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Section 319
NONPOINT SOURCE PROGRAM SUCCESS STURY
Vermont
Ski Resort Improves Stormwater Management and Restores Rice Brook
\A/._	i.			Sediment in stormwater runoff from the Sugarbush ski resort's
Waterbody Improved .. I+ ,.	, , ., ,+ ,	. . .
7 r	parking lots, driveways and roadside ditches degraded biological
communities in Vermont's Rice Brook over many years. As a result, Vermont placed the brook
on its 1996 Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list for aquatic life use impairments caused by
polluted stormwater runoff. The resort designed and installed numerous runoff treatment and
control projects, which reduced sediment levels. Monitoring data in 2008 and 2009 showed that
Rice Brook complied with Vermont's aquatic life water quality standard, prompting the state to
remove it from the CWA section 303(d) list in 2010.
Problem
. .s*.
The 1.6 mile-long Rice Brook (Figure 1) flows
through the Sugarbush Resort, a ski area and resort
in central Vermont. The Vermont Department of
Environmental Conservation (VTDEC) has classi-
fied the brook as a Class B water—a designation
defined as "suitable for bathing and recreation,
irrigation and agricultural uses; aquatic biota sus-
tained by high quality habitat; good aesthetic value;
acceptable for public water supply with filtration
and disinfection."
Over the years VTDEC has assessed the biological
integrity of Rice Brook using several biomonitoring
techniques, including the EFT Index (short for the
macroinvertebrate order names Epherneroptera,
Plecoptera and Trichoptera). The index is a measure
of the number and types of pollution-sensitive
aquatic insects inhabiting a waterbody. Streams
with a high EFT value contain a greater richness
(diversity) of pollution-sensitive aquatic insects,
indicating higher water quality VTDEC also
assessed macroinvertebrate densities (total num-
ber of organisms present) and the percentage of
macroinvertebrates consisting of pollution-tolerant
worms of the taxonomic class Oligochaeta.
Biological monitoring conducted in the mid-
1990s found that the stream did not comply with
Vermont's Class B water quality standards for
aquatic life. The stream had low EFT values, rela-
tively low macroinvertebrate densities, and biotic
communities with high percentages of oligochaetes
(indicating poor water quality). As a result, VTDEC
placed the brook on its CWA section 303(d) list
of impaired waters in 1996. VTDEC attributed the
impairment to sediment loading in the stream from
gravel roadways, driveways and parking lots.

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Figure 1. Rice Brook flows through Sugarbush Resort,
Vermont.
Project Highlights
Sugarbush Resort completed a comprehensive
water quality remediation plan in 2002 to comply
with Vermont's iand development law (Act 250),
which regulates expansions and new developments
involving more than 10 acres. The remediation plan
included a survey of all sites and sources believed
to contribute to the water quality impairments in
the Rice Brook watershed (regardless of whether
the lands/activities were controlled by the resort) as
well as a list of recommended actions to address
these sources.
The Mad River Valley Planning District received
a CWA section 319 grant in 2003 to help prepare
detailed design plans and to work with Sugarbush
Resort to implement Improved stormwater manage-
ment practices at certain Rice Brook watershed sites
outside the resort area. Between the fail of 2003 and
53

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Table 1. Biomonitoring Data for Rice Brook
1994-2009)1,2
the summer of 2005, the resort installed 29 swales
(Figure 2) to stabilize 6,700 linear feet of eroding
ditches in 10 subwatersheds in the upper Sugarbush
Village area. About one-third of the swales had
slopes greater than 4 percent and were stabilized
with 8 to 12 inches of
crushed stone. The
remaining swales were
vegetated. In addition,
the resort replaced
two degraded and
undersized culverts and
removed approximately
200 cubic yards of
sediment from sedi-
ment basins and check
dams in the drainage
system The resort also
contracted with a local
vendor to ensure regular
maintenance of all run-
off control measures.
Figure 2. Sugarbush Resort built
treatment swales to control stormwater
flow in ditches along private roads in
the Sugarbush Village area.
When redeveloping the Lincoln Peak base area,
much of which is in the Rice Brook watershed, the
resort implemented enhanced stormwater treat-
ment and control practices consistent with its water
quality remediation plan. Between 2005 and 2007
the resort implemented nine best management
practices (BMPs), including the construction of
wet ponds, dry ponds and infiltration systems. The
resort also constructed grass treatment swales and
paved high-use driveways and parking areas. As
a result of these efforts, stormwater runoff from
all existing impervious surfaces within the Lincoln
Peak base area is controlled and treated prior to
discharge to receiving waters.
Results
The aquatic habitat of Rice Brook has improved.
Biomonitoring conducted in 2007 to 2009 showed
that the macroinvertebrate densities and EFT
indices had increased, while the percentage of oIi-
gochaetes had decreased (Table 1). All recent data
indicate that Rice Brook meets the Class B guide-
lines for EPT index score (>16), macroinvertebrate
density (>300 individuals), and percent oligachaetes
(<12 percent). As a result, VTDEC assigned ratings
of "good" or "very good" for four out of the five
monitored reaches of Rice Brook in 2008 and 2009.
The fifth monitored reach received ratings of "good-
fair" and "good" for 2008 and 2009, respectively. Ail
of these ratings indicate compliance with Vermont's
water quality standards.
Date
Assessment
Rating
EPT
Index
Macroinvertebrate
Density
(Individuals/
Square Meter)
Percent of
Individuals
from
Oligochaeta
9/9/1994
Poor
11.5
88
17.8
9/1/1996
Fair
11.5
233
2.1
9/8/1997
Fair-Poor
10.5
140
19.5
9/2/2001
Fair
14.5
441
3.7
9/7/2003
Good-Fair
15.5
450
1.3
8/12/2005
Good-Fair
15.5
424
3.7
9/4/2007
Good
19.0
572
0.2
9/19/2008
Good
16.5
502
0:6
9/18/2009
Very Good
19.0
418
4.6
Class B Guideline
> 16.0
> 300
< 12.0
' Data shown are from the lowest of the five stream reaches monitored.
Data from the other four reaches are similar and reveal consistent trends.
- Red values indicate noncompliance
In addition, stream embeddedness, which mea-
sures the extent to which fine sediment fills in
gaps around rocks and cobbles in the streambed,
has declined. Before the restoration effort, most
Rice Brook reaches were more than 50 percent
embedded. After restoration, embeddedness
decreased to less than 50 percent at ali reaches,
and two of the five monitored reaches were less
than 25 percent embedded during 2008 and 2009.
These data indicate that remediation practices
reduced sediment delivery, improved stream
habitat, and allowed the stream to meet the state's
standards. As a result, VTDEC removed Rice
Brook from its CWA section 303(d) list in 2010.
Monitoring will continue at the stream for at least
the next five years.
Partners and Funding
The Mad River Valley Planning District received a
CWA section 319 grant of $40,000 to work with
the Sugarbush Resort on stormwater BMP design
and implementation. The resort provided matching
in-kind labor, equipment and materials to construct
the BMPs. Sugarbush Resort invested an additional
$500,000 to implement the site upgrades and treat-
ment practices to manage stormwater runoff from
existing impervious area in the Lincoln Peak base
area. The resort also spends $15,000 to $20,000
annually for operation, monitoring and maintenance
of the BMPs.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
^	Washington, DC
I	|
f g EPA 841-F-11-001GG
September 2011
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For additional information contact:
Steve Fiske
Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation
802-242-1378 • steve.fiske@state.vt.us
Margo Wade
Sugarbush Resort
802-583-6366 • mwade@sugarbush.com

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