Lake Champlain

The federal Environmental Protection Agency has notified Vermont officials that they will sign off on the state's plan to clean up Lake Champlain.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued the phosphorus pollution limits for the Vermont segments of Lake Champlain. WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley reports on what the limits mean for the lake.

A new $20 million federal grant will bring together scientists from a number of Vermont colleges and universities to study what makes some sections of the Lake Champlain watershed more resilient after extreme weather events.

Scientists from a number of Vermont colleges and universities will be using a $20 million federal grant to study what makes some sections of the Lake Champlain watershed bounce back faster than others after extreme weather events.

In the spring of 2011, Lake Champlain reached record high levels and historic flooding occurred.  In Plattsburgh, a low-income housing complex along the lakeshore was condemned.  On Monday, the Plattsburgh City Planning Board approved plans to redevelop the 3-point-3 acre property.

Farms in northwestern Vermont may have to abide by certain practices to reduce phosphorus pollution in Lake Champlain under a decision released by the state's agriculture secretary.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates the five-year cost of cleaning up Vermont waters is about $154 million. But as WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley reports, regional officials say the federal agency is underestimating costs.

Do you remember Lite-Brite? The toy with small colored plastic pegs that create illuminated designs on a light board?  Well scientists and designers have taken the concept to a new level. They’ve created a display at the ECHO Center for Lake Champlain to visually display data about the lake.

The floor of Lake Champlain is quickly becoming a highway for transmission lines to bring renewable energy to metropolitan areas of the Northeast.  A new project to bring wind power from New York to New England through the lake was announced this week.

The final draft plan setting Lake Champlain’s allowable phosphorus levels is set to be released on Friday.  The EPA and the state of Vermont have set a series of public meetings at the end of the month to discuss the plan.

Every three years the Lake Champlain Basin Program releases a report assessing the quality of Lake Champlain’s waters.  The latest report indicates that despite continued efforts to lower phosphorus levels, they continue to increase.

Environmental groups from New York and Vermont met at a wildlife management area adjacent to a rail line today to release a report detailing the threats of tar sands oil transport through the region. As WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley reports, environmentalists say new response plans issued by New York State this week are only a start.

Vermont, New York and the government of Quebec have renewed an agreement that continues a partnership designed to protect Lake Champlain.

Vermont, New York and Quebec renewed a pact on Monday to preserve Lake Champlain and its watershed.

Vermont business leaders, environmental officials and elected officials are sharing a common message on cleaning up the state's waters — especially Lake Champlain: Everyone needs to chip in.

Vermont officials have outlined new steps to address agricultural pollution in Lake Champlain that emphasize stewardship and enhanced accountability.

Vermont's top officials say legal enforcement of water quality rules on the state's farmers is going to be one of the tools that will be used to help clean up Lake Champlain.

During this past summer’s Mayor’s Cup sailboat race in Plattsburgh, Burlington’s mayor lost a friendly bet against mayor of Plattsburgh. He settled it by jumping into the cold waters of Lake Champlain this past weekend.

The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation will study the possibility of creating a cap-and-trade system to reduce the amount of phosphorous pollution that runs into Lake Champlain from rivers and streams.

Developers of project to bring a 1,000-megawatt power line down Lake Champlain and across Vermont  answered questions about residents concerned about how the underwater portion of the cable could affect the lake.

The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says cleaning up Lake Champlain and other lakes is critical to the future of the region and the country.

Vermont wildlife officials say the Winooski River is experiencing another strong run of landlocked Atlantic salmon.

The Lake Champlain Basin Program confirmed late last week that the invasive spiny water flea has entered Lake Champlain. The zooplankton threatens to disrupt the food chain and could become a nuisance to anglers.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was at the Leahy-ECHO Center for Lake Champlain in Vermont this morning to announce accelerated funding to improve the lake’s water quality.

People living along the shores of Lake Champlain are taking note of the problems Toledo, Ohio has faced with water contaminated by toxic algae. That’s because the same blue green algae appears in parts of the local lake each summer.

Vermont U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy has announced that money is available from the recently enacted Farm Bill to help improve agricultural water quality in one of the problematic watersheds that drain into the Mississquoi Bay of Lake Champlain.

The Conservation Law Foundation is petitioning the Vermont Agency of Agriculture to require mandatory pollution control practices for farm runoff into one of Lake Champlain’s most problematic bays.

Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin says damage from overnight flooding Tuesday into Wednesday was wide-ranging but receding.  He warned that Lake Champlain is nearing flood stage and will continue to rise in the coming days.