Curbing Harmful Run-Off Into Conn. River Gets $250,000 Boost By Leahy

November 08, 1999

Senator Patrick Leahy has secured $250,000 in the new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) budget to help farmers reduce harmful phosphorus run-off into the Connecticut River.

"Farmers in the Connecticut River Valley recognize that good management practices are critical to protecting the watershed," said Leahy. "These funds buttress farmers' commitment to reducing run-off, and this should be a real help to farmers looking to improve their environmental management practices." The $250,000 is part of the Fiscal Year 2000 budget bill for the EPA. That budget bill, which also includes annual funding for the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, was signed into law by President Clinton in late October. Leahy is a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee as well as the panel's subcommittee that wrote this legislation.

The money secured by Leahy will build upon existing aid offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Vermont Agriculture Department to help farmers implement "best management practices" on Vermont farms in the Connecticut River watershed. These environmentally friendly management practices include animal waste management, soil erosion reduction and streambank stabilization -- all help reduce phosphorus runoff and improve water quality.

Run-off from farms often adds excessive amounts of harmful phosphorous, nitrogen and pesticides to lakes and rivers. This run-off is partially responsible for algal blooms, which can degrade water quality by overloading the water with excessive nutrients, threatening aquatic life.

Clamping down on phosphorous run-off was one of the top recommendations made by the Connecticut River Joint Commission in their Connecticut River Corridor Management Plan. According to Sharon Francis, executive director of the commission, "The timing of this federal support is ideal. The studies have been done. The problems have been identified and the agriculture community along the Connecticut River is ready to move forward."

Additional Contact: Jon Anderson, Executive Director, Vt. Natural Resources Conservation Council -- (802) 828-3529

[A copy of the senators' letter is available upon request.]