Act 138 Water Quality Trust Fund Report

VT Agency of Natural Resources ACT 138 REPORT (pdf, 5.04MB)

Facing inadequate funding to respond to the public’s demand for clean water, the Vermont Legislature passed Act 138 in 2012:http://www.leg.state.vt.us/docs/2012/Acts/ACT138.pdf, which directed the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (VANR) to prepare a Water Quality Remediation, Implementation, and Funding Report (referred to as the Clean Water Trust Fund Report).  The report investigates options to more effectively address the State’s challenges to provide the public with clean water.

Contact:

Kari Dolan, Manager

Ecosystem Restoration Program

Department of Environmental Conservation Watershed Management Division

1 National Life Drive, Main 2

Montpelier, VT  05620-3522

kari.dolan@state.vt.us

Act 138 Presentation (pdf, 6.07MB)

Comments on the Draft Act 138 Water Quality Trust Fund Report:

Vermont Natural Resources Council

Vermont League of Cities and Towns

Lake Champlain International

James H. Maroney, Jr., Chair, Agriculture Committee, Sierra Club of Vermont

Lake Champlain Committee

The Vermont Association of Planning and Development Agencies

IBM

Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission

Friends of the Winooski River

Consultation Meetings to Prepare the Vermont Statewide Water Quality Trust Fund Report

The Vermont Legislature recently passed Act 138: http://www.leg.state.vt.us/docs/2012/Acts/ACT138.pdf which, in Section 19, directs the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (VANR) to prepare a Water Quality Remediation, Implementation, and Funding Report (hereinafter to be referred to as the “Vermont Statewide Water Quality Trust Fund Report”) by December 15, 2012.  The Legislature found that while preserving, protecting, and restoring the quality of surface waters – rivers, Lakes, and wetlands -- are necessary for the environmental and economic well-being of the State, there is inadequate funding to achieve these objectives.  The VANR’s report  will address four principal tasks:

• Task One: Identify priority needs for a statewide water quality restoration and preservation program;
• Task Two: Estimate the costs to restore and preserve water quality;
• Task Three: Evaluate options for administering a statewide water quality trust fund; and,
• Task Four: Identify funding sources for water quality  restoration and preservation projects.

As described in Act 138, the VANR will consult with interested parties in the development of recommendations for the Vermont Statewide Water Quality Report.  The following table summarizes the series of meetings the VANR anticipates holding over the course of the 2012 summer and fall.  Although the timeline for preparing this report is tight, the VANR is committed to meeting with each sector to gain input, and will update this table when meetings are scheduled.  Please contact Kari Dolan, Ecosystem Restoration Program Manager, at: (802)490-6113 if you have any questions about this report. 

Schedule for the Development of the Act 138 Water Quality Trust Fund Report

If you cannot attend one of these meetings but will like to comment, please feel free to submit written or electronic comments by COB, Friday, November 9, 2012 to:

Kari Dolan, Manager, Ecosystem Restoration Program
Department of Environmental Conservation Watershed Management Division
1 National Life Drive, Main 2
Montpelier, VT 05620-3522

kari.dolan@state.vt.us

All written or electronic comments MUST include the following information in order to be considered:

• Name
• Organization you are representing
• Address
• Phone number
• Email address
• Which Task is your comment addressing?

Consultation Meetings - Public Comments:

Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce

Summary of Comments from Consultations

Draft Comments from Chittenden County MS4 Municipalities

Village of Essex Junction Stormwater Superintendent

Peggy Barter

LCI, CLF, VPIRG, VNRC

VLCT

TRORC

Seymour Lake Association

City of South Burlington

Act 138 Report, Section 19(c): DRAFT Outline

Ticklenaked Pond Loading and Management Analysis Report

2011 Annual Report

2011 Executive Summary (482KB, PDF)

Vermont Ecosystem Restoration Program 2011 Annual Report (97 pgs, 2.48MB, PDF)

In 2011, the Ecosystem Restoration Program (ERP) emerged as the logical evolution to the Vermont Center for Clean and Clear. In addition to the name change to more accurately reflect its mission, ERP now resides in the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VTDEC) Watershed Management Division. This move enables the program to take full advantage of technical, financial and educational resources within the Division to enhance the effectiveness of our local and regional partners in addressing unregulated nonpoint source pollution.

The Ecosystem Restoration Program’s work is guided by the 2010 Revised Implementation Plan for the Lake Champlain Phosphorus Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) and 2003 Vermont Clean and Clear Action Plan. The goals of these plans are to accelerate phosphorus pollution reduction in Lake Champlain and reduce pollutants in waters statewide. Vermont’s Agency of Natural Resources (VTANR) and Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM), in partnership with federal agencies, municipalities and non-governmental organizations, are dedicated to cleaning up Lake Champlain. State and federal agencies have invested more than $140 million since 2004 and expanded programs to reduce phosphorus and sediment pollution in Lake Champlain and other waters statewide.  

