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Full Version: Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Resumes State Stream Alteration Permit Program
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Montpelier, VT - The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) announced Thursday the resumption of its normal stream alteration permit procedures. "During the months following Tropical Storm Irene, the State of Vermont, municipalities, and private landowners were faced with the tremendous challenge of protecting public safety and restoring thousands of stream and river sites where property was damaged or imminently threatened with damage. In order to provide assistance to such a large population of Vermonters in need of technical help, the normal administrative procedures of the stream alteration permit program were suspended," said Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Secretary Deb Markowitz. "On September 3rd, my office issued a press release explaining that people may work in streams if they consulted with DEC River Engineers and had received verbal authorization. On October 3rd a second phase of the recovery commenced with an announcement that written authorizations were required to conduct any non-emergency instream work."

Effective immediately, the Agency will no longer be using these expedited stream alteration procedures and all non-exempt stream alterations in perennial streams will require a State permit.

Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner, David Mears, explained that "while this construction season will continue to be busy with Irene recovery work, Vermonters will be better served by returning to the procedures outlined in the Vermont Stream Alteration General Permit. The General Permit sets out the standards and administrative procedures for activities falling under non-reporting, reporting, and individual permit authorizations. If you are still completing a project involving stream alterations, for which you have a written authorization from the DEC River Engineer, you may proceed through the end of 2012 with the project as authorized. If you received verbal authorization for instream work after 9/3/11, but have not yet initiated the work, your authorization is no longer valid and you must comply with the provisions of the General Permit. Questions should be directed to the DEC River Engineers."

For those individuals on the western side of the state, in central or southern regions, please take note that we have brought on additional River Engineers, Jaron Borg and Charles Carpenter, who will be working under regional Engineers, Todd Menees and Chris Brunelle (respectively).

You can find the stream alteration statutes and the General Permit online at:

http://www.vtwaterquality.org/rivers/doc...-18-11.pdf

Contact information and coverage maps for River Management Engineers is located at: http://www.vtwaterquality.org/rivers/doc...ontact.pdf

Media Contact<br />
Penny Percival<br />
Tel: 802-583-7178<br />
Email: Penny.percival@state.vt.us