Senate advances stormwater bill extending 3‑acre compliance deadlines and directing funds for residential projects

The Vermont Senate on the floor advanced H.4.81 to third reading after approving committee recommendations and a series of amendments aimed at easing compliance for properties subject to the state's "3‑acre rule" for stormwater management. Senator Watson (Washington District), reporting for the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee, said the bill pushes certain deadlines and dedicates funding and studies to address compliance challenges.

The bill responds to federal and state phosphorus‑reduction obligations under the Clean Water Act and an existing Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for Lake Champlain and Lake Memphremagog. "There are 674 total sites across the Lake Champlain and Lake Memphremagog watersheds that require a stormwater permit under the 3 acre rule that were supposed to have been permitted by 2023," Watson said, outlining the committee's findings that 204 of those sites have permits, about 300 are in process, and roughly 70 show little or no progress.

Why it matters: impervious surfaces…