LCC’s Cyanobacteria Monitor Landing Page

Welcome, and thank you for being part of the LCC's Lake Champlain and Vermont inland lake cyanobacteria monitoring program!

Below you will find resources you need to confidently assess conditions and submit reports, frequently asked questions, and how to spread the word. 

• LCC Recognize | Avoid | Report Flyer NY PDF
• LCC Recognize | Avoid | Report Flyer VT PDF
• LCC Flyer on How to Distinguish Cyanobacteria from other Phenomena 

Use the VDH forms as your primary reporting tools, as they directly link to the tracker.

Only use the LCC form if you have problems reporting through the VDH form, if the tracker is down, or if you don’t have a site number and site name assigned yet. When you use the LCC form, LCC staff must re-enter all the data onto the VDH tracker. 

The day you designated as the day you usually make and file your weekly reports is your “Weekly” reporting day. If you have to switch your routine reporting day due to a schedule change in any given week, still choose “Weekly” as your report type and note that you had to change your usual day of the week in the section of the form where it asks “Are there additional relevant details”. 

Supplemental reports are those reports that fall on a different day than your “routine” day (unless you must switch your routine day as noted above). When you file additional reports for your established site(s), such as daily reports during a bloom period, select “Supplemental” instead of “Weekly.” 

Please use the link “Submit a report at an Existing Site” when filing report(s) for your routine site(s), regardless of whether you are making a “Routine – Weekly” report or a “Supplemental” report. Always use the “Existing Site” form for any site with a number and a site name (please check the list of sites in the “Select Site” section at the beginning of the VDH Routine Location Report form). 

Only use the link to “Submit a Report at a Non-Routine location” for filing a report from a site that hasn’t been established; non-routine sites don’t have site numbers.  

If you experience issues uploading photos for Category 2 or Category 3 reports, please email your pictures to BloomAlert@vermont.gov, copy cyano@lakechamplaincommittee.org, and reference your site number and the date/time of your report in the email. Do not send photos for category 1d to the Bloom Alert. 

Your username, password, and site information will be included each week in your cyanobacteria monitor report. If you have any questions or encounter any difficulties, please email cyano@lakechamplaincommittee.org. 

As monitors and partners in this program, please help spread awareness about the risks of cyanobacteria and actions to take, particularly if you see people or pets recreating in bloom conditions. Your outreach builds a more informed and engaged community. No one should be drinking untreated lake water, regardless of whether or not there is a bloom. If you draw water from the lake and suspect a bloom near your intake, don't drink, cook, wash dishes, brush your teeth or shower with the water. Boiling water doesn't destroy cyanotoxins and can release them into the air. 

Blooms are caused by a combination of warm water temperatures and high concentrations of nutrients in the water, particularly phosphorus. Reducing the supply of nutrients is key to reducing blooms. Please continue to take actions around your home and workplace and advocate for stringent controls to protect water quality. You can learn more about lake issues in the 2024 State of the Lake Report. 

LCC also provides a weekly email to interested community members that includes information about the monitor reporting results, links to informational resources and educational information to help people recognize, avoid and report cyanobacteria. Please share this link with others: 

Subscription for Weekly Cyanobacteria Email for Interested Community Members