10 V.S.A. § 1441: Purpose

The purposes of this chapter shall be to:

(1) provide clear and adaptable standards for the creation of impervious surface or cleared area in lands adjacent to lakes;

(2) prevent degradation of water quality in lakes and preserve natural stability of shoreline;

(3) protect aquatic biota and protect habitat for wildlife and aquatic life;

(4) mitigate, minimize, and manage any impact of new impervious surface and new cleared area on the lakes of the State;

(5) mitigate the damage that floods and erosion cause to development, structures, and other resources in the lands adjacent to lakes;

(6) accommodate creation of cleared areas and impervious surfaces in protected shoreland areas in a manner that allows for reasonable development of existing parcels;

(7) protect shoreland owners’ access to, views of, and use of the State’s lakes; and

(8) preserve and further the economic benefits and values of lakes and their adjacent shorelands.