Vermont Environmental Consortium (VEC) Presents:
3rd Annual Water Quality Conference
The Vermont Environmental Consortium’s 3rd Annual Water Quality Conference will be held on Wednesday, June 4, 2014, from 8:30AM to 5:00PM at Main Street Landing in Burlington, VT. (www.vectogether.org).
The Conference will address the on-going ramifications of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s 2011 decision to withdraw their approval for the Vermont-portion of the 2002 Lake Champlain Phosphorus Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). EPA is now obligated to prepare a new TMDL for Lake Champlain. The TMDL places a cap on the maximum amount of phosphorous that can be allowed to enter the Lake without any adverse effects, such as blue-green algae blooms. EPA is currently evaluating different combinations of point source and non-point source controls that may be sufficient to achieve Vermont’s water quality standards. The final solution selected by EPA will have significant technical, financial, and social impacts for Vermont and Vermonters. Based on current scheduling, in the summer of 2014 EPA will issue approval of a final TMDL and transmit its decision to Vermont to begin implementation. It is expected that full implementation may take 20, or more, years. VEC has designed this conference to look at all aspects of the challenge Vermont faces to resolve this issue in advance of the EPA final ruling.
The Vermont Environmental Consortium (VEC) is being joined at this conference by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC); the Vermont Agencies of Transportation (AOT) and Agriculture, Food and Markets (AAFM); the Vermont Rural Water Association; municipal leaders, environmental advocates; technical experts, political leaders, and many interested others to debate the issues, discuss policy changes, funding, and program development.
The conference agenda includes a Conference Welcome by Governor Peter Shumlin and a keynote address by Pierre Leduc of Corporation Baie Missisquoi. Conference panel topics include: Lake Champlain TMDL, by the Numbers; Sources, Challenges & Opportunities; Integrated Assessment Modeling of Lake Champlain; Building Political Will; and, How are we Going to Pay for This? Conference panelists and moderators come from across the range of thought and perspective on this issue. Among the them is: Candace Page of the Burlington Free Press; Crea Lintellac, of the Lintellac Foundation; DEC Commissioner David Mears; Agency of Agriculture Secretary, Chuck Ross; Agency of Transportation Deputy Secretary, Sue Minter; Kim Greenwood of the Vermont Natural Resources Council; Denise Smith, Friends of Northern Lake Champlain; and Karen Horn of the Vermont League of Cities and Towns.
There will be booths displaying information about businesses and organizations involved in this important work and attendees will have time to network with other attendees, businesses and organizations who attend and exhibit. 0.525 CEUs are offered to conference attendees from the University of Vermont.
There are opportunities to attend, exhibit, or sponsor this event. Learn more by visiting www.vectogether.org and choosing “Spring Conference”.
Main Street Landing is at 60 Lake Street, Burlington, VT 05401. Lunch is included for those who pre-register (encouraged). A fee will be added to registrations at the door. Directions, parking, and more information will be sent upon registering. Questions regarding this event can be directed to 802-747-7900 or [email protected].
VEC Leads Vermont's Environmental Business Sector
Since 2000, VEC (www.vectogether.org) brings businesses, educational institutions and state and U.S. government officials together to make Vermont a leader in the green economy. VEC promotes growth and job creation in Vermont's environmental business sector through networking, information sharing and special projects.
VEC's vision is to be the go-to organization for the environmental business sector in Vermont. VEC's mission is to promote growth and job creation in Vermont's environmental business sector.
We carry out our mission by:
- Advocating for and promoting Vermont's environmental business sector;
- Forging links among business, government, non-profits and higher education to grow the green economy by promoting research, education, training, and job creation;
- Networking VEC members, with potential clients, resources, and support services through conferences, workshops, referrals, and other venues; and
- Planning and initiating projects in partnership with, and for the benefit of, our members.
To learn more, visit www.vectogether.org or contact VEC at [email protected], (802) 747-7900.
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