{"id":4299,"date":"2026-07-15T10:42:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T14:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uvm.edu\/seagrant\/?p=4299"},"modified":"2026-07-15T11:29:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T15:29:30","slug":"building-resilience-through-hands-on-stormwater-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uvm.edu\/seagrant\/2026\/07\/15\/building-resilience-through-hands-on-stormwater-training\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Resilience Through Hands-On Stormwater Training\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Jill Sarazen, Green Infrastructure Collaborative Coordinator<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the classroom to the field, recent\u00a0stormwater management installation\u00a0trainings\u00a0gave participants the opportunity to turn stormwater\u00a0management\u00a0concepts into real-world practice.\u00a0In May,\u00a0Lake Champlain Sea Grant<\/a>\u00a0(LCSG) collaborated\u00a0with\u00a0Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District<\/a> (Winooski NRCD),\u00a0Stone Environmental<\/a>,\u00a0SLR Consulting<\/a>,\u00a0and\u00a0Hilltop Construction\u00a0to deliver\u00a0the second installment of the Resilient Sites\u00a0training program\u00a0hosted at\u00a0Yestermorrow Design\/Build School<\/a>.\u00a0This\u00a0training\u00a0for contractors and natural resource practitioners\u00a0was built on a\u00a0one-day\u00a0training\u00a0<\/a>session in June 2025\u00a0that highlighted proper methods for siting and installing a culvert.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The curriculum\u00a0was co-taught\u00a0by SLR, Stone Environmental, Winooski NRCD, and LCSG. It\u00a0included two online\u00a0class\u00a0sessions\u00a0that discussed\u00a0stormwater management\u00a0principles,\u00a0site analysis methods, and treatment practices. Students had the opportunity to conduct a site analysis at a site of their choosing and select\u00a0suitable\u00a0best management practices (BMPs)<\/a>\u00a0that could slow, spread, and sink stormwater into the ground.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following week, the group met at Yestermorrow Design\/Build School in Waitsfield to participate in the installation of a bioretention practice, a vegetated basin with infiltrative soils that was designed to treat stormwater runoff from a gravel road and several buildings on the Yestermorrow campus. Hilltop Construction operated the excavator and led the demonstration, and training attendees participated by installing materials and planting vegetation. The project designer from Stone Environmental described the installation process, design decisions, and materials selection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Installation of a vegetated basin at the Yestermorrow Design\/Build School. Photo credit: Jill Sarazen. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe webinars were very informative and helped get my feet wet on what to be paying attention to and what questions I would have on site. The site visit was great and allowed for hands-on but also allowed for a lot of discussion of our sites and questions about the one that was being installed,\u201d one participant shared. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The organizers plan to host future hands-on BMP trainings and build on the momentum from the last two events. A future goal is to develop a certification program for contractors and natural resource practitioners. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Small BMP Installation Training: Open Top Culvert Build & Install <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

LCSG collaborated with staff from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation’s Lakes and Ponds Program<\/a>, who organized a hands-on demonstration training for natural resource practitioners near Lake Carmi. Franklin Watershed Committee <\/a>coordinated the site with willing landowners, and staff from the Northwoods Stewardship Center<\/a> delivered the training content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Installing open-top driveway culverts at the small BMP installation training. Photo credit: Jill Sarazen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Northwoods staff led participants through the process of siting, building, and installing open-top driveway culverts<\/a>. This practice can be utilized on sloped gravel driveways to capture and divert stormwater runoff flowing down a driveway and direct it to a stable, vegetated location to infiltrate. Open-top culverts can help to increase the lifespan of a gravel driveway because they reduce driveway surface erosion by directing water off the driveway rather than allowing it to flow downhill. Furthermore, vegetation filters runoff and reduces the amount of sediment washed off and entering waterways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Finished open-top culverts installed at the small BMP installation training. Photo credit: Jill Sarazen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Inspired by the training, practitioners shared that they are excited to work with residents in the communities they serve to promote open-top culverts and other simple, effective practices that manage stormwater where it falls. Several practitioners are already planning to put their new skills to work by installing a new open-top culvert later this summer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interested in learning more about stormwater management? Read more on our website.<\/a>  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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