Cleaning House for Champ

Author: Kate Doorley

"Our polluted waters can't wait any longer for effective clean up plans to go forward." So cries the Web site for the Vermont Natural Resources Council, a group dedicated to promoting awareness of Vermont's environmental issues and actions citizens can take to protect and preserve their local areas. If all goes Gov. Jim Douglas' way, however, the Council and other like-minded groups should not have to wait much longer for results.

In an Oct. 1 press conference on the shores of Lake Champlain, Douglas announced his Clean and Clear Action Plan to reduce pollution in the lake area. This plan builds on an existing effort among the states of New York and Vermont and the province of Quebec to clean up the lake-bed and reduce dangerous pollutant levels.

The plan's supporters argue that cleaning up Lake Champlain is an important step towards improving environmental quality in Vermont. According to Executive Director of the Lake Champlain Committee Lori Fisher, the Lake Champlain Commission's most recent "State of the Lake" report gave Lake Champlain a D-minus. Four segments of the lake - Missisquoi Bay, St. Alban's Bay, South Lake and South Bay are considered in critical condition due to high phosphorus and algae levels. Lake Champlain is the sixth largest freshwater lake in the United States and has the oldest fossil coral reed in the world. The lake area is also home to several regionally rare or endangered species, including the eastern spiny soft-shell turtle, the map turtle and the stripped chorus frog. In addition, Vermont's waterways are in poor condition according to the VNRC. By their standards, 26 streams in Vermont are so polluted by storm-water and other runoff that they do not meet basic minimum standards for water quality.

The original Lake Champlain action plan was approved in 1996 with the goal of "emphasiz[ing] an ecosystem approach to protection of the lake and basin." The specific priorities of the plan included reducing phosphorus pollution into Lake Champlain, protecting the health of human residents in the lake area, reducing toxic substances in the lake, and minimizing the impacts of non-native and nuisance aquatic species in the Champlain valley ecosystem. In particular, phosphorus pollution was one of the key concerns of the original plan, as Vermont remains the largest producer of the phosphorus wastes that end up in the lake. Currently, 502 metric tons of phosphorus are dumped into Lake Champlain each year, including all waste from Vermont, New York and Quebec, while the lake can only assimilate 420 metric tons. Phosphorus is a key nutrient for many types of plants. As a result, chemical residues from fertilizers, manure and other common farm wastes constitute much of the cause of phosphorus pollution. According to Fisher, the danger of this type of pollution is that it is the greatest long-term limiting nutrient in the lake area, meaning that it helps algae populations in the lake thrive and thus contributes to further pollution.

The original lake clean-up plan called for a reduction of Vermont phosphorus pollution to 268.4 metric tons per year, down from around 344 metric tons. The new Clean and Clear Action Plan moves the timetable for these environmental changes forward from 2014 to 2009. This year also happens to be the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain's arrival in North America. The new strategy has garnered much support in the environmental community. "The LCC has been working on phosphorus reduction for many years. We [have] been pushing the Governor's office to endorse the new deadline for some time, and began pushing well prior to this point. Embracing the schedule is a good step forward, although there is a lot of work ahead," said Fisher

In all, Douglas estimates that the phosphorus reduction phase of the plan alone will cost around $139 million to implement. He is currently seeking federal funding to help cover the costs of this monumental project. Fisher particularly favored this strategy, commenting, "What is noteworthy about [him] is that he is setting a new date and then looking for the money. He's not waiting to nail down every source of money [before proceeding with a plan]."

The plan also includes programs to stop erosion of stream beds and at construction sites, improved maintenance of dirt roads to prevent sediment runoff, increased funding for upgrades of sewer plants in order to reduce phosphorus emissions and an improvement in farming practices to do the same.

Although the extent of the federal funding the state will receive towards its lofty goal is uncertain, Douglas has vowed to match the federal funds dollar for dollar. With his plan, he has set the state upon a path that could have national ramifications. If he is successful here in Vermont, one can't help but wonder whether other states might follow suit and make a more concerted effort to clean up their own freshwater environments.