Lake Wise Assessments

Sabin Pond & Forest Lake

The Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District (Winooski NRCD) was awarded funds through the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation to provide free Lake Wise Assessments to the shoreland property owners along Sabin Pond (Woodbury Lake) and Forest Lake (Nelson Pond). The Lake Wise Assessment examines the flow of water on a site. The assessors will generate a collection of clean water best management practice recommendations such as rain gardens, buffer plantings, infiltration strips, and driveway water bars that keep rain water on site and grow wildlife habitat.

Winooski NRCD has partnered with FluidState Consulting and Just Water Consulting to identify and address priority opportunities that remediate stormwater runoff and phosphorus pollution to improve water quality, wildlife habitat, and climate change resilience.

Over the summer of 2024, FluidState and Just Water completed 21 Lake Wise assessments. The assessments followed pre-existing protocols and provided an opportunity to further engage the landowners on Green Stormwater Infrastructure and best practices to on-site stormwater management for clean water and wildlife habitat. Typically, 3-6 projects were identified per assessment.

We are pleased to announce that 9 of the 21 properties assessed earned a Lake Wise Award. A property that earns the Lake Wise Award represents a “model” shoreland property. The Lake Wise Award certifies that a property is well managed, using shoreland Best Management Practices, and is maintained to care for the lake.

Just Water and FluidState produced a prioritized list of potential future projects on the properties that were assessed (for example: infiltration trenches, bioretention landscape elements, filter basins, etc.). It is the hope that the Winooski NRCD will be able to follow up with land owners in coming years to implement these projects.

Thank you to all the property owners on these lakes who signed up for a Lake Wise Assessment!

If you have any questions please contact WNRCD District Manager, Daniel Koenemann, by email at Daniel@winooskinrcd.org