Good conditions were observed this week in Missisquoi Bay, Main Lake Central, Main Lake South, and the South Lake on Lake Champlain and on several inland lakes where monitors are still able to report. Low level alerts were reported on the Inland Sea and Malletts Bay and Lake Iroquois and Lake Memphremagog. Hight alerts were witnessed on St. Albans Bay, Main Lake North, Halls Lake, Lake Carmi and Shelburne Pond. The sunny warm weather anticipated this week may trigger more blooms. Read...

We are more than halfway through the 2020 monitoring season. Report numbers will be lower as beaches and parks close up and seasonal staff leave their posts. However, it’s still a great time to recreate in and around waterways provided you’re well prepared for conditions. Please remember that cyanobacteria can still show up despite the cooling temperatures. Keep an eye on conditions whenever you are near the water and be especially mindful if you’re walking or wading shoreline areas with pets. Read...

On Tuesday evening, Governor Scott vetoed the Global Warming Solutions Act. The bill, which was overwhelmingly passed by both the Vermont House and Senate earlier, would require Vermont to reduce climate pollution and create a community-driven equitable plan to move off of fossil fuels towards energy independence. The measure will create jobs, improve community resilience, use natural systems and working lands to capture and store carbon, and create a deadline-driven process to hold the State accountable. A summary of the Solutions Act is below. Read...

There’s a nip of fall in the air and tinges of color on mountain slopes this week as some schools re-open, docks get pulled and state and municipal parks and beaches begin to close out their summer season. The change in temperature may decrease blooms in some areas and trigger them in others. Both inland waterways and Lake Champlain are subject to late summer and fall blooms so please continue to keep a watchful eye on the water and share information with others to raise awareness of cyanobacteria. Read...

While the cyanobacteria tracker map was dominated by green dots last week, too many red dots evidencing blooms are showing as we head into Labor Day weekend. While good conditions were observed at Lake Champlain’s Malletts Bay, Main Lake South, and South Lake and at numerous inland waterways, cyanobacteria blooms showed up in Missisquoi Bay, St. Albans Bay, the Inland Sea, Main Lake North and Main Lake Central on Lake Champlain as well as at Lake Carmi, Lake Morey and Shelburne Pond. Blooms can pop up or persist well into the fall so please continue to check conditions carefully whenever recreating near waterways. Read...

The cyanobacteria tracker was mainly populated by green dots this week indicating generally safe water conditions. However, blooms were observed in select locations both early and late in the week. Benthic cyanobacteria were also reported from a stream and private pond in Vermont. The cooler temperatures and rain ahead may lessen bloom frequency but cyanobacteria is still likely to show up in waterways for a while yet. Please keep a watchful eye and use the resources and tools in this email to help you learn how to identify, avoid and report cyanobacteria. Read...