“Halfway through the two-decade timetable, Vermont has achieved only 35% of the goal, according to the state’s most recent estimates.”
Ten years and nearly a billion dollars. Seven of the lake’s 15 sampling stations have blown the EPA phosphorus limit every single year since 2015. Farms are the biggest source, and the state’s own lawyer admitted in an internal email that a significant number of them discharge without a permit. Vermont’s response was to push its stormwater deadline from 2020 to 2028 and ask for five more years to work on a program for large farms. The money went to the easy stuff. The beach at St. Albans Bay has been mostly closed since June.