The Little Hoosic Watershed is the area of land that catches rain and snow and drains or seeps into the Little Hoosic River. The Watershed encompasses 47,519 acres. The southern boundary is at Cherry Plain and the northern edge is in North Petersburgh.

The Little Hoosic is classified as a class C (TS) stream. This means that it is suitable as a fish habitat, that it supports a trout population, and that it supports trout spawning.

Most streams in the Little Hoosic watershed are protected, not just the Little Hoosic itself. You can find out if a stream is classified by calling Nancy Adams in the Division of Environmental Permits: 518-357-2452.

If the work will disturb the bed or banks of the river in a temporary or permanent way, a permit is required.

The riverbank is defined as 50' up the bank from high water mark if the bank has an angle of 45° or less or to the crest of the slope until there is a clear break in the slope if the bank has an angle of 45° or more.

An application form must be filled out and sent to DEC. The landowner has to sign the application for a permit, and the permit is issued to the landowner.
Members of the Little Hoosic Watershed Association are available to help you fill out the application form.
There are no fees for the permit.
Sometimes, the DEC issues a permit to a Town. In this case, the Town must get written permission from every landowner affected.

The Schenectady office of the NYS DEC reviews the application. The DEC habitat biologist usually makes a visit as a part of the review. Theprimary contact about permits is Nancy Adams in the Division of Environmental Permits. You can contact her at 518-357-2452.
It can take about two months to get a permit. It may take more or less time depending on how busy the office is.
The Army Corp of Engineers also reviews the application. For smaller projects, often they have no comment. (You still need approval from DEC.)

You do not need a permit for tree removal as long as you can leave the root ball and you do not use heavy equipment in the riverbed. You can cable out the tree or cut it into small pieces to take out by hand.

Anything a beaver has put in the water to create a dam.

Removal of beaver dams requires a permit through the Wildlife Division of DEC.
There is no written application. Call 518-357-2070 to request a permit.
Typical process: Someone from the Wildlife Department comes to view the site to see if they agree that the beaver dam constitutes a nuisance. If it is, the dam materials or the beaver - or both - can be removed.
Response time will vary depending how on busy the office is and how urgent the situation is.
If the DEC agrees that the beaver dam is a nuisance, you can kill or trap the beavers even if it is out of season.

Stone (medium or heavy stone fill) or plantings or a combination of the two can be erosion control. DEC is in favor of a more recently developed design called "rock vanes." Rock vanes help with erosion control by redirecting water. They generally look better than riprap because they have vegetation and they generally perform better than riprap.
The DEC has specifications for erosion control design but does not do the design. The design should be done by a qualified engineer and submitted to the DEC for approval.

It could be hard to get a permit to repair existing drop structures and debris dams because the DEC has moved away from this method of flood control. However, if it can be shown that the system is doing a good job at flood control, a permit for their repair and maintenance may be approved as a short-term solution. The DEC is wiling to inspect the sites and discuss the situation. It is much more likely that the permit will be granted if it can be shown that there is a long-range plan to eventually remove them.
The DEC will no longer approve the installation of new drop structures and debris dams. They are in favor of a more natural approach that gets sediment to move through the system.