Opinion: Charting a course toward clean water in Vermont

byChuck Ross and David MearsWe would like to congratulate VEC (www.vecgreen.com) for hosting their annual conference this year entitled â Charting a Path to Successful Farms and Clean Water in Vermont’at Middlebury College. They brought together an interesting array of panelists who were able to put the water quality challenges facing agriculture into context over time and within the broader framework of our state.
The conference succeeded in creating a space where people from many perspectives were able to listen, learn, and attain a better understanding of this challenging and complex subject. Most importantly, attendees began to develop a vision of where and how Vermonters can collectively address this challenge going forward.
What was clear is that we have a real water quality issue in Vermont's waters, especially Lake Champlain. One of the Lakeâ s greatest challenges is the level of phosphorus that has been and continues to be released into the lake. And it is clear agriculture is and has been a major contributor.
But panelist also made it clear that agriculture is not the sole source of this problem, a problem which took decades to create. It has been created by the actions of all of us in the Lake Champlain watershed community, and it is a problem we are not going to fix overnight. Rather like the problem itself, it will take the community of people within the basin working together over years and years to stop polluting, reverse the pollution, and restore a higher quality of water we can all enjoy.
While the challenge is clear, what was encouraging about the conference is that approaches to solutions began to emerge as well. First and foremost was the collective ownership of this issue. The conference made it clear that this problem is one we all need to own. It will require everyone's help. It will require a new culture to emerge. Given the listening, learning and conversation that occurred during the conference, one could believe our Vermont community is up to the challenge. As one participant said, there was enough knowledge and energy in the room that day to accomplish anything we set out to do in the future. That is the kind of spirit and can-do attitude that must precede successfully taking on any challenge.
A second opportunity emerged around economics. Phosphorus is a valuable resource that is becoming scarcer and more valuable. It is an increasingly expensive input for farmers to use and an increasingly costly waste product to manage. This creates a strong economic incentive to reduce its use and recycle it out of agricultural waste streams. This spells opportunity to manage phosphorus in new ways that will benefit both farmers and water quality.
It was also clear that managing phosphorus is a complex problem. It requires the integration of many fields of expertise -- from economics and engineering, to production agriculture and education, to the complex systems work occurring at UVM. Given the degree of expertise among the people invested in solving this issue, we have the opportunity to create a solutions framework that could be replicated elsewhere.
Finally, it is important to note that VEC is a best-in-class example of the sort of organization that has the ability to affect change and bring Vermonters together. VEC created an atmosphere where we could speak and be heard, where we could listen and learn, and where we could collaborate rather than blame. This is the kind of approach we will need in Vermont if we intend to solve this problem. Itâ s the Vermont way of taking on challenges, and we want to thank VEC for setting the stage to make it happen.
Chuck Ross is the Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets and David Mears is the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation.