It is the policy of the State of Vermont to:
(1) protect and enhance the quality, character and usefulness of its surface waters and to assure the public health;
(2) maintain the purity of drinking water;
(3) control the discharge of wastes to the waters of the State, prevent degradation of high quality waters and prevent, abate or control all activities harmful to water quality;
(4) assure the maintenance of water quality necessary to sustain existing aquatic communities;
(5) provide clear, consistent, and enforceable standards for the permitting and management of discharges;
(6) protect from risk and preserve in their natural state certain high quality waters, including fragile high-altitude waters, and the ecosystems they sustain;
(7) manage the waters of the State to promote a healthy and prosperous agricultural community; to increase the opportunities for use of the State’s forest, park, and recreational facilities; and to allow beneficial and environmentally sound development; and
(8) seek over the long term to upgrade the quality of waters and to reduce existing risks to water quality.