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Sewage, manure, urban stormwater, inorganic fertilizer, and sediment-bound phosphorus from eroded fields, rural roads, and streambanks.

Harmful algae blooms have been appearing with increased frequency and duration.

https://www.lcbp.org/our-goals/clean-water/fishable-swimmable-drinkable/drinking-water/

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Roughly 20 million gallons of water are pumped from the Lake each day to supply drinking water to about 145,000 people (or about 20% of the Basin's population). Almost all of these people obtain their water from the 100 public water supplies that are monitored and regulated by the states and Province of Québec. About thirty-five of these are community water systems; the rest include motels, trailer parks, restaurants, and other businesses. The Federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requires public water systems to monitor 84 potential contaminants in drinking water.

Vermont has 73 water supply systems, New York 26, and Quebec has one. The City of Burlington, VT and the Champlain Water District, which serve many cities and towns within Chittenden County, VT, are among the largest water suppliers in the Basin. Most of the Plattsburgh area uses ground water and a reservoir outside the City for drinking water (the Clinton County database of Public Water Supply Contacts includes information about Plattsburgh). The US EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System contains information about public water systems around the country and their violations of EPA's drinking water regulations

Public water suppliers in areas affected by cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) have become increasingly effective in treating water. As cyanobacteria blooms increase in frequency and intensity around the Lake, municipal water suppliers have begun testing for cyanotoxins in raw and finished water when blooms are present. Cyanobacteria cells are typically removed during routine treatment by water suppliers, although the water treatment plant in Philipsburgh, Québec has found cyanotoxins present in their finished water during substantial blooms occurring over extended periods in Missisquoi Bay.

Little is known about the quality of water withdrawn from the Lake by individual homeowners. These unregulated water supplies likely have minimal or no treatment. Because they draw from the same sources as the public water systems that periodically experience water quality issues, they likely have similar levels of contamination. Untreated surface waters, including those of Lake Champlain, should never be consumed without treatment. Residents who do draw their water from the lake are advised to contact their local health department to be sure they are sufficiently treating their drinking water.

The boiling and filtering methods used by many private cottages and camps do not remove cyanobacteria toxins. Homeowners are advised to contact the state Health Department to determine how to identify cyanobacteria, how to test their drinking water for cyanobacteria toxins and if present, steps to take to prevent toxin exposure.

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Drinking Water - Lake Champlain Basin Program

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Roughly 20 million gallons of water are pumped from the Lake each day to supply drinking water to about 145,000 people (or about 20% of the Basin's population). Almost all of these people obtain their water from the 100 public water supplies that are monitored and regulated by the states and Province of Québec.

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Transmission Line Project Delivering Canadian Hydropower To NYC

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Transmission Line Project Delivering Canadian Hydropower To NYC

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In an effort to decrease the use of fossil fuels, a $4 billion project has been approved to install a transmission line at the bottom of Lake Champlain and the Hudson River. The line would span nearly 100 miles to a new converter station in Queens. There is a 2025 target to get the line up and running.
The project does include a $117 million environmental trust fund for the support of restoration projects along the rout. The installation will displace bottom-dwellers and stir up sediments, potentially harming the local food chains.
Opponents to the transmission line claim that it is, "an environmental risk built on a legacy of mistreatment of Indigenous peoples in Canada." It would also kick up a significant amount of sediment from the bottom of the lake, causing phosphorus to recirculate and potentially worsen the eutrophic conditions already experienced.
The line should deliver about 20% of NYC's energy needs (10,000 gigawatt-hours per year).
https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/stories/lake-champlain-transmission-line

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Around 250,000 people use this water
Major Cities including New York, Vermont, Burlington, and Plattsburgh.
Roughly 20 million gallons of water are pumped from the lake each day through the 100 public water supplies monitored and regulated by the states and Quebec. About 35 are for the community at large, the others are for motels, restaurants, trailer parks, and other businesses. The Federal Safe Drinking Water Act requires public water be monitored for the levels of 84 contaminants.
The Quebec portion of the Lake Champlain (where the Richelieu River is) is only about 16% of the watershed.

