1.
2010
Lake Champlain
Saving the Lake
What part can Plattsburg NY and Burlington VT play in reducing phosphorus
concentrations in Lake Champlain
Charles N. Walker
Being Green Pays
2/15/2010

2. Lake Champlain 2
What is the major cause of the blue‐green algae blooms and what impact do they
have on Lake Champlain?
The biggest cause of algae blooms in Lack Champlain comes from an excess of phosphorus entering the
lake. Phosphorus is an essential nutrient in a plant or animal’s growth. The problem occurs when more
phosphorus than those plants and organisms need ends up in the Lake, disturbing the delicate nutrient
balance that exists. Phosphorus stimulates growth, so when too much of it ends up in the lake some
plants and algae grow too quickly and thickly. In turn the overabundance of these plants then absorb
much of the oxygen and sunlight needed by fish and plants below the surface waters. Additionally the
ultimate decomposition or these plants creates a toxic environment for other organism. As a result the
Lake's normal ecosystem is dramatically altered. In addition, algal blooms are also a major deterrent to
human enjoyment of the Lake as the murky green, sometimes smelly water is less than inviting for
swimming, fishing and boating.
The continued pollution of the lake will inevitably have a negative impact on the region's economy.
A closed beach not only can ruin an afternoon, it can have a disastrous effect on housing values and
chase away tourist dollars. Who wants to buy a house near a beach they can never swim in? Who is
going to come back to a lakefront hotel whose main attraction could make them sick? One study has
estimated the frequent algae blooms in St. Alban's Bay have lowered property values by 20 percent.
The excess phosphorus that is not used by aquatic organisms will eventually reach the ocean
causing the same kinds of issues at sea. Furthermore any excess phosphorus at this point becomes
locked in the sediment on the oceans floor and is lost from the terrestrial phosphorus cycle and
from further human use. This causes a greater demand on obtaining phosphorus from strip mining
operations.
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3. Lake Champlain 3
Where is the excess Phosphorus coming from?
Phosphorus comes from what is called point and non point source pollution. Wastewater treatment or
industrial discharges are examples of point source pollution. In point source pollution the source of the
problem is localized and easily identifiable. This type of pollution produced about 20% of the excess
phosphorus in the Lake. As a result of reduction efforts, now less than 10% of the phosphorus in the
Lake comes from point sources.
Non point source pollution contributes the rest of the Lake's excess phosphorus. Non point source
pollution is more dispersed, coming from runoff from roads, farm fields, septic system effluent, and
residential lawns that have been fertilized with a high phosphorus fertilizer. Acre‐for‐acre, urban
development is the primary contributor of phosphorus into the Lake. Rain water and snow melt washes
over parking lots, roads, strip malls, big box stores, rooftops and lawns, and flows directly into the Lake
and its tributaries. This polluted stormwater runoff is the biggest contributor of phosphorus to the
widest, central part of the Lake – 44 metric tons per year pour into this part of Lake Champlain.
Urbanization has other negative impacts, including physical changes to river systems and other natural
filters such as wetlands. On average, urban and suburban land contributes up to four times the
phosphorus per unit area than either agricultural or forested land. Although it only constitutes 5% of the
land use, it is estimated to contribute about 46% of the phosphorus! Development increases the amount
of impervious area (e.g. roof tops and pavement) in a watershed, which interferes with the natural
filtering ability of soils. The quantity of runoff also increases because the soils can no longer absorb and
store rain and snowmelt. Suburban and rural residential areas, commercial developments, industries,
and roads all contribute phosphorus. Activities such as washing cars on roads and driveways, not
cleaning up pet waste, over‐fertilizing lawns and gardens, can all contribute to nonpoint source
phosphorus. Because it is widely dispersed, this type of phosphorus pollution is more difficult to control.
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4. Lake Champlain 4
What are some challenges to reducing Phosphorus pollution?
One of the biggest hurdles to reducing phosphorus in Lake Champlain is financing. Towns and cities fear
that by enforcing the laws currently in place, they will lose development‐related jobs and taxes.
However considering that Lake Champlain related activities generate approximately 1.5 billion dollars
per year for Vermont alone it seems that losing this revenue would hurt much more in the long run. The
cost of cleaning up the lake and keeping it clean is much less than one year of Lake generated revenue.
Another challenge is changing the way Americans look at their transportation options. Because of the
way communities have developed over the past 60 years Americans have become more reliant on
privately owned vehicles. There are no easy answers to this challenge. However, by developing better
public transportation options and designing communities so most everywhere the residents need to go
is within easy walking distance, people will be less dependent on their automobiles. As people start to
walk, ride bikes or use public transportation more we will see a reduction in pollution and pollution
related issues.
