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State agriculture officials credit decade of Act 64 for phosphorus reductions, outline funding, inspections and permit framework
Summary
Agency presenters told a legislative committee the 10th anniversary of Act 64 coincides with measurable phosphorus reductions tied to farm practices, summarized investments and inspection activity, and explained how federal CAFO permits differ from state medium/large farm permits; no formal votes occurred.
Secretary (unnamed) opened the Agriculture division presentation on water quality, saying the session would focus on progress since Act 64 and introducing Laura DiPietro to present program details.
The presentation and discussion centered on the 10th anniversary of the Significant Water Quality Act (Act 64), investment and on-farm work to reduce phosphorus loading to Lake Champlain and Lake Memphremagog, and the state’s regulatory approach to farms, including permit types and inspection cycles.
Laura DiPietro, presenter with the Agency of Agriculture, described the agency’s three main roles as education, financial support for on‑farm projects and engineering, and regulatory inspection and enforcement. She said the agency conducts both capital projects and lighter technical-assistance work and has developed a public dashboard to show investments, on‑farm practices and enforcement activity.
DiPietro summarized several 2024 and program‑level figures the agency reported: about 1,274 on‑site technical visits to farms in 2024; roughly 101 outreach and education events in 2024; and state investments of about $18.4 million in 2024,…
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