https://observatoirenature.org/en/richelieu-river/
https://www.lcbp.org/our-goals/clean-water/fishable-swimmable-drinkable/drinking-water/

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Lake Champlain Spans 120 miles and reaches a depth of 400'. At its widest point, the lake is 12 miles across.
The watershed spans 3,050 square miles

https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/48369.html
https://www.uvm.edu/seagrant/about/lake-champlain-watershed

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Published Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Reports

Biological Assessment Report

Links leave DEC website:

Great Chazy River, 2008

Halfway Creek, 2001

Halfway Creek, 1999

West Brook, 1999

Groundwater Study Reports and Data

The links below go to United States Geological Survey (USGS) web pages. The DEC partners with the USGS to conduct research and publish the following reports and data for groundwater resources of the state. An overview of the monitoring project for the entire state, including links to methods, maps, and publications, can be found on USGS's 305(b) Ambient Groundwater Quality Monitoring webpage.

Published Reports:

Ground-Water Quality in the Lake Champlain Basin, New York, 2004 - Summary and link to full report.

Groundwater Quality in the Lake Champlain Basin, New York, 2009 - Summary and link to full report.

Data for the Lake Champlain Basin can be accessed by:

Using an interactive map of sample sites listed by sample site number

Seaching a table of sample sites, or

Downloading the entire groundwater dataset (Note: you will need to save the web page as a text file (.txt) to import into a spreadsheet)

Other Reports

Lake Champlain Long-term Water Quality and Biological Monitoring Project (leaves DEC website) - A joint NYS, Vermont and Lake Champlain Basin Program project to monitor the biology and water quality of Lake Champlain. Monitoring has been conducted since 1991.

Watershed Management Plans

Halfway Brook Watershed Management Plan (offsite link)

Lake George Watershed Management Plan (offsite link)

Facts about this Watershed

Click to view a detailed map of this watershed

The Lake Champlain Watershed (8,234 square miles) drains the area between the Adirondack Mountains in northeastern New York State and the Green Mountains in northwestern Vermont. The long, narrow and deep lake has its outlet at its northern end where it flows through the Richelieu River into Quebec and empties into the Saint Lawrence River.

Location: Northeastern New York State

Most of Clinton County,

Much of Essex County,

Southwest portion of Franklin County,

Eastern portion of Warren County, and

Northern portion of Washington County.

Size: 3,050 square miles of land area within New York State.

Rivers and Streams: 4,883 miles of freshwater rivers and streams. Major tributary watersheds to Lake Champlain in New York State:

Ausable River (767 river miles)

Saranac River (662 miles)

Great Chazy River (545 miles)

Boquet River (532 miles)

Mettawee River (390 miles)

Ticonderoga Creek/Lake George (380 miles)

Lakes, Ponds and Reservoirs: Excluding Lake Champlain (278,480 acres), 235 significant freshwater lakes, ponds, and reservoirs (159,302 acres):

Lake George (28,523 acres)

Upper Saranac Lake (4,844 acres)

Lower Saranac Lake (2,145 acres)

Lake Placid (1,954 acres)

What You Can Do

Each of us lives in a watershed. On our Watershed Stewardship page are some tips on actions that you and your friends can take to help your watershed.

More about Lake Champlain Watershed:

Lake Champlain Watershed Map - Detailed map of the Lake Champlain Watershed

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Lake Champlain Watershed - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation

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Published water quality monitoring and assessment information pertaining to the Lake Champlain Drainage Basin.

