ACEC of VT 11th Annual Environmental Protection Technical Workshop

Thursday, November 12, 2025
10:00 AM — 4:00 PM (EST)

Vermont State University-Williston Campus, 201, Williston, VT, 05495

Welcome to the ACEC of VT 11th Annual Environmental Protection Technical Workshop

This event brings together professionals and experts in the field to discuss the latest developments and best practices in environmental protection. This year’s workshop features a series of presentations that will delve into case studies, innovative methodologies, and emerging challenges facing our industry today.

Attendees will gain valuable insights into contaminated sediment management, changes to Vermont's Act 250 Land Use regulatory framework, recent PFAS research finding, and identification and assessment of emerging environmental contaminants. This year's workshop also features a roundtable discussion and Q&A with representatives from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation.

Our event will be held from 10 am to 4pm on Thursday, November 12, 2026, at Vermont State University's Williston Campus. Attendees will receive 5 Continue Education credits (CEUs).

Agenda:

10:00 am - 11:00 am - Presentation #1
11:00 am - 12:00 pm - Presentation #2
12 pm - 1:00 pm - Lunch/Networking
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm - DEC Roundtable
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm - Presentation #3
3:00 pm - 3:15 pm - Networking Break (15 min)
3:15 pm - 4:15 pm - Presentation #4

Presentation #1: Burlington Harbor Dredge Project

Presenters: Zack Clark, Project Manager, VHB

Presentation Description: This presentation will provide a summary of the Burlington Harbor Dredge Project, which was a maintenance dredging project to restore navigable depth within Burlington Harbor. VHB supported the City of Burlington Department of Parks, Recreation, and Waterfront with design, permitting, and implementation of the Project, which was constructed over the winter of 2025-2026. The presentation will focus on leveraging recently revised Vermont solid waste management regulations for beneficial reuse of contaminated soil as well as innovative solutions for managing lead-contaminated soil on infrastructure projects. The presentation will also touch on discovery and management of several interesting historic artifacts.

Presentation #2: Modernization of Act 250 without Tier 3 and the Road Rule

Presenters: Janet Hurley, Board Chair, Land Use Review Board

Presentation Description: Although Act 152 of 2026 repealed Tier 3 and the new road construction trigger, modernization of Act 250 continues apace as the Land Use Review Board implements other aspects of Act 181 of 2024. This presentation will focus on the Board's ongoing review of the state's 11 regional plans, including future land use maps, and requests for Tier 1A and Tier 1B area status. The presentation will also include an update on rulemaking for the new forest block and habitat connector criterion (Criterion 8C) which will begin to be applied on January 1, 2028. The session will explore what the Board's approval of these maps and tiers, and implementation of Criterion 8C will mean for existing permitted projects and future proposed projects?

DEC Roundtable: Funding, Regulatory, and Program Updates from Vermont’s Department of Environmental Conservation – What’s Ahead.

Presenters: DEC Commissioner Misty Sinsigalli & Deputy Commissioner Neil Kamman and Program Directors: Emily Bird (Water Investment), Kevin Burke (Watershed Management), Bryan Redmond (Drinking Water & Groundwater Protection, and Matt Chapman (Waste Management).

Presentation Description: Vermont’s environmental policy and regulatory landscape is evolving quickly, and those changes have real implications for projects, permitting, funding, and the work of engineering consultants across the state. Join members of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VT DEC) leadership team for a discussion of major programs, emerging priorities, and key developments at the state and federal levels. Presenters will provide insights into important updates in water regulations and state and federal funding programs, along with perspectives on what these changes may mean for the consulting and engineering community.

The discussion will also include an update on the Vermont Environmental Permit Assistance Center (VEPAC), a new DEC initiative designed to improve and streamline the environmental permitting process. DEC appreciates the valuable feedback ACEC members have provided as VEPAC has taken shape and will share where the initiative stands, and what is coming next. Most importantly, the presentation will leave plenty of time for an open Q&A with DEC leadership and an opportunity to raise questions, explore issues affecting your projects, and hear directly from the people shaping Vermont’s environmental programs.

Presentation #3: PFAS Testing at NPDES Permitted POTWs in Vermont: Phase I and Phase II Summary

Presenter: Taylor Smith and Lee Rosberg, PG, Weston & Sampson

Presentation Description: In 2023, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation initiated a two-phase project aimed at quantifying and characterizing PFAS in the wastewater of all publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) in Vermont and identifying areas for source reduction. Phase I involved one year of quarterly sampling with application of modified EPA Method 537.1 and total oxidizable precursor assay (TOPA) analyses. Results from Phase I identified seasonal variability in PFAS mass discharged and supported calculation of mass loading and discharge rates on community and per capita bases across the state. Phase I information was used to develop a ranking matrix for identifying communities for target sampling in Phase II, an upstream sewershed study. Phase II was completed in 2025 and involved assessment of upstream sewersheds with varying potential sources of PFAS in several POTWs. This information has provided valuable insight for assessing potential sources and targeted source reduction in these communities. This presentation will summarize the sample collection approach, the data analysis approach, and key findings from the two-phase study.

Presentation #4: Preparing for the 6PPDQ, the next emerging contaminant?

Presenters: Rob Kenneally, CFM, PE, Sanborn, Head & Associates

Presentation Description: This presentation will focus on the emerging contaminant 6PPDQ, for which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established an Acute Freshwater Aquatic Life Screening Value of 11 ng/L to protect fish. 6PPDQ could soon become a significant consideration for stormwater discharges to surface water, especially from parking lots and other paved areas that receive auto traffic.