The EPA released new pollution limits for Lake Champlain on Friday.
Polluted runoff from parking lots, farm fields, dirt roads and lawns is affecting the water quality of Lake Champlain and has contributed to an increase in toxic algae blooms that have led to the closure of beaches and swimming areas. The city of Burlington has also stepped up monitoring of drinking water from the lake.
The nutrient phosphorus, which is naturally present in soils and pet waste, and is a byproduct of fertilizer, is the primary contaminant. Streams and rivers that drain into the lake have been carrying too much phosphorus into the lake for decades. Despite efforts to reduce phosphorus pollution, concentrations of the chemical continue to increase.
The state and the federal government are working together to cleanup the lake and have set new standards that cap the Total Maximum Daily Load for phosphorus. The EPA proposal would cut pollution by one third. The EPA did not approve the Vermont 2002 Lake Champlain Phosphorus TMDL in 2011.
Gov. Peter Shumlin and federal officials announced Friday the new phosphorus limits at a press conference on North Beach in Burlington.
Stephen Perkins, a project manager at the EPA’s Boston office, said it could take 10 to 15 years for the new standards to impact the overall water quality of the lake.
There will be an interim check-in after two and a half years and a full check-in at five years to make sure the state is on track with water quality standards, Deb Markowitz, secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources, said.
“The TMDL is the backbone of the state’s water cleanup efforts,” Markowitz said.
Vermont is also in the process of implementing new water quality legislation, which Shumlin signed into law on June 16.
The new law requires farmers to limit manure runoff and gives the Agency of Agriculture funding to enforce new rules. “For far too long, we’ve not had the resources to clean up our waters like we should,” Chuck Ross, secretary of the Agency of Agriculture, said.
The EPA is asking the public to help determine phosphorus load limits for 12 sections of the lake. A public comment period begins Friday and ends Sept. 15.
Download a copy of the plan
http://www.epa.gov/region1/eco/tmdl/lakechamplain.html
Comments may be sent to:
Stephen Perkins, Lake Champlain TMDL Project Manager
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 1 – New England
5 Post Office Square, Suite 100
Mail Code OEP06-3
Boston, MA 02109-3912
Phone: (617) 918-1501 Email: perkins.stephen@epa.gov
