Oil Train Forum Attendees Call for Action

More than 130 concerned residents attended an LCC public forum to discuss the risks of crude oil train traffic through the Adirondack Park and Champlain Valley last week, with many saying they would urge New York state officials to fully assess the risks to communities and the environment, and urge federal regulators to ban the older, leak-prone rail tanker cars involved in recent spills, fires and explosions. The event was hosted by the Lake Champlain Committee, Adirondack Council, Adirondack Mountain Club, and the Center for Biological Diversity.

Currently, more than three million gallons per day of Bakken crude oil is transported through the region on rail lines that had rarely carried crude oil or hazardous materials before.

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) will be accepting comments through September 30 on its environmental assessment of the plan by Global Partners to expand its oil-transfer facilities at the Port of Albany. Federal officials are currently updating their risk assessments for the rail tanker car traffic.

“If the Global Partners' expansion is approved, it could lead to a major increase in oil train traffic through the Champlain Valley,” said Lori Fisher, Executive Director of the Lake Champlain Committee. “The new traffic would be carrying tar sands oil from Canada, in addition to the Bakken crude oil already coming from North Dakota, and put our communities and waterways at even greater risk.” Read more on LCC's website.

Spiny Water Flea Have Arrived – What Next?

On August 25 four individual spiny water fleas were found during routine monitoring of Lake Champlain. The invasive exotic zooplankton species were discovered in the middle portion of the Main Lake between Burlington and Port Kent. Since then they have been confirmed from a total of three monitoring stations. They had previously colonized Lake George and their arrival in Lake Champlain, though disappointing, is not unexpected. Read on to learn more about their potential impacts, the Champlain Canal's role in the spread of invasive species, and preventative actions needed by all boaters.

Spiny water fleas were first found in North America in 1982 in Lake Ontario. Since then they have spread throughout the Great Lakes and a number of inland water bodies. They reached the Great Sacandaga Lake on the western edge of the Adirondacks by 2008 and Lake George in the Lake Champlain watershed by 2012.

Zooplankton are small animals that live in the water column and drift with the currents. While most zooplankton are microscopic, the spiny waterflea can be seen with the naked eye. Still, a dozen or more would fit on a fingernail. Zooplankton play two very important roles in the ecosystem. First, they provide food for fish, especially rainbow smelt and alewives, the principal prey of lake trout and salmon. Second, they eat algae, potentially keeping some blooms in check.

Dr. Jason Stockwell of the University of Vermont has offered four predictions about how spiny waterfleas could change the ecology of Lake Champlain. Stockwell is the director of the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Lab on Lake Champlain. Prior to that, he was station chief at the Lake Superior Biological Station in Ashland, Wisconsin. He based his predictions on his own experiences in the Great Lakes and a review of the literature, which mostly compares lakes in the Canadian Shield with spiny waterfleas to those without. Read more on LCC's website.

Algae Bloom Triggers Toledo Drinking Water Ban. Could It Happen Here?

In early August, more than 400,000 residents in Toledo, Ohio were warned not to consume, cook with, or even boil their tap water due to the presence of algae toxins in their source water, Lake Erie. The ban was finally lifted a few days later on August 4.

Toledo's water supply is particularly vulnerable to algae blooms. The city sits on the southwestern edge of Lake Erie, where the water is shallowest. The Maumee River runs through the city and is the greatest contributor of nutrient pollution to the lake. Other cities on deeper parts of Lake Erie, such as Cleveland and Buffalo, were not affected.

As on Lake Champlain, the presence of algae blooms was no surprise for Lake Erie. The amount of phosphorus going into Erie has risen every year since the mid-1990s. Water quality advocates and state officials have been warning about conditions there for years. Last summer the International Joint Commission, an advisory agency made up of Canadian and U.S. officials, released a report with a series of recommendations for governments in both countries to reduce phosphorus loading. Some recommendations, like a ban on spreading manure on frozen ground or regulating phosphorus in lawn fertilizers, have already been done in the Lake Champlain Basin. Other recommendations, like a call for increased use of best management practices (BMPs) also pertain here. (LCC and other organizations are advocating that BMPs should be required for certain areas of the lake.) Read more on LCC's website.

