N.Y. puts up $500K for runoff control

Albany, N.Y.-New York state is committing $500,000 to a new grant program aimed at helping farmers control runoff of phosphorus and other nutrients and prevent them from entering the southern end of Lake Champlain. The funds Attorney General Andrew Cuomo secured in a court-ordered settlement with American Electric Power will assist farmers in the Southern Champlain Valley to further improve operations and reduce stormwater discharges from their land. “This important investment in New York’s future will help sustain the Champlain Valley’s agricultural economy while preserving one of the state’s most majestic natural resources,” said Cuomo. “By dedicating these funds, we will help support local farmers who are working to improve their operations while being responsible stewards of the environment.” The funding is expected to be used by farmers to better control stormwater runoff from plowed fields, milk houses, manure storage areas, and barnyards; develop nutrient management plans that help avoid applying excess fertilizers to farmlands; and preserve buffers of vegetation that serve to intercept and remove nutrients from runoff before they reach the lake. Dean Norton, president of the New York Farm Bureau, said, “We are grateful to Attorney General Cuomo for making funds available to our farmers to bolster the efforts they are already taking to protect the precious waters of Lake Champlain. We commend the Attorney General for helping our family farms.”