caused from
   direct discharge of storm water, the city chose to maintain a combined sewer system at
   its Main plant and provided separation at its two smaller facilities. The Main plant was
   refitted with a 10-foot diameter outfall pipe extending 2,500 feet  into the lake, providing
   additional contact time for disinfection and allowing the wastewater to be diffused more
   easily in the deeper, more turbulent waters offshore. In addition, the plant's tertiary
   capacity was increased to 5.3 million  gallons  per day and a vortex separator was
   constructed to treat up to 75 million gallons per day of combined sewer flows during
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   periods of rainfall or snowmelt. At Burlington's other two plants, combined flows were
   separated.

   Watershed Protection and Management

   The city's engineering staff has also been seeking solutions to the poor water quality of
   two tributaries that drain into Lake Champlain, the Winooski River and Englesby Brook.
   Englesby Brook provides drainage to approximately 600 acres of mixed use land in
   Burlington and South Burlington. It is subject to hydrologic, chemical and bacterial
   loadings typically associated with urban streams. Recently, the city received a grant to
   perform a watershed restoration project for Englesby Brook, which has been studied for
   the last ten years. The city started by teaming with the USGS to establish a stream
   gauging system and hired the Center for Watershed Protection (a nationally recognized
   non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of watersheds), to develop a
   Watershed Management Plan. Management measures addressed in the plan include the
   following:

       •   Retrofitting  existing storm water ponds for better flow control and pollutant
          removal;
       •   Construction of new treatment systems;
       •   Stabilization of the stream channel to prevent soil loss through erosion;
       •   Development of a public outreach and education program

   This public outreach component of the plan will attempt to reduce pollutants generated
   at their source. Components of this program will include pet waste management, lawn
   care practices, roof drain relocation, illicit connection detection/removal, increased street
   sweeping and dumpster waste management.

   Drinking Water Intake Management

   As water is withdrawn from the lake, it is screened and treated with chemicals such as
   chlorine or potassium permangante to prevent colonization of zebra mussels inside the
   pipe. At the plant, the water is processed using coagulation, filtration and disinfection
   systems. Online turbidimeters measure the clarity of the water and particle counters
   measure the size and number of particles entering the distribution system. Burlington's
   water plant is a member of the Partnership for Safe Water, a proactive organization
   whose purpose is to encourage water suppliers to provide the  best possible water
   treatment, focusing particularly on pathogen reduction.

   Contingency Planning

   In the event that  problems with the Burlington intake require a  temporary shutdown,
   there are interconnecting pipes with the nearby Champlain Water District. Because Lake
   Champlain is so large, and Burlington's intake system is located in the widest, deepest
   portion of the lake,  it is unlikely that a single spill event or emergency would take the
   city's water offline for an extended period of time. If it does become necessary for any
   reason, the city's reservoirs, which hold treated water from the lake, have enough
   capacity to supply the city with water should a lengthy system shutdown occur.

   Measuring Program Effectiveness
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   Program effectiveness is partly measured through customer satisfaction and partly
   through baseline monitoring standards and testing parameters. To ensure water quality,
   the city conducts particle counts and turbidity measurements on a continuous basis.
   Other physical, organic and inorganic tests are performed at various frequencies in
   accordance with Federal and State guidelines.  In addition, fifty-four water samples per
   month are taken from nine locations out in the distribution system and checked for
   bacteria and chlorine residuals, as well  as fluoride. Results of this monitoring are sent to
   the state in a monthly report. Collectively, these steps help  to measure overall program
   effectiveness.

   For further information, contact:

   Laurie Adams, Assistant Director
   Burlington Public Works
   (802) 863-4501

   Steve Roy, Project Engineer
   Burlington Public Works
   (802) 865-7258

   Tom Dion, Chief Plant Operator of Drinking Water
   Burlington Public Works
   (802) 863-4501
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