Green Infrastructure Operation and Maintenance Summit
Date/Time:
Thursday, February 27, 2020 - 9:00am to 4:00pm
Location:
University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
Over 100 people attended the summit to learn about and discuss the operation and maintenance (O&M) of green infrastructure in the Lake Champlain basin. Here are some key concepts discussed at the Summit.
-
Studies confirm that regular maintenance of GSI practices can dramatically improve their long-term ability to retain nutrients and pollutants
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Certain types of GSI can be a source of phosphorus; phosphorus-sorbing materials are showing promise
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Nature will find its own path. Don't be afraid to let it grow! Encourage natural growth instead of a more manicured look but make it clear that it is intentional
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Visual appeal may be just as important as functionality in ensuring the longevity of the system, especially in certain locations.
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Develop and widely use software and/or apps to field-assess the condition of GSI projects. Analyze data to identify patterns in maintenance practices and site conditions
Links to speaker presentations are in the agenda below.
Description of the Event
From municipal roads to green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) to the restoration of natural systems, asset management and ensuring long-term performance will receive more attention in the near future.
For example,
- How will Vermont’s recently-passed Clean Water Service Delivery Act of 2019 (Act 76) influence how infrastructure is maintained?
- How do we move toward workforce development in an emerging maintenance contractor industry?
- What “maintenance-friendly strategies” could be used in the design and construction phases?
- How might we balance the regulatory aspects of maintenance requirements with engendering a culture of caretaking and stewardship?
At the Summit, we covered a variety of important topics and discussed ideas on what’s working, what’s needed, what would be cool to do, and how best to move forward on various fronts. One outcome of the Summit was to hear from you on what kinds of training would be helpful in the coming months and years.
Agenda
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM Registration
9:00 AM – 9:05 AM Welcome
9:05 AM – 9:30 AM Water Quality Updates and Act 76 and Q&A
9:30 AM – 10:45 AM Short presentations
- Lessons learned from San Francisco’s GSI O&M Programming, Polly Crocker, Stone Environmental
- Municipal Stormwater Operations and Maintenance – South Burlington, Vermont, Tom DiPietro, City of South Burlington
- Use of Drinking Water Treatment Residuals in Green Stormwater Infrastructure Retrofits for Enhanced Phosphorus Removal, Mike Ament, University of Vermont
- Case Studies of What Went Wrong: Lessons on Plantings for the Long-Term, Michele Adams, Meliora Design
- Maintaining Green Stormwater Infrastructure in Urban and Rural Vermont: Municipal Maintenance Practices and Municipal Officials’ Perceptions, Holly Greenleaf, Greenleaf Design
- Group Discussion (20 minutes)
10:45 AM – 12:00 PM Short presentations
- DEC’s Best Management Practice Verification Program and Site Visit Observations, Helen Carr, Jordyn Geller and Rachel Wood, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation
- Group Discussion (40 minutes)
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Lunch
1:00 PM – 2:15 PM Short presentations
- Burlington International Airport’s Stormwater Monitoring & Maintenance Methods, Chris Gendron, Stantec
- Resilient Right-of-Ways: Rural Roadside Vegetation Management in Vermont Towns, Joanne Garton, Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation
- Lessons Learned from the Gully Brook Floodplain Restoration Project - a 16-Year Retrospective, Ethan Swift, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation
- White River Corridor Restoration in Bethel: a Case Study, Mary Russ, White River Partnership
-
Group Discussion (20 minutes)
2:15 PM – 2:30 PM Break
2:30 PM – 3:45 PM Short presentations
- Maintenance Implementation for a Low Impact Development Certification System, Chris Navitsky, Lake George Waterkeeper
- The GSI Maintenance Assessment Pilot Project, Peter Danforth, Lamoille County Conservation District
- Raise the Blade: Homeowners and Businesses Build Healthy Soils with Best Lawn Care Practices, Linda Patterson, Lake Champlain Sea Grant
- Ahead of the Storm’s Holistic Stewardship Approach, Jessica Louisos, Milone & MacBroom
- Group Discussion (20 minutes)
3:45 PM – 4:00 PM Next steps and closing remarks
Participant List:
|
|
Job Title |
Company |
|
1 |
Sr. Design Engineer |
Contech Engineered Solutions |
|
2 |
President |
Meliora Design |
|
3 |
Environmental Analyst |
Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (VT ANR) |
|
4 |
Senior Planner |
Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC) |
|
5 |
PhD Student |
University of Vermont |
|
6 |
Senior Stormwater Management Engineer |
Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) |
|
7 |
Watershed Scientist |
Fitzgerald Environmental |
|
8 |
Public Works Director |
City of Newport |
|
9 |
Clean Water Initiative Program Manager |
Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) |
|
10 |
Grant Manager |
Northwest Regional Planning Commission |
|
11 |
Director of Engineering |
State of Vermont DEC |
|
12 |
Environmental Analyst |