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High winter temperatures and increased precipitation mean more intense storms, leading to greater erosion and more nutrient pollution in the lake, providing a better habitat for algae to bloom. They bloom, die, and are decomposed by oxygen-using bacteria. Temperatures rising earlier in spring will also lead to fish spawning earlier in the season, and for there to be less available habitat for species that enjoy cold water like trout and salmon, while warm-water species like bass increase.

https://www.lakechamplaincommittee.org/lcc-at-work/global-warming-lake-champlain

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Since 1941, there has been an 45.8mm (1.8 inch) increase in rainfall per year on the Lake Champlain Basin. This coupled with warmer temperatures means stronger storms and floods, which increase erosion. The erosion releases sediments and nutrients into the water and threatens infrastructure.
https://www.lakechamplaincommittee.org/learn/lake-look/precipitation/

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Between the Green Mountains in Vermont and the Adriondack Mountains in northeastern New York State.
It flowes though the Richelieu River into Quebec and empties into the Saint Lawrence River.
https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/48369.html

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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency " Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have been of concern over the past few years due to increased frequency and duration in blooms that have resulted in frequent bathing beach closures near Port Henry and Isle LaMotte. NYSDEC, along with the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYSDAM), developed a Harmful Algal Bloom Action Plan for Lake Champlain in 2018 to identify conditions that contribute to the formation of HABs and determine immediate and long-term actions to reduce their frequency. "
https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/124146.html

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Mercury can enter the lake from rain that contains mercury or polluted runoff. It is toxic to humans, but can be exposed to us through eating contaminated fish, inhaling it from the atmosphere, or absorbing it through the skin. The U.S. and Canada have come together to make regulations on mercury emissions from factories and other sources, and reduce mercury pollution. One such program collects thermometers that contain mercury and replace them with alternatives like digital. Fish advisories have also been sent out to warn against eating fish like walleye that are often contaminated with mercury.
Mercury is known to biomagnify and bioaccumulate.

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In this graph we can see that since the 1930s-40s, the number of years per decade that Lake Champlain has been closed due to ice has been increasing. This aligns with King, et al., who found that humans were significantly influencing the global temperatures starting in the 1930s.

King, A., Black, M., Min, S., Fischer, E., Mitchell, D., Harrington, L., & Perkins‐Kirkpatrick, S. (2016). Emergence of heat extremes attributable to anthropogenic influences. Geophysical Research Letters, 43(7), 3438-3443. doi: 10.1002/2015gl067448

https://www.lakechamplaincommittee.org/lcc-at-work/global-warming-lake-champlain/

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A watershed is a place when rainfall and snowmelt collects and runs into a lake, river, or body of water. Any water that falls into watershed makes its way to Lake Champlain and eventually frows north to the Richelieu River, the St. Lawrence River, and the Atlantic Ocean. The Lake Champlain Basin has 11 major watersheds that are drained by tributaries.

Ausable Basin

Boquet Basin

Chazy Basin

Lamoille Basin

Otter-Lewis Basin

Poultney-Mettawee Basin

Saranac Basin

South Basin

Winooski Basin

Lake Direct Drainage

Missisquoi Basin

https://www.lakechamplainregion.com/story/2021/water-water-water
https://atlas.lcbp.org/nature-environment/watersheds-and-tributaries/

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With over three dozen ponds, three rivers and countless streams, brooks, and creeks, it's hard to ignore the water connection within the region. Water is a major element and attraction here. The big lake dominates the region. At 120 miles long and 12 miles across at the widest point, Lake Champlain is more than impressive. It's vast and alluring. You want to connect with this fascinating body of water; get ON, IN or even UNDER the water to explore its entire personality and hidden treasures.

Here are some ways to do just that.

Getting ON

If you happen to be towing or carting your own vessel you have no problem whatsoever. There are numerous boat launches throughout the region; most are New York State launch sites and free to use! Some private marinas have launches too, and there you could rent a slip to use during your visit, like Indian Bay Marina on beautiful Willsboro Bay. Don't hesitate to bring the boat.

Cartop vessels, such as canoes, kayaks, and paddle boards, have even greater access to getting out on the water. Many waterfront amenities permit easy access in shallower depths and some, like Bulwagga Bay Campground and Noblewood Park, even rent equipment if you didn't come prepared. Many marinas along the waterfront, like Westport Marina, will rent you a boat with, or without, the power of a motor as well.

If you prefer to sit back and relax while on the water and let someone else "do the driving" that's possible too. SAIL Adirondacks will provide you with a variety of experiences from 1-2 hours sailing excursions, to sunset cruises. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the breathtaking views of both the Adirondack Mountains to the west, and Vermont's Green Mountains to the east.