Petition Calls for More from Farmers

Should farmers who own land with greater potential to pollute Lake Champlain be held to a higher standard than those that own less vulnerable land? LCC agrees with a Conservation Law Foundation petition submitted to the Vermont Agency of Agriculture saying they should. We filed comments earlier this month urging the Agency to require greater regulatory controls for agriculture. While many farmers have implemented practices to reduce pollution and soil erosion, we can't depend on voluntary actions, especially in areas like Missisquoi Bay where water quality is already compromised.

The petition revolves around a study released in 2011 by Stone Environmental to identify critical source areas of phosphorus pollution in the Missisquoi Bay watershed. More phosphorus flows into Missisquoi Bay annually than any other lake segment. The bay itself is very shallow (only 14 feet deep at its greatest depth) and unable to absorb the pollutant. The critical source area project attempted to identify the subset of lands in the watershed that contributed the most pollution.

Critical source areas combine a phosphorus source (from soil type or management) with a landscape position that allows the pollution to be delivered to waterways. The landscape position may include hilly terrain where water runs off quickly, proximity to the water, or some combination of factors. Read more on LCC's website.

Shumlin Offers Revised Clean-up Plan

Governor Peter Shumlin sent a revised Phase I plan for the clean-up of Lake Champlain to EPA the end of May. The plan is an effort to meet requirements anticipated from a revised lake pollution budget required by EPA.

The draft plan calls for additional permitting and inspections across a variety of sectors. The state would increase farm inspections and revise accepted agricultural practices to be more protective of water quality; increase investment in floodplain restoration and land conservation along streams; require new permits for municipal and state roads; and develop a new permit for areas with a high density of existing impervious cover (eg. roads, parking lots, rooftops).

The May 29 document is the third draft of the Phase I plan. With each subsequent draft EPA has requested more detail and a greater commitment to funding the plan. Vermont has consistently responded with more detail on the steps to be taken, but limited additional information on funding. The latest version promise funding details by November 15, after the next election. Read more on LCC's website.

Bass Tournaments

Bass are now the most popular recreational sport fish in America, and Lake Champlain has become a destination for bass fishing. In 2012, BassMaster Magazine listed Lake Champlain as the fifth best bass lake in the United States. The lake has an abundance of habitat for both largemouth and smallmouth bass. As a result, each year there are numerous fishing tournaments on the lake. These range in scale from tiny locally organized affairs to huge tournaments with sponsors, flashy boats, and tens of thousands of dollars in prize packages.

What is the impact of all this fishing pressure on the bass in the lake? That was the question posed by researchers from SUNY-Plattsburgh. To answer the question they analyzed stress levels in fish caught in nine fishing tournaments during the summers of 2011 and 2012. Indicators of stress included bloody or damaged fins, failure to raise the dorsal fins, visible hook wounds. They also tagged and tracked the dispersal of a number of fish from weighing stations in Plattsburgh.

The fish that travelled the furthest showed the greatest evidence of stress. Many tournaments have a single central weighing station. However, the best places to catch big fish may be as much as 60 miles away. For the tournaments the Plattsburgh researchers studied, over 40% of the largemouth bass were caught in the South Lake before being taken to Plattsburgh. Most smallmouth were caught within 25 miles of the weigh station. Read more on LCC's website.

Lampreys Be Damned!

Earlier this year, an innovative sea lamprey barrier was put in place on Morpion Stream, a tributary of the Pike River in Notre-Dame-de-Stanbidge. The barrier addresses one of the largest uncontrolled populations of sea lamprey on Lake Champlain by preventing adult lamprey from migrating to spawning habitat. Morpion Stream provides 17 miles of potential spawning habitat upstream of the dam. An estimated 150,000 larvae reside in the sediments.

While barrier dams have been used to block lamprey spawning in other areas the design of the Morpion barrier is unique. A sorting trap collects most fish species in the first chamber, but allows lamprey to pass into a second chamber from which they can be removed and killed while non-target species are passed upstream. A series of floats atop the dam pivot during high water to prevent debris blockage and upstream flooding. The barrier will only be in place during the spring when lamprey spawn. Modular construction allows the entire structure to be removed once spawning ends.

