Flaws in a Vermont program are preventing the state from controlling phosphorus discharges

Flaws in a Vermont program are preventing the state from controlling phosphorus discharges from certain farms, contributing to severe water quality problems in Lake Champlain and other bodies of water, according to a letter from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to state officials. The Monday letter to the secretary of the Vermont Natural Resources Agency says the program is failing to comply with the Clean Water Act. There are 37 large and 104 medium CAFOs in Vermont, or concentrated animal feeding operations along with 1,000 small farms that might be considered such operations, according to the EPA.  Natural Resources and Agriculture Food and Markets — regulate agricultural water pollution in Vermont, which is where the problem lies, the letter states. Excess phosphorus runoff from farms, roads and urban areas has fueled toxic algae blooms Lake Champlain. Sources of excess phosphorus into lakes and waterways include fertilizers, leaking septic systems or discharges from wastewater treatment plants, according to the EPA.