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EPA ANNOUNCES FUNDING, SERVICES FOR UPPER CONNECTICUT RIVER

Release Date: 07/27/1998
Contact Information: Alice Kaufman, Press Office, (617)918-1064

BOSTON -- EPA-New England Administrator John P. DeVillars joined the Connecticut River Joint Commissions, and state, local, and federal officials today at the Saint Gaudens National Historical Site in Cornish, N.H. to announce the awarding of more than $164,000 in federal funds for environmental projects along the upper Connecticut River, along with a comprehensive plan to guide federal activities in this area.

"The Connecticut River is a true national treasure, providing recreational, agricultural and ecological benefits to millions of residents from its headwaters in northern New Hampshire all the way down to where it empties into Long Island Sound at Saybrook Point, Connecticut," DeVillars said. "The investments that we are announcing today literally start from the top down in ensuring that this river can be enjoyed for years to come by swimmers, boaters, anglers, and everyone else who uses this precious natural resource."

"The Connecticut River is an extremely valuable resource for New Hampshire and we are very glad that the EPA is working with us to protect it," said New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen.

"I am glad to see the EPA pursuing each of these projects in partnership with local, state or regional agencies," said U.S. Senator James M. Jeffords (R-Vermont). "This cooperative approach is the best way to bring environmental enhancement and economic development opportunities to communities in the Connecticut River Valley."

"As a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, I am pleased these federal funds will be used to preserve and develop the upper portion of the Connecticut River," said U.S. Senator Bob Smith (R-New Hampshire). "Investing this money now will help ensure the beauty of the Connecticut River will be enjoyed by Granite Staters and tourists for generations to come."

"I applaud the EPA's support for the Connecticut River watershed," said U.S. Senator Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vermont). "All of these projects will help this valuable natural resource."

"I am very pleased to see EPA supporting projects that emphasize local control while protecting and enhancing the Connecticut River," said U.S. Congressman Bernard Sanders (I-Vermont). "The importance of protecting this beautiful natural resource for all the people who enjoy it cannot be overstated."

Two of the cornerstone grants went to the Connecticut River Joint Commissions to fund major projects that will improve water quality in the watershed.

One of the projects involves a comprehensive study of state and federal policies that govern flows of the river. The study -- which the EPA helped fund -- seeks to develop a better understanding of the many uses and values dependent upon river flows, and to assess the opportunities for improved coordination between Vermont and New Hampshire on policies that affect flows in the Connecticut River's upper watershed. The effects of flow reductions can disrupt fish passage, reduce protective cover, increase stream temperatures, and reduce spawning habitat.

"Now that this report is complete, the challenge that lies ahead of all of us is to implement its recommendations," said DeVillars. "We all share the responsibility to tackle the flow problem: This report is a positive step in the right direction."

Another project, the Connecticut River Corridor Management Plan, tackles topics ranging from water quality, fisheries, and wildlife to agriculture, recreational boating access, and historic resources. The CRJC presented the six-volume plan to New Hampshire Governor Shaheen and Vermont Governor Howard Dean last summer. Towns are encouraged to adopt this locally produced, custom-built plan for their segment of the river. State and federal agencies can consult the plan for a better understanding of how they can contribute to the future of the Connecticut River Valley.

"Kudos to the Connecticut River Joint Commissions for leading the charge to improve the health and environment of the watershed and its residents," DeVillars said. "The corridor management plan constitutes a comprehensive, well-thought-out plan that will serve as a blueprint for our partnership with the Connecticut River Joint Commissions and our other local, state, and federal partners."

In support of the corridor management plan, the New England Federal Partners for Natural Resources will, among other things, increase river monitoring support, education and outreach efforts, conduct erosion studies, and provide assistance to interested landowners abutting the river who want to revegetate streambanks. In addition, the federal partners have formed five teams to help implement specific recommendations in the plan: 1) Flow Control and Flood Plain Delineation, 2) Streambanks Erosion and Riparian Buffers, 3) Nonpoint Source Pollution and Public Outreach, 4) Water quality Monitoring, and 5) Fisheries, Wildlife and their Habitats.

"The work the EPA is undertaking with the Connecticut River Joint Commissions and state, local and federal partners will result in a cleaner, healthier river for everyone downstream," DeVillars said.

The Connecticut River is the longest in New England, flowing 410 miles from its source at the Canadian border to Long Island Sound. The river's watershed encompasses 11,560 square miles and includes parts of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and New Hampshire. The 390 towns and cities within the watershed are home to 2.3 million people.

The following is a breakdown of the grants that the EPA is announcing today:

$35,000 -- Water Quality Monitoring Project: Vermont DEC The EPA has committed to funding a wadeable streams biomonitoring project that will analyze data from sites on all the major tributaries to the Connecticut River in Vermont, as well as five sites on the main stem. (Contact: Doug Burnham, VT DEC, 802/241.3784)

$25,000 -- Implementing the CT River Corridor Management Plan and Phase II of the Flow Management Project: Connecticut River Joint Commissions
The EPA granted the commissions monies for a second year of support in implementing the Connecticut River Corridor Management Plan. Activities under this grant include: presentations of the plan to towns; development of other local plan recommendations such as controls on development in flood plains, new access sites to the river; and coordination with the federal partners in implementing the plan. This grant also supports the second phase of a project that evaluated New Hampshire's and Vermont's in-stream flow policies and their application to the Connecticut River. The report points out deficiencies in existing flow policies and recommends needed changes to make them consistent and protective. The EPA will continue discussions with the Connecticut River Joint Commissions and the states to implement the recommendations. (Contact: Sharon Francis, 603/826-4800)

$30,750 -- Forestry Project: Northeast Stewardship Project The money will be used to fund work on creating a training and resource center for sustainable forestry in the Northeast Kingdom. Part of the work is to create incentives to keep processing of cut timber in the region, thereby increasing the value to the region of a given board foot of wood. (Contact: James Wood 802/695-1006)

$4,980 -- Erosion Education Project: Connecticut River Joint CommissionsThe CRJC will revise and republish their series of fact sheets on river banks and riparian buffers, The Challenge of Erosion in the Connecticut River Watershed, and will provide copies to local decision-makers, landowners, conservation districts, and others within the watershed. (Contact: Sharon Francis, 603/826-4800)

$67,465 -- Nonpoint Source Education: Lake Sunapee Protective Association
The Lake Sunapee Protective Association will improve its educational efforts regarding nonpoint source pollution by consulting and providing workshops for contractors, developers, landowners, and other watershed interests, and will implement further pollution controls, including bank stabilization, erosion controls, and vegetated buffers on selected tributaries within the watershed. (Contact: John Taylor 603/763-2210)

Over the past 10 years, the EPA has invested nearly $230 million river-wide-- much of which was used for wastewater treatment improvements - in projects and activities in infrastructure improvements in the Connecticut River Watershed.