Lake Champlain advisory committee asks Legislature for funding and actions on flood resilience, agriculture and septic systems

Denise Smith, chair of the Lake Champlain Citizens Advisory Committee, told the Natural Resources & Energy committee the group’s 2025 action plan emphasizes nature‑based flood mitigation, aquatic connectivity, and targeted investments to protect water quality and community resilience.

Smith said the committee — one of three citizen advisory committees for Lake Champlain that also work with New York and Quebec counterparts — is focused this year on projects that reduce runoff, retain water upstream of developed areas, and help communities adjust to more frequent, intense storms. "What we do for Lake Champlain ... also impacts all of the other water bodies in the state of Vermont," she said.

Andrew Milliken (listed as a member of the committee in testimony) outlined four priority focus areas in the plan: riparian, wetland and floodplain restoration; aquatic connectivity through dam removal and culvert upgrades; agricultural and land‑use practices that cut runoff; and improved funding and staffing for state agencies that implement nature‑based solutions. He called Act 121 (the Flood Safety Act) a useful step and said the committee requests sustained investments in restoration and staffing to scale the work.

Breck Bowden, former University of Vermont faculty and committee member, urged increased financial and technical aid for farms. He told senators that recent floods produced demand for recovery aid that far outstripped available funds; the working lands enterprise initiative received many times more applications than funds available in both 2023 and 2024, he said.

The committee asked lawmakers to support measures to identify and improve failing municipal and on‑site wastewater systems. Committee members pointed to Burlington’s water bonds as an example of rising municipal costs and urged state support for smaller communities. They suggested creating, or at least piloting, a septic inventory for properties near water bodies and expanding the state’s Healthy Homes initiative to help homeowners repair inadequate systems.

Bob Fisher, South Burlington’s water quality superintendent, highlighted chloride, PFAS and biosolids concerns. He said chloride levels are rising in some streams, that private applications of salt are a large and growing source, and that septic systems are a potential path for contaminants such as PFAS to enter soils and waterways.

Committee members also asked for new or steady funding for aquatic invasive‑species prevention; Andrew Milliken noted the golden clam discovery in Lake Champlain and proposed a possible mandatory boat decal program to support inspection stations and coordinated inspections with New York and Quebec.

The advisory committee said its action plan is intentionally concise this year and that the group will submit additional materials and memos to legislators who request them. No formal committee action or votes were recorded during the presentation.