Vermont’s clean water is essential to public health, healthy ecosystems, and a strong recreation economy, yet it is increasingly threatened by dispersed development that can pollute rivers, lakes, and groundwater. Act 181 helps protect these resources by directing growth to areas with existing water and wastewater infrastructure and, importantly, by recognizing the value of sensitive landscapes. By limiting development pressure in these critical upstream areas, the law helps safeguard the small streams that feed and sustain Vermont’s entire water system.
Read more in our interview with aquatic ecologist Kate Buckman here.
How you can get involved
*“Tier 3” is likely on pause given current conversations across the state and in the Legislature. You can see our response to the ongoing developments here.
Vermonters who care about clean water can play a direct role in shaping how Tier 3 areas are defined and protected by engaging with the Vermont Land Use Review Board. As the Board develops rules and mapping for Tier 3 – where sensitive resources like headwater streams may receive greater protection – public input will help determine how strong those safeguards are.
You can get involved by submitting comments, attending hearings, and partnering with local watershed and conservation groups to ensure Vermont’s most critical water resources are fully protected.