CHENANGO COUNTY – Keeping clean water clean and safely redirecting dirty water from the barnyard is becoming less practical for farmers as government funding streams begin to dry up.

The Chenango County Soil & Water Conservation District is urging the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets to release “hundreds of thousands” of Environmental Protection Funds (EPF) to local farmers for their pollution mitigation programs.

EPF funds are generally distributed about this time of year. Reimbursement has never been so delayed, according to Robert DeClue, the district’s director.