LCC News

Generally safe conditions prevailed at most locations again this week but cyanobacteria was reported at Lake Champlain’s Main Lake Central, Main Lake South, Missisquoi Bay, St. Albans Bay, and South Lake and at Lake Carmi and Lake Memphremagog.

Windy, cooler weather helped improve water quality conditions during this eleventh week of monitoring. While generally safe conditions prevailed at most locations, cyanobacteria was reported at Lake Champlain’s Inland Sea, Missisquoi Bay, and St.…

Cyanobacteria Monitors filed over 240 reports this past week as blooms popped up or persisted in numerous locations on Lake Champlain and several inland waterbodies. Lake Champlain’s Inland Sea, Main Lake Central, Main Lake South, Missisquoi Bay,…

Happy Friday! Lots of green dots populated the cyanobacteria tracker this week and reports of clear water, non-filamentous green algae, and iron bacteria dominated over cyanobacteria in most areas. However, we did have cyanobacteria bloom reports…

Cyanobacteria monitors kept us busy again this week with 136 Lake Champlain reports and 43 from inland waterways. Blooms occurred in the Lake Champlain’s Inland Sea, Main Lake North, Malletts Bay, and St. Albans Bay as well as Indian Brook Reservoir…

We had many clear water reports early in the week but conditions changed in some areas as the temperatures rose and the air stilled later in the week. A bloom took off in St. Albans Bay, and alert conditions were witnessed elsewhere on Lake…

Happily water conditions improved significantly this week! Roughly 85% of the Lake Champlain reports and 94% of inland waterway reports showed generally safe conditions.

Another busy week of monitoring with variable conditions up and down Lake Champlain. While most monitors reported generally safe conditions at Lake Champlain and inland waterway monitoring sites, low and high alert blooms were in evidence too. Lake…

Lake Champlain Committee (LCC) and community monitors filed a total of 246 reports this week as blooms showed up in a host of Lake Champlain shoreline and inland lake locations. Escalating temperatures spurred cyanobacteria growth that closed beaches…

Although generally safe conditions still dominate on the cyanobacteria datatracker, blooms showed up in several sections of Lake Champlain and Lake Memphremagog this week.

While we received some reports of low alert cyanobacteria conditions on Lake Champlain and Lake Carmi, the majority of monitors observed generally safe conditions during this second week of the 2021 monitoring season. The cyanobacteria datatracker is…

Monitoring began this week and will run through early fall. This week’s report covers conditions from Sunday, June 20 through early-afternoon on Friday June 25. The vast majority of reports we’ve received to date indicate generally safe conditions.…

Cyanobacteria blooms: Why do they happen, what are the risks, and what can we do?

Cyanobacteria blooms have received increasing attention in recent years, as a result of

particularly strong blooms in some areas. As research into blooms continues,…

They touch the tips of swimmers’ toes, wrap around fish hooks, anchors, and paddles, and form underwater meadows near shorelines—native aquatic plants are ubiquitous in Lake Champlain Basin waterbodies. The roles these aquatic superstars play in lake…

We have good news to share! Earlier this week--in response to opposition from the Lake Champlain Committee (LCC), the Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC), and the public--the Lake Champlain Transportation Company and Vermont Division for…

Burlington, VT -- Citing opposition from environmental groups and the public, Lake Champlain Transportation Company and Vermont Division for Historic Preservation announced today the withdrawal of its application for a permit to sink the Adirondack,…

A virtual public meeting will be help on Tuesday, May 4th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to discuss the Lake Champlain Transportation Company's proposal to sink the Ferry Adirondack in Burlington Bay. Please attend the meeting and speak out about why…

Out of concern for Lake Champlain’s underwater ecosystems, the Lake Champlain Committee (LCC) and the Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) have appealed a permit issued by the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) to allow the sinking of a…

Happy Earth Day! Click here to read a few ideas for how to celebrate and protect our planet and the special corner we call home from your friends at the Lake Champlain Committee.

