Air Your Views on Pollution Control in Missisquoi Bay

The International Joint Commission (IJC) will hold public hearings about a recently completed report identifying critical source areas of phosphorus loading to Missisquoi Bay. The hearings will be held at 7 PM on Tuesday May 1 at the St. Armand Quebec Community Center and Wednesday May 2 at the Swanton Vermont Village Municipal Complex.

In August 2008, the Governments of Canada and the United States asked the IJC to help implement a transboundary initiative to reduce phosphorus loading in Lake Champlain’s Missisquoi Bay. The bay straddles the U.S.-Canada border and has higher phosphorus concentrations than other lake segments. As part of the work, a research effort identified places in the landscape, known as critical source areas, that contribute disproportionately to the problem. The report which will be discussed at the meetings describes the tasks that should be undertaken to reduce phosphorus loading.

“By identifying critical source areas this project provides an important tool for tailoring our pollution prevention efforts to achieve a better bang for our buck,” noted LCC Staff Scientist Mike Winslow.

The IJC is an independent bi-national organization established by the United States and Canada under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 to prevent and resolve disputes about the use and quality of waters shared by the two countries.