APPALLED

[raz]

I took this photo the other day on the Lamoille river, about a mile or so downstream of the Peterson dam.
I passed it around including in an email to the Vermont Agency Of Agriculture. In my email I asked about the rules concerning livestock in our waters.
I was absolutly floored, absolutly appalled, that this is a practice that IS ALLOWED! I couldn't believe what I was reading.
WTF!!!
This lake (and others) are being choked off by blue green algae and some folks wonder why? We got cows pissing and shitting directly into our public waterways! DIRECT INJECTION...WTF?
Where's the common sense that this isn't healthy for the lake. Where's the buffer zones? Where's the fences?
If I see cows on public water ways, can I shoot it? What's the season on these?
What if they are blocking my passage while I'm fishing? Is that harrassment and the owner can be held responsible?
Geezzzzz....ruffle my feathers.

Thoughts anyone?

[fishmaster176]

Definitely not modern farm practice. Curious about the response.

[Danl851]

I have fished this area many times and have seen this over and over again. It has been going on for a long time. With NO RESPONSE from the state!

[C-Hawk]

I traveled towards Vergenes on back roads from Converse the other day and was appalled at the amount of liquid manure spread on fallow corn fields and mowings that have no buffer zone or retaining ditches.Even a simple furrow with a single bottom plow could help.The amount of manure spread in the lower Champlain Valley,especially along rt.22A must be incredible.With higher milk prices maybe its time to lean on the "poor" farmer a little bit.

[BottomDollar]

The Winooski has pastures right to the banks, too. I'm guessing every major tributary on the VT side has the same going on.

[raz]

The Winooski has pastures right to the banks, too. I'm guessing every major tributary on the VT side has the same going on.

I know one just upstream from the lake. Thanks.

[raz]

After my orginal post, I learned that Vermont Ag officials evidently read this forum...or at least were directed towards it.
Anyone else got photo's of wrong doing to our waters?

[Thorny]

Wish I was surprised Raz. We need leadership from our elected officials that can make farmers change the way they do things to stop polluting the most valuable resource this state has! We need investments in municipal waste water treatment facilities so massive overflows of raw sewage don't flow into the lake several times a year! More education and accountability for how residents both on and off the lake manage waste and fertilize. You would think that a state that has as strong a commitment to green initiatives as Vermont does, that it would make cleaning up it's signature waterway a much bigger priority that it has so far. Time to elect some new representatives that give a shit!

[C-Hawk]

I am somewhat surprised at the mediocre response to this thread.It seems to me that no one wants to say or do anything that would appear negative towards the farmer.These practices that allow manure runoff, and fertilizer for that matter, are outdated and unacceptable in this day and age when no one else is allowed to pollute the rivers and streams.I may be going out on a limb here, but I have a little background as my father was an Ag engineer, finishing his career as director of Extension for the state of Mass.One of his pet peeves was when he saw a farmer spreading manure on snowy corn fields.His argument was that the manure would runoff and do absolutely no good to crop enhancement as the nutriants would be washed out by the next growing season. This is nothing more than disposal.I think that your photo Gerry just barely touches on the problem as a whole.
We all love the wide open spaces farmers provide ,but many times these lands are supported with taxpayer funds provided to the farmer for conservation restrictions.Shouldn't these deals include covenants on runoff issues? Also there are bank erosion issues when animals are allowed access to waterways. I don't believe that you will ever see a politician ever come out against farmers and farmers know it. Maybe the Feds are the way to go as with the EPA.
Another thing my father always said was that the farmer was his own worst enemy.

[Matt]

It's sad that the authorities aren't doing anything about this. It also happens on the Winooski. Who should we be calling about this exactly?

[raz]

The Ag agency promised (has to because it's been reported) to investigate and they have my contact info to keep me in the loop and let me know their findings.
This photo has also been sent to the Governor of Vermont and EPA Boston via the clout of our friends at LCI.
We've got their attention I believe.