Come work for clean water! The Lake Champlain Committee (LCC) seeks a highly-organized, detail-oriented, energetic, enthusiastic, multi-tasking Office Manager to work in a fast-paced team environment with humor, computer and web savvy, and a…

If you’ve paddled, taken a swim, or cast a fishing line in the waterbodies of the Lake Champlain Basin, you’ve likely spent time among one of the most enigmatic and imperiled groups of aquatic animals in our region: native freshwater mussels. They’re…

The Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) turned Vermont's climate emissions reductions goals into binding requirements and led to the creation of the Vermont Climate Council. The Council is in the early stages of developing a climate action plan to…

Environmental leaders applaud Governor Scott’s commitment to funding increases for Vermont’s people, environment, and

economy. The proposed 2021 budget includes a boost to weatherization funding for low- and moderate-income households;

support for…

Each year, the Vermont Clean Water Network hosts a Clean Water Policy Forum focusing on legislative and regulatory issues.

Register to hear Jared Carpenter, LCC's Water Protection Advocate, talk about the latest clean water issues under…

We share this message in response to recent violence and disruption to our democracy, both in our nation’s Capitol and across our country: Common Good Vermont unites nonprofits across Vermont to condemn actions of hate, violence, inciting of such…

The Lake Champlain Committee (LCC) strongly condemns the 1/6/21 attack on the United States Capitol. This assault on our democracy was an act of domestic terrorism. The actions were unpatriotic and unlawful. The stark contrast between how the mob of…

The Lake Champlain Committee (LCC) has been named a “2020 Top-Rated Nonprofit” by GreatNonprofits, the leading provider of user reviews and ratings of charities and nonprofits. The Top-Rated Nonprofit Award is based on the five-star ratings and…

In January of 2020, a coalition of 30 business, environmental, low-income, youth, public health, faith, and climate justice organizations including LCC identified the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) as an essential priority for the 2020 Vermont…

The Randy Preston Road Salt Reduction Act, a bipartisan bill that will help to reduce road salt pollution in the Adirondack Park, was signed into law by Governor Cuomo on December 2, 2020. The bill passed both houses of the New York Legislature in…

Lake Champlain is home to 51 known non-native and aquatic invasive species (AIS), from zebra mussels and alewife to water chestnut and Eurasian watermilfoil, but not yet Asian clam. Invasive species are not native to the Lake Champlain Basin and can…

“The importance of water is often overlooked today. To the Abenaki people, water is the web of life that connects all living things together in both past, present and future generations,” states Chief Don Stevens of the Nulhegan Abenaki Tribe in the…

The single entity of Lake Champlain contains five distinct segments, each with its own character: the South Lake, the Main Lake, and, east of the islands, Malletts Bay, the Inland Sea, and Missisquoi Bay.

Salt flavors our food and keeps our winter travels safe, but it can have a negative impact on waterways. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), 20 million metric tons of road salt are spread annually in the U.S.—equivalent to…

Atlantic salmon spawning recently came to a close in Lake Champlain. Unlike their cousins in the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic salmon don’t typically die after spawning, but instead migrate back to the lake (or ocean) to feed.

Iridescent, delicious, and…

Start the new year on the right foot with a hike in a state park! Both New York and Vermont State Parks are inviting everyone to celebrate the start of 2021 by heading out on the trails.

Winter is a great time to get outdoors and it is especially helpful and healthful during the pandemic. The cold, crisp air is exhilarating and there are no biting insects! Some of the mantras for recreating safely in winter during Covid-19 are:…

We weren’t sure how many people would turn out to monitor during a pandemic that required wearing a mask at public sites and quarantining for two weeks if traveling across state lines. But turn out they did! More than 160 community members signed up…

We send heartfelt thanks to Angela Shambaugh, our longstanding cyanobacteria monitoring program colleague who retired in October from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VT DEC). Angela has been a key partner in the monitoring…

The University of Vermont (UVM) plans to replace its aging research boat with a hybrid electric “model of seaworthy sustainability”. The quiet, low-emission vessel will be able to run on electric power for two hours and be used as a floating…

First discovered in the southern part of Lake Champlain in 1993, zebra mussels are now found throughout the lake in shallow water areas. Juvenile and adult zebra mussels attach to any hard surface—including native freshwater mussels, the lake’s most…