This year more money will help prevent Vermont farms from polluting the state’s waterways.
But some of the projects could be delayed for years.
That’s because the Natural Resources Conservation Service or NRCS can’t afford all the engineers and experts needed to design projects, such as manure pits, erosion control and diversion of barn roof runoff.
The NRCS will have over $8 millionin cost-share money to pay to farmers to keep manure and fertilizer out of lakes and rivers. That’s more than twice as much money as last year.
But the state has a backlog of 247 projects from as far back as 2003 because the NRCS doesn’t have enough staff to handle the projects.
State officials say with the new funding they are focused on getting the work done.