State of Vermont DEC |
|
13 |
Senior Engineer |
Engineering Ventures |
|
14 |
Program Coordinator |
ECO AmeriCorps |
|
15 |
Executive Director |
Friends of the Winooski River |
|
16 |
Landscape Architect |
VTrans |
|
17 |
Town Administrator |
Town of New Haven |
|
18 |
Stormwater tech |
VTrans |
|
19 |
Environmental Analyst |
The Lake Champlain Basin Program |
|
20 |
ECO AmeriCorps Member |
Friends of Northern Lake Champlain |
|
21 |
Nonpoint Source Coordinator |
State of Vermont DEC |
|
22 |
Green Infrastructure Outreach |
Lake Champlain Sea Grant |
|
23 |
Stormwater Coordinator |
Town of Essex |
|
24 |
Senior Water Quality Specialist |
Stone Environmental |
|
25 |
Director |
Lamoille County Natural Resource Conservation District |
|
26 |
Project Coordinator |
Friends of Northern Lake Champlain |
|
27 |
Senior GIS Planner |
Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission |
|
28 |
Extension Assistant Professor |
University of Vermont |
|
29 |
Deputy Director of Public Works |
City of South Burlington |
|
30 |
Director |
Blue Certification Program |
|
31 |
Environmental Engineer |
TCE |
|
32 |
Stormwater Coordinator |
Town of Williston |
|
33 |
Director of Compliance |
Chittenden Solid Wast District (CSWD) |
|
34 |
Sales Representative |
ADS |
|
35 |
Urban & Community Forestry Tech Assistance Coord |
Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation |
|
36 |
Lake Champlain Grants Manager |
State of Vermont DEC |
|
37 |
Project Manager |
Stantec |
|
38 |
Education and Outreach Coordinator |
Lake Champlain Committee |
|
39 |
Researcher, Ecological Landscape Designer |
Greenleaf Design, LLC |
|
40 |
Stormwater tech |
VTrans |
|
41 |
Outreach and Education Coordinator |
Community Sailing Center |
|
42 |
Regional Planner |
Northwest Regional Planning Commission |
|
43 |
Environmental Engineer |
Hoyle, Tanner & Associates, Inc. |
|
44 |
Stormwater tech |
VTrans |
|
45 |
Stormwater tech |
VTrans |
|
46 |
Program Manager |
Lewis Creek Association |
|
47 |
Director Public Works Operations |
Town of Middlebury |
|
48 |
Senior Water Resources Engineer |
Stone Environmental, Inc. |
|
49 |
Parks regional facilities manager |
Vermont State Parks |
|
50 |
ECO AmeriCorps Member |
Vermont Land Trust |
|
51 |
Assistant Water Quality Program Coordinator |
Northwest Regional Planning Commission |
|
52 |
Lead Project Engineer, Water Resources |
Milone & MacBroom |
|
53 |
Selectboard member |
Town of Hinesburg |
|
54 |
ECO AmeriCorps Member |
Mississquoi River Basin Association |
|
55 |
Public Works Director |
Town of Essex |
|
56 |
Stormwater Coordinator/Wastewater Operator |
Village of Essex Junction |
|
57 |
Compliance Specialist |
Chittenden Solid Waste District |
|
58 |
Executive Director |
Friends of the Mad River |
|
59 |
Engineer |
VT Agency of Transportation |
|
60 |
Lake George Waterkeeper |
The FUND for Lake George |
|
61 |
Project Engineer |
Dufresne Group |
|
62 |
Senior Planner |
Rutland Regional Planning Commission |
|
63 |
Manager |
VT Agency of Transportation |
|
64 |
LU Planning & Water Quality Educator |
Lake Champlain Sea Grant |
|
65 |
PhD Student |
Dartmouth College |
|
66 |
Analyst/Biologist |
VTDEC |
|
67 |
District Manager |
Winooski NRCD |
|
68 |
Stormwater tech |
VTrans |
|
69 |
Water Quality Superintendent |
Town of Shelburne |
|
70 |
Environmental Analyst |
State of Vermont DEC |
|
71 |
Graduate Student Plant & Soil Science |
University of Vermont |
|
72 |
Executive Director |
White River Partnership |
|
73 |
Graduate Assistant |
University of Vermont |
|
74 |
Director of Planning & Development |
City of St. Albans |
|
75 |
Urban & Community Forestry Program Manager |
Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation |
|
76 |
Outreach and Communications Specialist |
ECO AmeriCorps |
|
77 |
Outreach Coordinator |
Friends of the Mad River |
|
78 |
Owner |
Roofterra |
|
79 |
Stormwater Program Coordinator |
City of Burlington |
|
80 |
Director of Science & Water Programs |
Lake Champlain Committee |
|
81 |
Water Quality Programs Manager |
Vermont Association of Conservation Districts / Natural Resource Conservation Districts |
|
82 |
Office and Production Coordinator |
CSWD: Green Mountain Compost |
|
83 |
Stormwater Consultant |
Contech Engineered Solutions |
|
84 |
Assistant Director |
Lake Champlain Sea Grant |
|
85 |
Water Quality Specialist |
Watershed Consulting Associates LLC |
|
86 |
Program Manager |
Vermont Agency of Natural Resources |
|
87 |
Research Assistant Professor |
University of Vermont |
|
88 |
Director of Public Works Planning |
Town of Middlebury |
|
89 |
Regional Facility Manager |
Vermont State Parks |
|
90 |
Research Coordinator |
Lake Champlain Sea Grant |
|
91 |
Environmental Analyst |
State of Vermont, DEC - WSMD |
|
92 |
Environmental Analyst |
State of Vermont, DEC - Watershed Management Division |
|
93 |
ECO AmeriCorps Member |
State of Vermont DEC |
|
94 |
Water Quality Planner |
Addison County Regional Planning Commission |
|
95 |
Student Intern |
University of Vermont |
|
96 |
Student Intern |
University of Vermont |
|
97 |
Student Intern |
University of Vermont |
|
98 |
Student Intern |
University of Vermont |
|
99 |
Student Intern |
University of Vermont |
|
100 |
Student Intern |
University of Vermont |
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. University of Vermont Extension, Burlington, Vermont. University of Vermont Extension, and U.S. Department of Agriculture, cooperating, offer education and employment to everyone without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or familial status.