BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – One of the most comprehensive reports on Lake Champlain in the last three years is out and comes with mixed results.
Lori Fisher looks out at the Grand Isle ferry, reflecting on her work monitoring cyanobacteria over the past three years. “It’s hard work, but it’s also heartwork,” she said.
The Lake Champlain Basin Program State of the Lake Report came out Wednesday, encompassing three years of volunteer-generated measurements on the lake’s health.
“One of the main findings is that the lake provides high-quality drinking water to about a quarter of the basin’s population,” said Matthew Vaughan, the program’s chief scientist.
Other good news includes the lowest numbers and wounding rates of invasive sea lamprey in recorded history, no new invasive species introductions in six years, and a lake trout population comeback.
But Vaughan says it’s not all glad tidings. “What we’ve seen over the past 30-plus years is that the levels of chloride in our rivers and in the lake have really increased over this time,” he said. The salt runoff from road de-icing continues to destroy what Vaughan calls “every level of the lake’s ecosystems.”
While phosphorus concentrations have remained at or below target levels in most of the lake, they continue to be particularly bad in Missisquoi and St. Albans Bays. “As we’ve described, it is a mixed bag, where we’re seeing some improvements in some areas and kind of holding the line in others,” Vaughan said.
Representatives from State, federal, and Canadian officials all shared examples of work and money they put toward the lake’s health. But like Fisher, they stress the importance of individual and collective actions. “You have to think about Lake Champlain — it’s a reflection of our values, and all of us have the ability to take some actions in order to improve water quality,” she said.
Fisher says one of the best ways to get involved in protecting and preserving Lake Champlain is to get out and be on it by becoming a steward, volunteer, or monitor.