PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release – January 21, 2025
Media Contacts:
Claire Madden, Tracking and Accounting Supervisor
Department of Environmental Conservation
802-636-7536, Claire.Madden@Vermont.gov
Emily Bird, Program Manager
Department of Environmental Conservation
802-490-4083, Emily.Bird@Vermont.gov
Announcing the Vermont Clean Water Initiative 2024 Performance Report
Montpelier, Vt. – The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has released the Vermont Clean Water Initiative 2024 Performance Report. It highlights water quality progress made through public investment. By investing over $603 million in clean water projects in the past nine years (on average, $67 million per year), the State has cut pollution going into Vermont’s waters. These investments also help reduce flood damage and flood risk while building more resilient road networks, water infrastructure, and agricultural economy.
State funding, technical assistance, and regulatory programs have helped:
- Carry out pollution prevention projects on 456,615 acres of agricultural fields and pastures,
- Replace and right-size 1,080 municipal road drainage and stream culverts,
- Construct, upgrade, or refurbish over 100 wastewater collection and treatment systems,
- Reduce and treat storm runoff from over 3,360 acres of pavement and other hard surfaces through stormwater practices,
- Conserve 2,950 acres of floodplain and wetland areas,
- Reconnect nearly 530 miles of streams to restore flow and allow for fish passage, and
- Restore over 600 acres of land alongside rivers and lakes.
“In just under a decade, there has been an immense amount of progress toward Vermont's clean water goals,” said Natural Resources Secretary, Julie Moore. “Each year, this report gives us the opportunity to reflect on that success and strengthen our commitment to protect, enhance, and restore the health of our rivers, lakes, and wetlands. Our water quality challenges were decades in the making, and while we’re making significant headway, it will take time and continued investment to achieve our goals. At the same time, clean water projects are vital to our community resilience in the face of flooding and climate change.”
Since the passage of Vermont’s Clean Water Act in 2015, Vermont has created and expanded regulations and funding programs to drive implementation of clean water projects.
The report details progress to reduce phosphorus pollution in Lakes Champlain and Memphremagog. Excess phosphorus can cause toxic cyanobacteria blooms that impact recreation and aquatic life. To restore and protect water quality, it is key to reduce phosphorus entering waterways.
Together, projects have kept about 120,593 pounds of phosphorus out of Lake Champlain. This is 26% of the total reduction needed to restore the lake’s water quality. For Lake Memphremagog, projects mitigated about 5,732 pounds of phosphorus from entering waterways, or 17% of the total reduction needed.
DEC will host a webinar on Thursday, January 23, 2025, from 12:00 to 1:00 pm to present the 2024 Performance Report. The event is part of the 2025 Clean Water Conversation Series. To register or find more information, visit the DEC Clean Water Initiative Program (CWIP) Clean Water Conversations website. For updates, subscribe to the email list. You can find recorded talks on the CWIP YouTube channel.
Check out the Vermont Clean Water Initiative 2024 Performance Report to learn more. Explore investments, results, and phosphorus data in the online Clean Water Interactive Dashboard.
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The Department of Environmental Conservation is responsible for protecting Vermont's natural resources and safeguarding human health for the benefit of this and future generations. Visit dec.vermont.gov and follow the Department of Environmental Conservation on Facebook and Instagram.
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