/5S\ Section 319
Vs*2/ NONPIINT SOURCE PRKUM SUCCESS STORY
Ski Resort Controls Erosion and Sedimentation, Restores Two Streams
Waterbodies Improved Er0f" aliment runoff from ski area parking lots and
1	roads degraded biological communities in Chase and Slide
Brooks. As a result, Vermont placed the streams on its 303(d) list for aquatic life use impair-
ments due to excessive sediment. The installation of new runoff controls and improved
management practices brought the streams into compliance with Vermont's water quality
standards, and the state removed both streams from its 303(d) list in 2004.
Problem
Chase and Slide Brooks, 1 and 3 miles long,
respectively, flow through the Sugarbush
Resort, a ski area and resort in the north-
ern Vermont town of Fayston. The Vermont
Department of Environmental Conservation
(VT DEC) classifies both brooks as Class B
waters—a designation defined as "suitable for
bathing and recreation, irrigation and agricul-
tural uses; good fish habitat; good aesthetic
value; acceptable for public water supply with
filtration and disinfection."
VT DEC monitored macroinvertebrates in both
streams using several different techniques,
including the EPT index—a measure of pol-
lution-sensitive aquatic insects inhabiting
a water body. Streams showing high EPT
richness are less likely to be polluted than
streams showing low richness in the same
geographic region. In addition, VT DEC deter-
mined macroinvertebrate densities and the
percentage of macroinvertebrates composed
of pollutant-tolerant worms of the taxonomic
class Oligochaeta.
In the mid-1990s biological monitoring found
that a 0.5-mile segment of each stream did not
fully meet Vermont's water quality standards
for aquatic life. The segments had low EPT val-
ues, relatively low macroinvertebrate densities,
and biotic communities with high percentages
of oligochaetes. As a result, Vermont placed
the segments on its 303(d) list of impaired
waters in 1996. VT DEC attributed the impair-
Stream embeddedness—the extent to which sediment
filled in gaps around rocks and cobbles in the Chase and
Slide Brook streambeds—was 50-75 percent before the
restoration effort. Embeddedness declined to 25-50
percent following restoration, representing significant
habitat improvement.
merits to sediment washing from nearby gravel
parking lots and smothering benthic habitat in
the streams.
Project Highlights
In compliance with Vermont's land develop-
ment law (Act 250), which regulates expan-
sions as well as new developments disturbing
more than 10 acres in Vermont, the Sugarbush
Resort prepared a comprehensive water qual-
ity remediation plan for the entire resort in
the late 1990s. The remediation plan included
a survey of all sites and sources believed to
contribute to the water quality impairments,

-------
along with a list of recommended actions to
address these sources.
The resort completed the recommended
improvements between 2000 and spring 2002.
The improvements included re-grading gravel
parking lots and routing drainage through grass
islands and sediment traps; enhancing the
riparian buffer along Chase Brook; revegetating
sections of work roads; cleaning, shaping, and
matting swales; installing stone check-dams;
replacing gravel with wood chips in heavily
used areas; changing snow disposal practices
to eliminate dumping in riparian zones; and
instituting regular fall/spring maintenance of all
the runoff control measures.
Table 1. Chase Brook Biomonitoring Results
Results
Pre- and post-project biomonitoring results are
shown in the accompanying tables. The tables
compare results with the Class B water guide-
lines for aquatic life support. Data highlighted
in bold indicate non-attainment of the Class B
guidelines.
Chase Brook experienced a substantial
decrease in the percentage of oligochaetes
and increases in density and EPT indices. As
a result, VT DEC assigned "very good" and
"good" ratings to Chase Brook in 2000 and
2002, respectively. Both are passing grades
under Vermont's water quality standards.
The monitoring results for Slide Brook indi-
cated similar improvements. A decreased
percentage of oligochaetes, combined with
consistently strong values for the other indices,
allowed VT DEC to assign Slide Brook ratings
of "excellent" and "very good" in 2000 and
2002, respectively.
The data indicated that the remediation prac-
tices had reduced sediment delivery to the
Sampling
site
Date
Assessment
rating
EPT
Density
(individuals/m2)
Individuals from
Oligochaeta (%)
1.2
9/14/1993
Fair
15.0
357
10.6
1.2
9/20/1994
Fair
22.5
584
23.8
1.2
10/6/1998
Fair
19.0
493
11.7
1.2
9/18/2000
Very good
19.0
673
2.4
1.2
9/2/2002
Good
16.7
1253
1.4
Class B Guideline
>16.0*
>300
<12.0
Vermont Class B Guideline for EPT was 18.0 until the state changed it to 16.0
in 2002.
Table 2. Slide Brook Biomonitoring Results
Sampling
site
Date
Assessment
rating
EPT
Density
(individuals/m2)
Individuals from
Oligochaeta (%)
0.7
10/21/1991
Good-Fair
24.0
762
11.7
0.7
9/14/1993
Fair
20.5
856
12.6
0.7
9/18/2000
Excellent
25.0
522
0.3
0.7
9/2/2002
Very good
21.7
944
1.2
Class B Guideline
>16.0*
>300
<12.0
*Vermont Class B Guideline for EPT was 18.0 until the state changed it to 16.0
in 2002.
streams, improved stream habitat, and allowed
Vermont water quality standards to be met
in both streams by the fall of 2002. The state
removed both streams from its 303(d) list in
2004. The streams are scheduled to be moni-
tored again in late 2006.
Partners and Funding
Sugarbush Resort contributed $11,500 to
develop the remediation plan and $14,000 to
implement it. The resort also spends $5,000-
$7,000 annually for operation and maintenance.
In addition, approximately $3,000 in section
319 funds supported stream monitoring work
by VT DEC.
» Q
\
\

ro
z
a
%PRO^&
-------