Upcoming Meetings on Lake Clean-up
Photo by Carolyn Bates.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is hosting a series of public meetings this November to outline the next steps in Vermont’s efforts to restore water quality in Lake Champlain. The November meetings have three major goals: EPA will provide a technical update on the phosphorus reductions needed, share the process and timeline for completing and implementing the plan, and outline a draft framework for monitoring progress. EPA is working with the State of Vermont to prepare a “Total Maximum Daily Load” (TMDL), a formal plan that will place a cap on the maximum amount of phosphorous that is allowed to enter the lake and still meet water quality standards.
The TMDL has been in development since January 2011 when EPA rescinded a previously approved TMDL. In the meantime, Vermont’s Agriculture and Environmental Conservation Departments have put forth three increasingly detailed drafts of steps the state plans to take to reduce phosphorus loading. The final TMDL will need to pass judgment on whether these steps are sufficient. EPA now anticipates issuing a final plan by spring or summer of 2015.
Below is a schedule for the public meetings and links to further details on the clean-up plan and some recently released fact sheets that provide some examples of steps Vermont agencies plan to take to protect and restore lake health.
November Public Meeting Schedule and Locations
Nov. 17, 2014, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. in Rutland
Fox Room, Rutland Free Library, 10 Court Street
Nov. 17, 2014, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. in Middlebury
Middlebury Inn, 14 Court Square Road
Nov. 18, 2014, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. in St. Albans
Bliss Room, St. Albans Historical Society, 9 Church Street
Nov. 19, 2014, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. in South Burlington
Doubletree Hotel, 1117 Williston Road
More Information
-EPA information on Vermont Lake Champlain Phosphorus TMDL
-Vermont Phase 1 Implementation Plan
-Lake Champlain TMDL Factsheet-Agriculture Lands Management
-Lake Champlain TMDL Factsheet-Forest Lands Management
-Lake Champlain TMDL Factsheet-River and Floodplain Protection
-Lake Champlain TMDL Factsheet-Road Related Stormwater Management
