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The Lowe’s Home Center store planned for Shelburne Road in South Burlington will get a needed permit after all. The Water Resources Board ruled today that Lowe’s will get a permit to release storm water into Potash Brook. The brook already fails to meet state water quality standards.
Environmentalists challenged the Lowe’s permit. They argued that the storm water from the Lowe’s parking lot would add more pollution to the brook. But Lowe’s argued that its treatment plan would improve the quality of the brook.
The board said in a preliminary ruling last summer that no more pollution could enter a stream that is already polluted. The ruling angered developers who feared it would stop business growth in Chittenden County.
But now the board says that the Lowe’s will be in compliance with the law as long as the company makes some improvements to its treatment system.