With the highest concentration of lakes for a county in Vermont, the Orleans County NRCD is promoting lake-friendly living in the Northeast Kingdom.

We encourage property owners to adopt Shoreland Best Management Practices (BMPs)through initiatives such as Lake Wise, a program of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation.

We have been doing Lake Wise assessments on NEK lakes including Caspian, Shadow, Parker, Willoughby, Echo and Seymour.

Erosion and exposed soils can lead to sedimentation being carried by stormwater. Phosphorus binds with sediment in soils, and stormwater runoff carries sediment, phosphorus and other nutrients into our lakes. 

Lake Wise is a free, non-regulatory, educational evaluation on your lake shore property. A trained evaluator, like a District staff member, comes to your property and offers technical advice on how to manager your property for stormwater events. The Lake Wise award is given to properties that represent a "model" shoreland property. It indicates to your neighbors that you are making the effort to implement Shoreland BMPs that slow the flow of water and help it infiltrate before entering the lake. Some of the practices include: establishing no-mow zones, building up vegetated buffers, installing water bars in your driveway, adding rain gardens, defining pathways, etc. You can see the full list and find instructive fact sheets on the Lake Wise BMP webpage. Every small act can make a difference!

If you are interested in having a Lake Wise assessment, you can reach out to us or to the VTDEC Lake Wise Program Manager, Alison Marchione:

(802) 490-6128,  alison.marchione@vermont.gov