2. Stowe Mountain Resort is located in the upper watershed of
the Winooski River watershed in Vermont, and its trails and
facilities are located on the eastern flank of Vermont’s highest
mountain, Mt. Mansfield.
In 2003 the resort initiated a revitalization effort that resulted
from a three year collaborative planning effort, which focused
on creating a sustainable environmental and economic future
for the resort. This master plan contained many important
objectives for the resort; one of the most significant was the
management of stormwater runoff from both existing and new
development. The resort recognized that creating a
sustainable identity required going above and beyond the
required protections for the environment, in particular as
relates to nearby streams.
STORMWATER CAPTURE AND REUSE FOR RECREATION
3. In order to reduce the velocity of existing and new stormwater
discharges to the waterways at the resort, a system of internal
treatment systems were constructed. These included a green
street and rain garden that treats runoff from a roadway into
the resorts’ new base development at Spruce Peak, and the
creation of new wetlands adjacent to its new Audubon
Signature Golf Course.
Most significantly the resort engineered and constructed a
series of stormwater collection systems in order to meet future
snowmaking and golf irrigation needs. The systems capture
stormwater from both sides of the resort and direct these flows
into a series of reservoirs that eventually lead to a new
111,000,000 gallon reservoir where the stormwater can settle
and then be reused for both winter and summer operations.
4. This system has effectively reduced the velocity of stormwater
entering the resort’s watershed while also improving the
quality of the stormwater before it can reach the major stream
flowing away from the resort. This protects downstream water
users and groundwater supplies from degradation as well as
sustains the mountain ecosystem that depends on a healthy
stream to support aquatic and upland species. Golf course
irrigation provided by recycled stormwater that has been
collected in the main Stowe Mountain Resort snowmaking
reservoir - Peregrine Lake – reduces the need for additional
water withdrawals from the Winooski River watershed.