The person I was directed to report incidents to at the Vernont Agency of Agriculture is Laura DiPietro. Her email is Laura.DiPietro@state.vt.us

Guys and gals, as a group we can have a loud voice, especially if we use proper channels and be respectful.
Keep in mind, we (fisherman) are not the only readers of this forum. It is read by many, many folks, right up to our elected officials.
Keep the info and opinions coming. I believe changes are in the air....er rather in the water.

[rockntroll]

Sad, just since August 2014. More at https://anrweb.vt.gov/DEC/WWInventory/S ... flows.aspx

[C-Hawk]

I was wondering if there has been any movement on this subject.I saw this months' LCI newsletter had several related articles,(coincidence?)It seems the Ag commission turned down a petition request from the Conservation Law Foundation for more environmentally sound land use practices for farmers.They argued that there is not enough funding to help farmers implement these changes as state law requires.Always about the money.As the Lake Champlain region loves our tourist dollars,and we don't really have much of a legislative voice to express our concerns about water quality and other environmental issues,maybe us out of staters need to raise our voices.The economic impact is significant as I spend on average $10,000 a year on travel ,gas,campground fees and food,nevermind tackle and fishing expenses.Do I want to continue coming up to swim in cow shit?Other places in this country seem to be further in front of these issues.I call on all all of us tourists to get more involved;tell your proprietors that you are not happy with water quality,ask your favorite convenience store if they support LCI and ask if their competitors do;vote with your pocketbook.Maybe the powers that be will notice when we vacation somewhere else,but by then it may be too late.

[fishmaster176]

I was wondering if there has been any movement on this subject.I saw this months' LCI newsletter had several related articles,(coincidence?)It seems the Ag commission turned down a petition request from the Conservation Law Foundation for more environmentally sound land use practices for farmers.They argued that there is not enough funding to help farmers implement these changes as state law requires.Always about the money.As the Lake Champlain region loves our tourist dollars,and we don't really have much of a legislative voice to express our concerns about water quality and other environmental issues,maybe us out of staters need to raise our voices.The economic impact is significant as I spend on average $10,000 a year on travel ,gas,campground fees and food,nevermind tackle and fishing expenses.Do I want to continue coming up to swim in cow shit?Other places in this country seem to be further in front of these issues.I call on all all of us tourists to get more involved;tell your proprietors that you are not happy with water quality,ask your favorite convenience store if they support LCI and ask if their competitors do;vote with your pocketbook.Maybe the powers that be will notice when we vacation somewhere else,but by then it may be too late.

I for one enjoys seeing boats on the lake from all over the country and Canada, but by no means should you come here if you feel you're swimming in cow shit. A few cows drinking water may not be appropriate, but blowing it all out of proportion is a lot worse. Farming happens to be a huge part of this State and I hope it always will be. The waters of VT are cleaner today than 30 years ago, but still suffer from the neglect of the 200 years of uncontrolled abuse. It ain't about cows when thousands of gallons of raw effluent flows into the lake every year. There are bigger fish to fry than the farmer. Yes, I was born and raised on a farm. That may answer my defense of the hardest working bunch of folks I've ever known and the biggest lovers of the land. If you take the time to actually look at the improvements, you'll be surprised and may not advertise VT waters as manure pits. It's not all a doomsday scenario.

[C-Hawk]

Perhaps my comment was reactionary and over the top, but I think its time for the farmers to pitch in a little too.We can blame municipal sewerage systems for a lot of the problems,but we can no longer bury our heads in the sand and say nothing about farming practices.I too have seen the differences in water quality in 35 years of spending significant portions of summers on the lake, but I don't remember blue-green algal blooms of the size we see now.Everyone needs to pitch in a little.Read the LCI newsletter for December, sorry I haven't learned to do links, and read the article about the farmer who was fined 40,000
for using the brook for manure disposal.
I also raised youngstock as a teenager for a local farmer and know how hard they work but I don't think we are talking mom and pop operations here.