February 25, 2011
Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination in Richmond, Waterbury, Moretown, and Waitsfield (3869KB PDF)

March 20, 2011 Illicit Discharge and Elimination in Six Missisquoi River Basin Communities (3271KB PDF)

2010 Annual Report

2010 Executive Summary (282KB PDF)
Clean and Clear 2010 Annual Report (102 pgs, 4687KB, PDF)

The Vermont Clean and Clear Action Plan was initiated in 2003 with the goal of accelerating the reduction of phosphorus pollution in Lake Champlain and reducing related pollutants in waters statewide. Vermont, in conjunction with our federal, municipal, and non-government partners, has made an unprecedented commitment to Lake Champlain. Under the Clean and Clear program, the state has invested more than $57 million in its efforts to improve water quality in the lake, and in turn has leveraged an additional $68 million in federal funding. As a result, the Agencies of Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Transportation have been able to greatly expand their programs to implement the phosphorus loading reductions outlined in the Lake Champlain Phosphorus Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), and to address similar water quality needs statewide.

2009 Annual Report

2009 Executive Summary (295KB PDF)
Clean and Clear 2009 Annual Report (95 pgs, 3520KB PDF)

The Vermont Clean and Clear Action Plan was initiated in 2003 with the goal of accelerating the reduction of phosphorus pollution in Lake Champlain and reducing related pollutants in waters statewide. Vermont, in conjunction with our federal, municipal, and non-government partners, has made an unprecedented commitment to Lake Champlain. Under the Clean and Clear program, the state has invested more than $50 million dollars in its efforts to improve water quality in the lake, and in turn has leveraged an additional $52 million in federal funding. As a result, the Agencies of Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Transportation have been able to greatly expand their programs to implement the phosphorus loading reductions outlined in the Lake Champlain Phosphorus Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), and to address similar water quality needs statewide.

2008 Annual Report

2008 Executive Summary (61KB PDF)
Clean and Clear 2008 Annual Report (2707KB PDF)

Each year since the initiation of the Clear and Clear Action Plan in 2003, the Agencies of Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Transportation have jointly prepared an annual report describing the broad scope of the Clean and Clear effort and the accomplishments to date. Section 2 of Act 130 (2008) now directs that “Beginning February 1, 2009 and annually thereafter, the secretary shall submit … a clean and clear program summary reporting on activities and measures of progress for each program supported by funding under the Clean and Clear Action Plan.” To address this requirement, this is the 2008 annual report on activities and measures of progress for each program supported by the Clean and Clear Action Plan.

2007 Annual Report

Clean and Clear Annual Report - ANR Act 43 TMDL Report

2007 Executive Summary (41KB PDF)
Full Report - Agency of Natural Resources Report on Progress in Establishing and Implementing the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Plan for Lake Champlain - January 15, 2008 (4843KB PDF)

The Vermont General Assembly Act 43 (2007) directed the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources to report on progress in implementing the Lake Champlain Phosphorus TMDL. This report includes: (1) an assessment of the TMDL implementation plan, (2) recommendations for amending the implementation plan, (3) recommendations on reopening the TMDL, and (4) an analysis of the feasibility and cost of implementing additional phosphorus removal at wastewater treatment facilities.

2006 Annual Report

2006 Executive Summary (37KB PDF)
Clean and Clear 2006 Annual Report (3985KB PDF)

The Clean and Clear Action Plan’s 2006 annual report outlines the objectives and the accomplishments of each of the programs in the Agencies of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Transportation which are dedicated to the task reducing phosphorus loading in our rivers, lakes and streams. The report indicates how much money has been spent on which programs and provides links to specific information on individual projects.

2005 Annual Report

2005 Executive Summary(349 KB PDF)
Clean and Clear 2005 Annual Report (2988KB PDF)

Clean and Clear Action Plan's 2005 Annual Report, details the year's work to curb phosphorus pollution and improve water quality in the Lake Champlain Basin and statewide.

2004 Annual Report

2004 Executive Summary (51KB PDF)
2004 Clean and Clear Annual Report (3542KB PDF)

In 2004 the General Assembly passed significant budget increases for programs in the agencies of Agriculture, Transportation and Natural Resources to implement Governor Douglas’ Clean and Clear Action Plan to improve water quality in Vermont. This report summarizes the
accomplishments of the Agency of Natural Resources in the implementation of this plan.