Lewis Creek Association (LCA) and the United Church of Hinesburg have partnered to plan for improvements in water quality in the area behind the United Church. That area was historically a wetland associated with the LaPlatte River floodplain, that had been filled in and drained. Wetlands are critical to maintaining water quality, allowing water to be naturally cleaned by wetland plants before heading downstream. The LaPlatte River drains into Lake Champlain at Shelburne Bay. Restoring the wetland will help to keep the river from becoming impaired due to phosphorus, which contributes to harmful algal blooms and fish die-offs in Lake Champlain. You can learn more about the problem and what landowners can do to improve water quality in a brief 17-minute presentation LCA’s website at https://www.lewiscreek.org/water-quality-videos. These include things like slowing water down, spreading it out, and sinking it into the ground (“the three S’s” that are central to LCA’s Ahead of the Storm program. You can learn more about the Ahead of the Storm program at www.lewiscreek.org/ahead-of-the-storm.). It is crucial that we all do our part to improve to water quality in small ways, in order to improve Lake Champlain’s water quality and beauty, and to protect the animals and plants that live in our rivers and streams.
Area behind United Church that may be restored to wetlands (November 1, 2019). Photo credit: Jessica Louisos
Jessica Louisos and Claire Nauman of SLR designed a wetland restoration for the area behind the United Church. This will help naturalize the flow of runoff from upstream and improve water quality, habitat, and flood resiliency. The project will take ditched stormwater and allow it to filter through natural vegetation, slowing the velocity, and providing flood storage in the restored wetland. In addition, it will beautify the area, allowing native wetland plants to grow, and may include a path to explore the restored wetland. LCA now plans to pursue grant funding to construct the project. Please reach out to Kate Kelly, 488-5203 or lewiscreekorg@gmail.com with any questions. Funding for this grant came from a VT Department of Environmental Conservation grant to Mount Ascutney Regional Commission, with a subgrant to LCA.