Memphremagog Watershed Association

09/03/2026

Here’s another Upper Salem Hill Brook Restoration Project accomplishment!

✅ Remove undersized 12 inch culvert
✅ Install properly sized 6 foot culvert
✅ Open fish & aquatic organism passage
✅ Reduce chances of road washout
✅ Improve flood resilience

Contractor: Cunningham Logging & Excavation

Funder: Vermont Housing & Conservation Board

09/01/2026

Check out the newly realigned stream channel at the Upper Salem Hill Brook Restoration Project! This “Stage 0” restoration approach redirects the stream out of its previously straightened and eroding channel and onto its historic floodplain to improve wildlife habitat and flood resiliency. The stream now flows freely across the floodplain wetlands, where water can slow down, drop out sediments, and spread out.

Shout out to Cunningham Logging & Excavation for doing an amazing job implementing the project.

Funding thanks to the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board in their role as the Memphremagog Clean Water service Provider.

08/31/2026

MWA recently completed the Upper Salem Hill Brook Restoration Project on a Clyde River tributary in Derby, VT. This project combined multiple restoration actions to reduce sediment loading and improve flood resiliency and wildlife habitat.

Stream and floodplain restoration began with constructing a new stream channel that directs water out of the previously straightened, eroding channel and onto its historic floodplain. 500 feet of channelized brook was plugged and abandoned to restore wetland hydrology. The newly realigned stream now takes a right past the plugged channel, meanders through a patch of cedars, and spreads out across the wetland before reconnecting to the downstream channel. Woody floodplain structures were installed throughout the wetland for added roughness, encouraging water to slow down and sediments to settle out.

This is referred to as “Stage 0” restoration, where the stream is free to move through multiple flow paths with full connectivity to its floodplain. These restoration actions build flood resiliency into our communities by taking advantage of natural ecosystem services provided by floodplains and wetlands. Streams with regularly accessed floodplains and functioning wetlands help slow erosive forces during storms, provide additional floodwater storage capacity, and trap sediments and filter nutrients before they land in our lakes.

Project outcomes include:
💧0.37 acres of wetlands enhanced
💧1.65 acres of floodplain restored
💧1,000 feet of stream restored
🌳>3 acres of riparian buffer planted
🙌~12 kg of phosphorus reduced annually!

We are very grateful to have worked with private landowners, Alaria and Thomas, to complete this novel and complex restoration project. Stay tuned to see what else we were able to accomplish at this site.

This project was designed and permitted by MWA staff using funds awarded to MWA by the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board in their role as the Memphremagog Clean Water Service Provider. Cunningham Logging & Excavation was contracted to implement the stream and floodplain restoration work.

08/14/2026

Healthy farms and healthy waterways go hand in hand.

Join Sarah Damsell, Executive Director of Orleans County Natural Resources Conservation District, as she introduces the broader conservation goals behind the Allstad Farm Field Day and how practices like responsible water management fit into Vermont's Required Agricultural Practices (RAPs).

Sarah will discuss how conservation districts work alongside farmers to balance productive agricultural land with clean water, healthy soils, and resilient working landscapes.

This field day isn't about promoting one solution. It's about helping farmers understand their options, follow best management practices, and make informed decisions that work for their land.

📅 August 27
📍 Allstad Farm, Hardwick
👉 Hold your spot through the link in the comments
A collaborative workshop with Caledonia County Natural Resources Conservation District

07/23/2026

New study results shedding some more light on the tumors on fish in Lake Memphremagog have been released. Lake Memphremagog continues to be at the center of important scientific discovery. This groundbreaking research highlights the value of long-term monitoring and collaboration in understanding the health of our watershed and the species that call it home. Learn more in this fascinating article!

| The University of Vermont

07/18/2026

This year at the Vermont Agriculture Water Quality Partnership Annual Meeting, our Executive Director, Sarah Damsell, shared a story that gets at the heart of our work.

Over ten years, one non-viable farm in Orleans County brought together 17 partners, including us, VAAFM, Vermont Land Trust, MWA, VTFWD and others across Vermont's ag and conservation community.

The challenge was clear: the land was never well-suited for agriculture. Originally wetlands, it struggled to support grazing. Flooding was frequent. The manure pit regularly inundated and leached into the stream. The farm road washed out again and again. Storm events created alluvial fans that buried pasture and infrastructure.

Working alongside the landowner, the question wasn't just how to fix it. It was how to find a solution that was fair, realistic, and sustainable long-term.

The outcome: the district facilitated the purchase of the farmland and the restoration to river and wetland habitat, improving water quality, increasing flood resilience, and allowing the land to function as it naturally wants to.

This is what partnership looks like.
Long-term. Collaborative. Grounded in trust.

Want to understand how projects like this come together? Let’s connect.

06/24/2026

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