Farmer sued for violation of Vermont's water pollution laws
Thu Sep 20 2012
Attorney General William Sorrell announced Wednesday that his Office has filed a lawsuit in the Vermont Superior Court in Orleans County alleging that dairy farmer Richard Nelson of Coventry has violated Vermont’s water pollution laws. The suit alleges that Nelson’s farm is discharging agricultural runoff from the farm’s bunker silos into a stream near the farm. The suit seeks an injunction against Nelson as well as civil penalties. Nelson has not responded to the allegations in the complaint.
Vermont Agriculture Agency inspectors first visited the farm in February 2010 and found silage leachate runoff was flowing directly from a drain in the silage bunker at his farm into a nearby stream. According to the complaint, inspectors told Nelson to fix the system, which he agreed to do in July 2010. However, Nelson apparently did not fix the system and repeated efforts by the Agency to get Nelson to do so have been unsuccessful. The Agency referred the issue to the Attorney General's office in June 2012, which then led to this legal action.
Source: Vermont Attorney General, September 19, 2012