UVM Study – Vermonters Willing to Pay $40 Per Year to Clean Lake Champlain

Legislators in Vermont pondering how to fund Lake Champlain clean-up efforts might be encouraged by a new study coming out of the University of Vermont suggesting Vermonters are willing to put up some money. The average survey respondent was willing to pay $40 according to the study. While 35% of respondents did not want to pay any additional fees for water quality, 65% showed a strong willingness to pay. People who moved to Vermont more recently were more likely to be willing to pay, as were older and more educated respondents. The distance respondents lived from Lake Champlain did not seem to factor into their response.  

Researchers used multiple questions and question types gathered through two broad-based surveys to arrive at the $40 figure. One survey was a public opinion poll performed during the summer of 2013, specifically for this study. The second source was an annual Vermonter Poll conducted by Vermont’s Center for Rural Studies. MORE 

The Safe Drinking Water Act Turns 40

If you have traveled outside the developed world you are probably aware that safe drinking water is not to be taken for granted. Tourists are routinely told to only drink bottled water or risk dysentery. Not so in the United States where all tap water in the country must meet rigid standards for contaminants. For that we can thank the Safe Drinking Water Act, first passed in December forty years ago.

The Safe Drinking Water Act achieves three things. First, it sets standards for pathogens and other contaminants. Those standards are universal through the country so that water in Arkansas is just as safe as water in Washington or Maine. Second, the legislation provides funding for development and upgrades to drinking water facilities. Third, the law requires that drinking water suppliers report back to their customers on the quality of the water they are receiving. This provides public accountability. MORE

Lake Champlain Wins In Federal Budget Bill

Key funding for Lake Champlain has been included in the comprehensive budget package passed by Congress last week. At the urging of Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, the final budget includes a $3 million increase over last year for Lake Champlain through the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Geographic Program. The total allocation under the program for Lake Champlain is $4.399 million. The Geographic Program, and Lake Champlain in particular, have seen gradual funding reductions in recent years, and the President’s budget request for federal Fiscal Year 2015 included just $1.399 million. The new bill reverses that trend for this federal fiscal year.

“We have invested far too much and for far too long in the restoration and preservation of Lake Champlain to walk back on that commitment,” Leahy said. MORE

Another Underwater Electric Cable Proposed for Lake Champlain

In early December TDI New England filed a state permit application seeking approval for construction of a 154-mile underwater and underground transmission line that would deliver 1,000 MW of hydroelectricity to the Vermont and New England grid. The transmission line would originate at the U.S.-Canadian border and travel underwater down Lake Champlain to Benson, Vermont, and then be buried along existing rights of way or on land owned by TDI for the route to Ludlow, Vermont. TDI hopes the project can be completed by 2019 and estimates the cost to be approximately $1.2 billion. LCC will be closely tracking the progress of the permit application as it moves forward.

The application (referred to as a “Section 248” application) was filed with the State of Vermont Public Service Board. The Public Service Board will now review the project, and if approved, issue a Certificate of Public Good, which will detail the terms and conditions under which the project may be constructed and operated. The project will also require permits from the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. MORE

New York Bans Fracking

On Wednesday December 17th New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that he would ban fracking, the controversial fossil fuel extraction method. LCC strongly supports this move. Fracking involves injecting large amounts of water, sand and chemicals deep underground at high pressures to release oil and natural gas from rock formations. New York has had a moratorium on fracking for the last six years.

Cuomo cited concerns about health risks in announcing his decision. Acting New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker presented the result of a five-year study on the health impacts of fracking to the Governor. Zucker identified worries about water contamination and air pollution. He stated that he would not want to live in a community that allowed fracking.

Vermont banned fracking in 2012, a move for which the Lake Champlain Committee actively lobbied. New York has substantially more potential natural gas reserves that could be tapped through fracking than does Vermont.

Missisquoi & Trout Rivers Recognized as ‘Wild and Scenic’

Legislation passed in early December will add portions of the Upper Missisquoi and Trout Rivers to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Forty-one states and territories now have rivers listed in the system which was established in 1968 to recognize and preserve rivers with exceptional scenic and recreational value. The Missisquoi and Trout Rivers are Vermont’s first rivers to be added to the prestigious national river network. The path to enacting this legislation took over ten years and involved numerous community members and interested organizations. Support came from local towns, businesses, and state and federal agencies.

“There are several concrete benefits that will come out of this process,” noted LCC member and Missisquoi River Basin Association President John Little. He cited the availability of additional funding for river restoration and increased tourist attention in the region as examples. “All in all, it has been a long process, but it has been rewarding to meet so many of our local folks who do care about our rivers." MORE

Boost LCC Programs with a Year-end Donation

A year-end donation will strengthen LCC's advocacy, education and outreach to protect water quality and access. You can make a gift online at our secure websiteor mail a check to LCC at 208 Flynn Avenue, Building 3, Studio 3F, Burlington, VT 05401. Whatever you are able to donate will be appreciated and make a difference. Thanks for making clean water part of your philanthropy! 

Lessons from the Floods - Floodplain Access

As climate change continues to bring increasingly intense storms to our region, communities will have to adapt to avoid flood damage. One way to do so is by restoring and protecting wetlands. In part two of LCC’s publication Lessons From the Floods we demonstrate the importance of allowing rivers to have access to their floodplains so that excess water could be stored and slowly released.

In places where rivers had floodplain access, damage was minimized. The Otter Creek Wetlands between Rutland and Middlebury provided the most dramatic example of floodplain storage. These wetlands were the difference between devastation and destruction in Rutland upstream and relative calm in Middlebury downstream. There are numerous examples of more small scale projects where improved floodplain access helped avoid downstream damage. Learn more about how floodplains store water and minimize flood damage.

