Wednesday, December 3, 2014

A note from the shores of 63 Ridge Top Way

Greetings all!

Following is a letter I am submitting to the Town Manager and the Select Board.
It was prompted by a colleague's notification there are cows meandering upstream  in the Lamoille River.  We have many challenges to water quality.  Each one, however seemingly small, have an impact.  None are too small to overlook.

Best to all,
pkl
OK, so we a added a potted palm tree and a few friends

Colchester has diligently pursed through policy and practice protection of 27 miles of Lake Champlain shoreline within her municipal boundaries.  We are a leader in shoreline regulation and, as such, the State of Vermont, in recognition of Colchester's rigorous standards,   granted Colchester  delegation after the passage of the 2014 Shoreland Protection Act.     Our Director of Planning and Zoning, Sarah Hadd, and her staff have worked tirelessly to ensure we are in compliance with Federal Floodplain Regulations.  We are an MS4 community and, under the direction of our Public Works Director, Bryan Osborne, we continue to meet and indeed exceed the requirements for that program.  Colchester is a leader in addressing water quality issues and we recently completed an exhaustive Integrated Water Research Management study.  

I have been involved as a citizen volunteer on the Conservation Commission and the Planning Commission as well as a shoreline owner and concerned Colchester resident with the water quality of Lake Champlain.  Over the years, the most consistent complaint I hear from my neighbors and the public at large has been the  perceived unfair onus placed upon shoreline communities while exempting the upstream agricultural contribution.  

As an attendee this past summer at the Champlain Valley Farmer's Coalition in Charlotte, I was encouraged by the measures in place and proposed to address the Total Maximum Daily Load through Best Management Practices for farmers.

The following is an excerpt from the  Lake Champlain Action Plan as prepared by the United Sates Department of Agriculture:

"The Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) is under revision, with an expectation of increased regulations and inspections on all farms, and will likely include the following

·       Require 25' buffers on all perennial streams
·       Limit soil erosion to "T" on all fields
·       Require gully stabilization
·       Exclude livestock from eroding stream banks (my bold emphasis added)
·       Require nutrient management plans for all livestock farms
·       Require small farm certification of compliance with state regulations

In February, 2014, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, in cooperation with Natural Resource Conservation Service in Vermont, directed all producers to NRCS to seek funding for agronomic practices (previously, producers were supported through the state for these practices)."

As a steward of the land and lake, I personally appeal to my Milton neighbor,  Owner of property located on West Milton Road on the North side of the Lamoille River, downstream from the bridge on Bear Trap Road  to reconsider his farming practices and seek a solution to remedy his livestock wading in the Lamoille River,  a direct tributary  to Lake Champlain.

As member of a wider community concerned  with Lake Champlain water quality,  I appeal to the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, the Natural Resource Conservation Service in Vermont,  the United States Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency to intercede on our behalf to resolve this issue.


I am requesting the Select Board and Town Manager to take my concerns into consideration and proceed with the appropriate Agencies as they deem fit.

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