Keeping On Track It's been four years since Opportunities for Action, Lake Champlain's long term management plan, was signed by the governors of New York and Vermont. The plan identified reducing excess phosphorus in the lake as one of the Basin's highest priorities and it set phosphorus concentration goals for each of thirteen major Lake segments. To reach these goals, known as the in-lake criteria, the annual phosphorus load entering the Lake in tributary rivers must be reduced by 57 metric tons, something we hope to achieve within 20 years. Vermont, New York and Quebec have been working hard to achieve the first 25% of this required reduction within the first five years, by the fall of 2001. Last year the Lake Champlain Steering Committee decided to find out how we are progressing with this priority. It created a Phosphorus Reduction Team to evaluate our progress toward the interim 25% reduction goal (by 2001) and the long-term goal (by 2016). The team was also asked to explore the feasibility of accelerating our phosphorus reduction efforts to achieve our goals on a faster schedule. The team recently reported its findings. The Team, chaired by Dr. Mary Watzin of UVM, found that by 2001, Vermont, New York and Quebec will have reduced the 1995 point and nonpoint source phosphorus inputs to Lake Champlain by about 38.8 metric tons, far exceeding the 5-year interim reduction goal of 15.8 metric tons per year for Lake Champlain! Most of these reductions (22.7 tons) were gained by upgrading wastewater treatment plants, but substantial progress (16.1 tons) results from the increased use of agricultural best management practices (BMPs) throughout the Basin. Looking ahead at the 20-year goal, however, the study projected that relying on currently planned wastewater treatment plant upgrades and agricultural BMPs alone would not be sufficient in some segments of the Lake to meet our goals. One factor considered by the Team is that non-point source phosphorus pollution is greater in runoff from urban and developed areas than from either agricultural or forested areas (on an acre by acre basis). As agricultural or forested lands in many parts of the basin are developed, there is an associated increase in phosphorus runoff to adjacent streams that offsets some of the progress being made in other areas of the watershed. The report found that the developing economy and changing landscape will require some new approaches to ensure that progress with phosphorus reduction continues towards our established goals. Better non-point source management to control the more highly polluted urban runoff, expanded agricultural BMPs, and new technologies to improve the effectiveness of wastewater treatment plants are among the many options explored by the Phosphorus Reduction Team. The Team also explored the associated costs of these options. New York, Vermont and Quebec have made great strides and are well ahead of schedule in reducing the phosphorus load entering the Lake. However, new approaches will be considered by the Lake Champlain Basin Program in order to reach our goals in twenty years or sooner. The Phosphorus Reduction Team Report is an important assessment of our progress and key options to explore to get this important job done. Bill Howland Basin Program Manager Horse Fencing Project The LCBP recently supported the Ausable River Association to help a farmer fence horses out of a stream. On the Willow Hill Horse Farm in Clintonville horses were freely walking into Gay Brook, a tributary of the AuSable River, which was causing stream erosion and sending excess phosphorus into the brook. Funding form the Lake Champlain Basin Program helped the AuSable River Association coordinate the project with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the USDA NRCS. The horses were fenced out of the brook and provided with an alternative source of water to drink. Native trees and shrubs were planted to shade the brook, absorb nutrient runoff, prevent sedimentation and provide wildlife habitat. For More Information: Ausable River Association Janet Swentusky PO Box 217 Elizabethtown, NY 12932 518-873-3752 More Information About Reducing Phosphorus Reducing Phosphorus Actions in Opportunities for Action to Reduce Phosphorus

What is Phosphorus? Phosphorus is a naturally occurring nutrient essential for plant growth. In excessive amounts, however, phosphorus can cause algal blooms and excessive growth of other aquatic plants. These plants, and the water quality problems that occur when they die, can harm fish and other species and limit human uses of the lake. The LCBP partners have been working to control both point sources of phosphorus, such as municipal wastewater treatment plant discharges, and nonpoint sources, such as runoff from farm fields and lawns. Over 80% of the phosphorus entering the lake comes from nonpoint sources.

PLEASE NOTE: The views expressed on WPTZ NEWS CHANNEL 5's series "Champlain 2000" do not necessarily reflect the position of the Lake Champlain Basin Program or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Send questions or comments on this web site to Nicole L. Ballinger at the LCBP.
Last Updated: June 12, 2000