MONTPELIER Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont lawmakers are taking another look at a 2015 water quality law that many consider onerous and that few have complied with.
In the Southview development in Richmond, homeowners are grappling with the cost of clean water.
“That would be $700,000, but I’m guessing it will be more,” said local resident Page Kaleita, estimating the cost she and 47 other neighbors may have to split for a new stormwater system under the so-called “three-acre rule.”
The 2015 law requires businesses, schools, and homeowners who have more than three acres of impervious surface — like rooftops and asphalt lots — to limit polluted runoff However, the law does not apply equally to all property owners.
Because of how the Richmond neighborhood was built over time — and how stormwater permits were applied — some areas did not have to upgrade their stormwater systems. But just down the road, dozens of others will be required to potentially pay thousands.
“The state of Vermont is asking five percent of homeowners to pay for this yet it benefits all of us,” said Kaleita, who took her case to state lawmakers Thursday to ask for relief.
“We’re trying to be as fair as we can be while still addressing the real water quality problems we have,” said Rep. Amy Sheldon, D-East Middlebury.
Landowners have had five years to make the upgrades, but for some, the bills are coming due. Out of 677 identified three-acre sites, only nine have completed their stormwater upgrades.
“Residents and municipalities want to clean up the lake like everyone does. I think we’re running into a wall, frankly, of how do we do that,” said Josh Hanford with the Vermont League of Cities and Towns.
Lawmakers will soon consider a bill to extend three-acre site deadlines and find new ways to finance the projects so the burden doesn’t fall unevenly on property owners.