Brandon, all in Rutland County. On entering Addison County, it generally forms the boundary between various towns. It next passes through Middlebury, Weybridge and Vergennes and eventually empties into Lake Champlain at Ferrisburgh. The stretch of water between the mouth at Fort Cassin Point, Lake Champlain (the site of the former Fort Cassin) and Vergennes is passable by boat, and is frequented by motor boats, canoes, and kayaks. Indeed, Vergennes was a shipyard of some importance in the various wars of the 18th century. Many nesting platforms have been built along the creek, so one is likely to see both osprey and bald eagles in the area. Otter Creek has a falls in the town of Middlebury, the site chosen in 1800 to be Vermont's original seat of higher education, Middlebury College. In Addison and Rutland counties, Otter Creek passes through significant wetlands, in particular Cornwall Marsh, Little Otter Creek Marsh and the Brandon Swamp. Because of its name, the unusual situation of a river emptying into a creek occurs several times along Otter Creek’s length. For a list of these tributaries, see Lake Champlain. The source and mouth are separated by distance—the (approximate) additional are due to meandering. Ecology According to the Addison County Planning Commission, the creek has one of the "most intact, wide floodplains" in Vermont. The alder swamps, marshes and floodplains on the river absorb significant amounts of flooding from the river, and were never developed. Water quality near Lake Champlain and the mouth of the Middlebury River are consistently poor, with high E. coli counts. The river is also the second largest source of phosphorus pollution to Lake Champlain. Gallery See also List of rivers of Vermont Otter Creek Brewing Notes References External links Brandon Swamp (PDF) Cornwall Swamp (PDF) Emerald Lake State Park Little Otter Creek Wildlife Management Area (PDF) Lower Otter Creek Wildlife Management Area (PDF) Otter Creek (Historic New England) Otter Creek Whitewater Otter Creek State Wildlife Management Area Rivers of Vermont Tributaries of Lake Champlain Rivers of Rutland County, Vermont Rivers of Bennington County, Vermont Rivers of Addison County, Vermont