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5. Lake Champlain 5
What are some measures that have been made to reduce Phosphorus counts n
Lake Champlain?
Numerous actions have been taken to reduce phosphorus pollution in the Lake. Many farmers have
instituted best management practices (BMP’s).These include nutrient and waste management. Manure
is stored in pits until it is ready to be spread as fertilizer for the fields. Manure is no longer spread on the
fields during the winter. Spreading manure must wait until after the snow melts and the ground thaws in
the spring so that raw manure used by the farmer as fertilizer will not wash off and flow directly into the
streams, rivers and finally Lake Champlain. Another BMP is to plant a buffer of riparian plants between
farm fields and the stream or river banks that abut them so that the plants can help filter out the excess
phosphorus from the fields before it enters the water. Other programs address the problem of reducing
phosphorus runoff from lawns and roads in developed areas
On August 26th, 2002 Vermont and Quebec signed the Missisquoi Bay Phosphorus Reduction
Agreement pledging to reduce approximately 98 metric tons of phosphorus per year, 60% in Vermont
and 40% in Quebec. This will be done through such measures as upgrading our wastewater treatment
plants, best management practices, stabilization of stream banks and channels, improving storm water
management, and controlling erosion. Prior to the agreement, the Lake Champlain Basin Program
succeeded in reducing phosphorus loads by about 38.8 metric tons per year in 2001, exceeding their
goal
Some other measures:
• Boat holding tank laws to make dumping boat waste illegal on the lake.
• Monitoring programs to gauge trends in water quality.
• Stringent standards of phosphorus removal for Lake Champlain wastewater treatment plants
• The Don’t P on Your Lawn campaign – an educational outreach effort to reduce unnecessary
application of phosphorus lawn fertilizer.
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6. Lake Champlain 6
What are some steps that the leaders of Plattsburg and Burlington can do to
help?
• Educate yourselves – Understand the impact pollution has on the quality of life in the Lake
Champlain Basin is the first step in making plans for a better future for the lake.
• Make informing the public a priority – The general public needs to understand the implications
of apathy and inaction to the welfare of the lake
• Get the public involved – The public needs to be involved in the whole process from planning to
implementation .This will go a long way towards making this region a better place to live.
• Put into action BMP – Best Management Practices are essential to mitigating pollution of the
lake’s ecosystem. Some of the ways to do this include creating stream buffers, enforcing erosion
control at construction sites, implementing incentives for adding green roofs to existing
buildings, and maximizing the use of pervious surfaces.
• Break the public’s overreliance on privet transportation – One of the best ways to fight non‐
point source pollution is by providing people with better alternatives to driving everywhere.
Making communities pedestrian friendly, and having public transportation that people will use,
• Lead by example – It will be much harder to convince the people of the Lake Champlain Basin to
make changes to their lives if their elected officials do not practice what they preach. Make the
effort to live a more sustainable lifestyle.
• Bring your county and state governments to the table – Don’t try to make all these changes
alone. These challenges are facing all communities in America. You are in a position to make a
difference beyond the city limits of Plattsburg and Burlington.
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7. Lake Cha
amplain 7
In conclusio
on
rative that we
It is imper e take steps n
now to improve the health h of Lake Chammplain. The lo
onger we wait the
more expensive the cle eanup proces ss will be and the longer it will take. Fur
rthermore, thhe more pollu uted
the lake bbecomes the m more revenue e will be lost. The steps taken to improve the health h of Lake
Champlain will have th he added benefits of attrac cting more peeople to the aarea as both t
tourists and full
time residdents. A revita
alized, health
hy lake can on nly add to the
e region’s eco
onomic well being.
Furthermore, by makin ng the environment a priority in civic pl lanning the re
esidents of th
he Lake Cham mplain
Basin will have healthier living condditions, needing less sick time and spend less on med dical bills.
su
ustaina
able hea
althy
healthy lak
ke
de
evelopmment econ
nomy
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n Pays | Confidential

8. Lake Champlain 8
Here are some useful graphs
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9. Lake Champlain 9
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10. Lake Champlain 10
References
http://www.clf.org/work/CWHF/lakechamplain/index.html
http://www.lcbp.org/index.htm
http://www.lakechamplaincommittee.org/lcc‐at‐work/phosphorus‐pollution‐in‐lake/
http://www.lclt.org/Phosphorus.htm
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