Throughout most of Lake Champlain sea lamprey are controlled with chemical pesticides. However, application of any pesticides to flowing waters is prohibited in Quebec by provincial statute. Read more on LCC's website.

Power Lines Under Lake Champlain

The United States Department of Energy has released a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for a electric transmission line that would run down the bottom of Lake Champlain and the Hudson River to deliver Canadian hydro-electricity to the New York City area. The release of the FEIS clears the way for a Presidential Permit that would allow the project to move forward. It had previously received approval from the New York Department of Public Service.

Overall the project is expected to cost $2.2 billion to construct while leading to savings of $650 million per year for consumers in the New York City area according to proponents. Project costs include a $117 million habitat restoration fund to support conservation work over the life of the project. LCC was an early advocate for the fund. The money will not be available until after construction has begun.

Initially proposed six years ago the project still needs permits from the Army Corps of Engineers and various construction activities will require approval from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation. Read more on LCC's website.

Water Conservation Matters

There are still more warm, drying days ahead before cold fall breezes blow in. Below are a few lawn and garden tips before you put tools away for the season. For additional suggestions and more information about the connection between water conservation and lake health, download LCC's water conservation flier.

Leave it natural
Landscape with hardy native plants that are acclimated to the local climate and rainfall. 

Let it grow
Raise your lawnmower blade to at least three inches; taller grass has healthier roots that hold soil moisture better.

Time it right
Water in the early morning to avoid losing water to evaporation during mid-day. Water slowly and deeply to avoid surface runoff, inspect hoses for leaks and direct overhead sprinklers toward vegetation and away from the street or driveway.

Reuse water
Use non-contaminated excess water from cooking or dehumidifiers to water plants and gardens. Install rain barrels to collect water from rooftops to water your lawn and garden. An inch of rain falling on a 1,000 square foot roof will contribute about 600 gallons of water. Read more on LCC's website.

Nature Note – Bonaparte's gull

While most people are savoring the last few days of summer, many birds have gotten beyond that and are beginning their travels to warmer winter climes. One of the first migrating birds you might encounter on Lake Champlain is the Bonaparte's gull. These tiny gulls with gray backs and white underparts are about two-thirds the size of the typical ring-billed gull. They have black eyes and a thin black beak. In breeding plumage the males have a black head, but the winter molt often reduces that to just a black spot behind the ear.

Bonaparte's gulls breed near bogs or lakes in coniferous forests across western Canada and Alaska. They are the only gull species to sometimes nest in trees. They spend only about a month on their breeding grounds, before heading as far south as northern Mexico.

You can observe the birds in fall migration on the lake as early as July, but the peak of their migration is in late fall. The highest number ever recorded at one time on Lake Champlain was 3,500 from South Hero in September 1997, but they can be found anywhere along the lake.

Their common name honors Prince Charles Lucien Bonaparte (1803-1857), a zoologist and nephew of the French Emperor. Bonaparte published a four- volume natural history of birds of the United States between 1825 and 1833. 

Moving? Changing Email Addresses?

If you’ve changed your address recently, please send us an email so we can update your files and ensure you receive news on lake issues and LCC’s work. Email is our primary form of communication with members. Mailing electronically saves time and resources and reinforces the stewardship ethic of our mission. We don’t give away or sell email addresses.

To ensure you receive email from LCC, please add lcc@lakechamplaincommittee.org and the domain enews.lakechamplaincommittee.org to your safe/allowed list and address book. Thanks!

Lake Champlain Committee Board of Directors

Gary Kjelleren - Chair (South Hero, VT), Sharon Murray - Treasurer (Bolton, VT), Alan Booth (Plattsburgh, NY), Sandy Montgomery (Montreal, QC), Ann Ruzow Holland (Willsboro, NY), Hank Slauson (Shelburne, VT), Mary Van Vleck (Charlotte, VT), Chuck Woessner (Grand Isle, VT).

Lake Champlain Committee Advisory Council

Megan Epler Wood (Burlington, VT), Steven Kellogg (Essex, NY), Peter S. Paine, Jr. (Willsboro, NY), Mary Watzin (NC).

Lake Champlain Committee Staff

Lori Fisher, Executive Director
Jessica Rossi, Office Manager
Mike Winslow, Staff Scientist