The Addison County Regional Planning Commission (ACRPC) serves the 21 towns of the Addison Region, providing assistance on community development activities and issues. ACRPC aims to encourage cooperative planning within and among the region's communities and area-wide interests, promote economic development, preserve Vermont's natural beauty, ensure efficient government expenditure, and safeguard local autonomy in planning and development decisions.
The Environmental Conservation (DEC) Project Development Block Grant - Water Quality, administered by ACRPC, is designed to subgrant funds for water quality improvement projects. The grant supports efforts to engage landowners, municipalities, and other partners in projects that enhance water quality, pushing these projects towards design and implementation phases. Funding is available for general project scoping—activities that identify potential projects without being linked to a specific one—and for specific project development, which advances a clearly identified project. Allowable activities under general project scoping include reviewing existing plans and documents to identify potential projects, interacting with landowners and municipal staff about water quality issues, and educating community members about prioritizing projects. Specific project development activities may involve refining project scopes with DEC staff, securing landowner and maintainer support, estimating water quality benefits and project costs, reviewing necessary permits, engaging with stakeholders, and developing preliminary designs to facilitate project support and implementation.