Vermont Statutes
Chapter 215 - Agricultural Water Quality
§ 4815. Waste storage facility

§ 4815. Waste storage facility
(a) No person shall construct a new waste storage facility or expand or modify a waste storage facility in existence on July 1, 2006 unless the facility meets the standard established for such facilities by the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or an equivalent standard. If an equivalent design standard is used, the design and construction shall be certified by the Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets or a licensed professional engineer operating within the scope of the engineer’s expertise.
(b) The Secretary may require the owner or operator of a waste storage facility in existence on July 1, 2006 to modify the facility to meet the standard set forth in subsection (a) of this section if the facility poses a threat to human health or the environment. If the Secretary determines that a facility that meets the standard set forth in subsection (a) of this section poses a threat to human health or the environment, the Secretary may require the owner or operator of the facility to implement additional management measures.
(c) If the Secretary suspects that a waste storage facility may be contaminating groundwater, the Secretary shall pay the costs of any initial groundwater monitoring to determine whether a facility poses a threat to human health or the environment. Within 21 days after a determination under this subsection that a facility poses a threat to human health or the environment because of apparent violation of the Groundwater Protection Standards, the Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets shall notify the Department of Health and the Secretary of Natural Resources of the location of the facility and the name of its owner or operator.
(d) As used in this section, “waste storage facility” means an impoundment made for the purpose of storing agricultural waste by constructing an embankment, excavating a pit or dugout, fabricating an inground and aboveground structure, or any combination thereof. (Added 2005, No. 78, § 4, eff. June 24, 2005; amended 2015, No. 39, § 1; 2021, No. 162 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. June 1, 2022.)

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