EMBRACING

A MAD RIVER

A WATERSHED

We remember.

We remember the
UNITED
oods of 1998 and
Tropical Storm Irene,
and their devasta,ng
impacts on our beloved
Mad River Valley. With
increasingly damaging
and frequent storms, we
are s&ll vulnerable.

But vulnerability is not
our story.

We also remember
neighbors coming
together to help one
another and strengthen
the community.

This is our story.

RIDGE TO RIVER LEARN MORE & GET HELP

Corrie Miller, Friends of the Mad River | [email protected] | 496-9127
Joshua Schwartz, Mad River Valley Planning District | [email protected] | 496-7173

December 2016 A Watershed United

A Watershed United

The Mad River Valley community worked together a8er these devasta:ng storms to develop home-grown,
innova&ve, proac&ve ways to build our resilience. While weve made great progress, more challenges lie
ahead. A changing climate brings more persistent and damaging storms, and we must improve the health
of our watershed to protect our safety, our property, our communi4es, and our way of life.

W e are sm art, w e are strong, and our future is bright. If w e w ork

together as a w atershed, w e can tackle any challenges that lie ahead.

Many diverse strategies can help us collec*vely strengthen our resilience. Storms dont stop at town lines
and neither can we: its cri/cal that we work together across municipal and other boundaries to take ac(on
that protects us all. Likewise, while ood impacts are most visible along our waterways, it takes an en#re
watershed from ridge to river to reduce the Valleys vulnerability and protect what we love.

Thats why we formed Ridge to River in 2015 a 5-town coali*on working toward clean water and
resilience in the Mad River Valley.

Collaborate as a watershed to
W H AT W E C A N D O
increase our resilience

Photo credits: State of Vermont (cover); Lars Gange/Manseld Heliight (p. 1); Friends of the Mad River (p. 4)

Ridge to River: A Mad River Valley Coali*on for Clean Water and Resilience ridgetoriver.org
 A Watershed United
Ridge to River developed a series of guides to share strategies and examples that are already working to
increase resilience and decrease ood risks here in the Mad River Valley. Individuals, groups, and
municipali)es can choose which resilience-building strategies best t their communi1es and tailor each to
meet their needs. Because strategies dier across the watershed, we have organized strategies by the parts
of the watershed for which they are most useful, with a separate booklet on each:

River Corridors Vulnerable Se+lements

Protect land, restore oodplain Protect people, buildings, and

func%oning and avoid development infrastructure

Safer Areas Uplands & Everywhere

Plan for and encourage new Slow stormwater runo, spread it

development in ood-safe areas out, and sink it into the ground

This booklet focuses on local projects and strategies that can provoke ideas, spark dialogue, and inspire
ac#on across the en+re watershed. While its by no means comprehensive, these ideas build o the
Vermont Smart Growth Implementa$on Assistance (SGIA) process undertaken in 2012 in the Mad River
Valley to iden(fy watershed-wide strategies.

In the coming months, Ridge to River will be
WORK TOGETHER ACROSS TOWNS TO seeking input, oering solu0ons, and making
MANAGE STORMWATER recommenda)ons. Together we can reduce
oods and costly repairs, enjoy cleaner swim
Stormwater and ooding see no municipal lines, holes and be+er shing. The more people
parcel boundaries, or rights-of-way. These are
understand a place, the more they grow to love
collec%ve problems calling for collec,ve ac,on.
it. The more they love it, the more they want to
protect it. Engaging youth and adults in learning
Ridge to River Taskforce
about the Mad River watershed can ins'll a deep
Ridge to River was formed in 2015 in response to
watershed ethic that can lead to a life*me of
a growing awareness of the role that runo from
stewardship and help people make informed
rain and melt events plays in exacerba*ng
decisions about watershed management.
ooding and reducing water quality. Now were
working together across the watershed to help
our community reduce its vulnerabili/es. Our ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY IN RESILIENCE
Taskforce includes members of town EDUCATION AND ACTION
commissions and selectboards, the Sugarbush
The Mad River: Its Our River, and Yours
Resort, planning and conserva)on organiza'ons,
and interested residents from Duxbury, Fayston, In 2014, Mad River Valley TV and Harwood
Moretown, Waitseld, and Warren. With Unions Upward Bound (HUB) program created a
leadership from Friends of the Mad River, were lm, en%tled The Mad River: Its Our River, and
inves&ga&ng ac&ons we can take as individuals Yours. Engaged students and teachers captured
and as a watershed to reduce stormwater runo. stories from the community about the Mad

 A Watershed United
Rivers history, legacy, and ways to safeguard its Town plans should coordinate with local hazard
future. The project deepened students mitigation plans and capital improvement plans
apprecia'on for the Mad River and their role in to prevent conflicts and ensure clear priorities. An
the community while challenging them and audit of policies, regulations, and budgets is a
oering valuable life skills and experience. good way to ensure consistency with flood
resilience goals in community plans and Local
Science Class and Stormwater Hazard Mitigation Plans. Communities can then
amend or create policies, regulations, and
budgets to achieve the resilience goals in plans.

Flood Resilience Checklist

The Vermont Department of Housing and
Community Development (DHCD) recently
produced a Flood Resilience Checklist. The
checklist is designed for communi,es that are
beginning municipal plan updates, local hazard
A diverse team worked together on a stormwater mi#ga#on plans and other resilience planning
master planning project, iden%fying ways to eorts. Planning Commissions can use the tool to
improve Harwood Union High Schools aging assess current condi-ons and help set integrated
infrastructure and cause fewer ood and water priori%es. Selectboards and emergency response
quality impacts downstream. During the project, or hazard mi)ga)on groups can use it to evaluate
two middle school teachers explored this real- community readiness and avoid preventable
world project with four classes of seventh and ood damages and costs. Comple1ng the
eighth graders. Students tracked the path of checklist is the rst step in assessing a
water that falls on their school, inves.gated communitys ood risk, reducing insurance rates
outlets by the stream, brainstormed ideas for and protec'ng people and property.
reducing nega+ve impacts, and some designed h"p://oodready.vermont.gov/node/757
their own stormwater master plans at other sites
around the Valley. When its )me to implement Local Hazard Mitigation Plans
the nal designs, students will be closely involved Local Hazard Mi-ga-on Plans (LHMPs) help
in hands-on installa)on and maintenance of a communi'es iden%fy important local hazards,
cu#ng-edge green stormwater project. priori%ze next steps and provide access to
funding through FEMAs Hazard Mi5ga5on
Assistance Program. LHMPs are also required in
UPGRADE MUNICIPAL POLICIES AND
order for towns to qualify for addi,onal post-
REGULATIONS
disaster funding through the Emergency Relief

Communities that want to better withstand and and Assistance Fund (ERAF). Comprehensive
recover from flood-related disasters in the future plans and town plans can coordinate with LHMPs
have many policy options. They can update, to ensure that growth occurs in safer loca*ons
integrate, and revise their plans, policies, and and that hazard mi+ga+on ac+vi+es are
regulations to ensure consistency with the consistent with comprehensive plan priori1es.
communitys resilience goals and objectives.


Ridge to River: A Mad River Valley Coali*on for Clean Water and Resilience ridgetoriver.org
This series is Mad River Valley With support
produced by: Planning District from: