Environment (Water Quality)

This bill clarifies the Secretary of Natural Resources' authority to regulate, permit, and enforce discharges from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in Vermont. It adds specific definitions for CAFO types (large/medium), discharges, and pollutants to determine when permits are required, directly affecting large CAFOs (e.g., facilities with 1,000+ cattle) and medium CAFOs (e.g., 300-999 cattle). Key mechanisms include defining "continuous discharge" and "daily discharge" for monitoring, and specifying that discharges into waterways or non-compliant land applications trigger permit requirements. The changes establish clearer standards for water quality oversight without altering existing permit thresholds.

H 162 would repeal Vermont's requirement for the Agency of Natural Resources to issue permits for stormwater discharges from impervious surfaces of three or more acres. This directly affects property owners and developers with large impervious surfaces (like commercial sites or subdivisions) who previously needed permits for such discharges, particularly for sites not covered by earlier regulations. The bill removes the permit obligation for stormwater discharges that were either never permitted or were permitted under the outdated 2002 Stormwater Management Manual. The bill is currently pending in the Environment Committee after its first reading on February 7, 2025.

S.29 establishes Vermont's Chloride Contamination Reduction Program under the Agency of Natural Resources to train commercial salt applicators (paid professionals) and municipal salt applicators (town/municipal employees) in best practices for efficient salt or salt alternative use. The program requires certification, sets standards to minimize salt runoff into waterways, mandates record-keeping of application details, and establishes annual salt usage data collection and reduction targets. Certified applicators are presumed compliant with water quality laws when following program guidelines, and the program includes liability protections for certified users who implement these practices. The bill aims to reduce chloride pollution in Vermont's water systems through standardized training, reporting, and measurable salt reduction goals.

This bill extends the deadline for owners of impervious surfaces (like paved areas over 3 acres) to obtain stormwater permits from 2027 to 2036. It allows municipalities that assume full control of stormwater systems to charge users impact fees to cover system costs. The bill also extends a 0.22% clean water surcharge on property transfers until 2036 and creates a grant fund to help municipalities manage stormwater projects in residential areas or "orphan" systems. These changes primarily affect property owners, municipalities, and developers involved in stormwater management.