Learn More About the Lake

Why is ice so hard and slippery? Does Lake Champlain produce lake-effect snow? Why does fog form over the lake on cold days? What is the probability that Lake Champlain will freeze over in any year? Find the answers to these and many more questions in Lake Champlain: A Natural History. LCC’s award-winning book is an accessible, easy-to-read introduction to the life of the lake. Short essays in six intriguing chapters cover the lake’s origins and present day setting, the forces that define the region, the phenomena that add to its mystery, the living lake of plants and animals, and the future. Get a copy today for yourself or a fellow lake lover.

Nature Note – Steam Devils

Early winter is the best time to look for steam devils on Lake Champlain. These weak whirlwinds over water develop when cold air moves in over the still relatively warm waters of the lake. First fog develops over the water, then wisps begin to spiral and become taller and tighter. They can reach up to hundreds of feet into the air, like small tornadoes.

Steam devils form when wind creates a pressure differential between the water and the air above. Pockets of low-pressure air sometimes develop in the upper layer. Steam flows into these pockets as the wind rotates it and the column becomes stretched. More warm air flows in at the base of the spiral continuing to fuel the steam devil. As the air rises, it cools and displaces other cool air which streams down the outside of the funnel stabilizing it and squeezing the column of rising air. The fog begins to rotate faster and faster, like an ice skater pulling her arms in during a tight spin. Warm air at the base is eventually displaced by cool air flowing downward, and the system loses stability and collapses. Thus steam devils are short-lived, lasting only minutes at best. MORE

Take a Look at the Lake

Lake Champlain is breathtakingly beautiful. Spread that beauty around with the purchase of LCC's stunning photo cards. An eight-card set includes two cards each of four different arresting scenes and costs $10 for members, $14 if you haven't joined yet. (Shipping and handling is extra.) The cards are printed on high quality, 100% recycled card stock and come with matching envelopes. View all four scenes on our website and purchase them online, download our mail-in-order form, or call us at 802 658-1414 and we'll process your order. Proceeds from any note card purchase supports LCC's work for a healthy, accessible lake. Many thanks to photographers Carolyn Bates, Trip Kinney, Lisa Liotta, and Philip Mongeau for generously sharing their lake pictures with LCC!

Other Lake News from Near and Far


Colchester Calls for Better Water Protection from Farms

Kudos to the Colchester Select Board and town officers for taking local action to protect water quality! Concerned about increased nutrient loading to Malletts Bay, they recently passed a resolution calling for greater agricultural controls in the Lamoille and Winooski River watersheds. The resolution specifically asks Vermont's agricultural agency to require farms to fence livestock out of streams and comply with 20 foot buffer strips along perennial waterways.

Next Step in Farm Runoff Battles

In our last Enews we reported that disappointingly the Vermont Agency of Agriculture opted not to require mandatory best management practices for farms with identified critical source areas of phosphorus loading. The Conservation Law Foundation will take the state to court to try and force them to implement these practices.

Changing Times for Lake Trout

A new report from the Nature Conservancy assesses the impacts of climate change on lake trout in the Adirondacks. Lake trout are present in an estimated 102 cold, deep, rocky Adirondack Lakes. Native populations are self-sustaining in half of those and supported or maintained by stocking in another three dozen. Climate change is expected to eliminate a significant amount of the region's coldwater fish habitat over the next century. This is especially true for smaller lakes and those with impaired water quality. However, lake trout appear likely to persist in certain deep lakes if action is taken to minimize stormwater inputs, introduced species and other stresses. Lake trout require a demanding combination of very cold (<55°F) and highly oxygenated water.

The Adirondacks' high elevation, remote waters and land use protections may present one of the best chances in the lower 48 states to retain viable inland refuge for lake trout in a warmer, stormier climate.

First Day Hikes

Start the New Year off right with some fresh air and exercise. Vermont Forests, Parks and Recreation is offering New Year's Day hikes at some of popular state parks including Grand Isle and Niquette Bay on Lake Champlain. Check out the options to go take a hike!

Belching Cows Win Out in Spending Bill

While the spending bill that passed Congress contained good news for Lake Champlain funding (see "Lake Champlain Wins In Federal Budget Bill" article above), there were a number of anti-environmental riders snuck in. EPA will now have a hard time implementing proposed rules LCC strongly supported to define 'waters of the United States'. They are also now prohibited from even collecting data about methane generated by manure lagoons and its impact on global warming. Learn more here.

Source of Great Lakes Pollution Shifts from Air to Land

Research from the University of Rhode Island suggests that the major sources of pollution loading to the Great Lakes has shifted from airborne deposition to landside runoff. The trend has been helped by stopping production of some persistent pollutants like PCBs, concentrations of which have dropped in the atmosphere. On the other hand, emerging contaminants from personal care products and industrial flame retardants have become more common.

Farmers Told to Use Less Fertilizer & More Microscopes

Farmers need to break out the microscopes to get a better sense of their soils. That’s the message a renowned soil scientist delivered to farmers in the Chesapeake Bay area. It’s about much more than just phosphorus and nitrogen, healthy soils also need the right microbes and mix of air and water to release those nutrients for plants.

Take a Lake Quiz

How much do you know about lakes? Test your knowledge with this fun short quiz. Questions range from informative to amusing to just plain weird. Don’t expect to get them all right, but you will learn something.


Did You See the Owl Swim?

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If you’ve changed your address recently, please email us 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), 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
Mike Winslow, Staff Scientist