If you prefer to be a bit more hands-on, the Captain will be happy to provide you with a "learn to sail" educational opportunity!

At Fort Ticonderoga, you also can expand your knowledge of the lake and its history, as well as enjoy a cruise, by hopping aboard the . Onboard, a member of Fort Ticonderoga's professional staff will narrate and fill you in on the significant military history of the lake, particularly at this extraordinary location. Sonar readings will spot and show historic shipwrecks and key historic features. A selection of beverages and snacks are available for purchase on board.

A simple way to experience what it's like out on the water and go for a boat ride would be to hop aboard a ferry; walk on, drive on, or pedal on. Ferries have been providing an essential service to this region for centuries, helping people get across the lake. Covid did limit options during 2020, but generally three are available in this region. Check before making plans. Port Kent to Burlington, Vermont is about a one hour cruise that will take you across the widest part of the lake. Its operation is designed for the visitor experience. Unfortunately, it is not running in 2021. Essex to Charlotte, Vermont is about a 30 minute option and the Fort Ticonderoga Ferry, an historic cable ferry connecting Ticonderoga with Shoreham, Vermont gets you out briefly; the ride is under 10 minutes.

Getting IN

Hot summer days may have you longing for a swim, and several public beach options are available. You have numerous choices both on Lake Champlain, Lake George, or in one of the region's many ponds. Pack the cooler, grab the beach towels and sunscreen, and go.

Getting UNDER

A lake this vast with centuries of human interaction holds many stories, particularly at its bottom. Over 300 discovered shipwrecks lie in its depths. These are protected by both the states of New York and Vermont, but some are accessible to divers for public access. A detailed brochure is available from either the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation or the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, which manages the Vermont Division of Historic Preservation.

One discovered shipwreck, the Champlain II, lies close to the shore north of Westport. It ran aground in 1875. Remember these precious historic resources are strictly protected; view only and take nothing but pictures. This history is irreplaceable and future generations of divers want to be able to enjoy them too.

Getting a good view

Maybe you simply prefer to watch water in action. Spring is an ideal time to check out the region's many waterfalls, but they will be there to entertain you regardless of the season. Two great places to view the action are the LaChute River Walk Trail and Ausable Chasm. The LaChute River is a powerful one. In fact, it has been generating power for human use for centuries. It connects Lake George with Lake Champlain and has the same vertical drop as Niagara Falls, but spread out over 3+ miles. The trail, accessed easily from Ticonderoga's downtown area, offers benches along the way for you to sit, relax, and get hypnotized by the river's action. Waterfalls can be mesmerizing.

Ausable Chasm has been drawing visitors for over 100 years. They are open year round and each season is a new experience. This incredible river gorge, known as the Grand Canyon of the Adirondacks, offers miles of trails to view its phenomenal personality, but also a simple waterfall walk that will provide you with great views of the major falls.

Whatever reason you are drawn to water, you will find fulfillment here in the Lake Champlain Region!

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With over three dozen ponds, three rivers and countless streams, brooks, and creeks, it's hard to ignore the water connection within the region. Water is a major element and attraction here. The big lake dominates the region. At 120 miles long and 12 miles across at the widest point, Lake Champlain is more than impressive.

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2011 saw record breaking floods at Lake Champlain, at 100 feet above sea level. Three months later, Tropical Storm Irene brought more rain and destruction to the region. rain and water bashed against lakeshore houses and low-lying structure, eroding the shore and sending sediments into the water. Richelieu River particularly suffered during this 2 month period of flooding.  April 27th 2011, the Winooski River phosphorus load equaled nearly twice the total annual phosphorus discharge from all wastewater treatment facilities in the Vermont Basin the previous year. In 2013, the International Joint Commission submitted a Plan of Study to the United States and Canadian governments. Since 2017, a Board has been evaluating the impacts of floods, assessing management practices, and flood forecasting.

One of the contraptions implemented is a Flood Control Structure. Together they can store 19.5 billion gallons of water, significantly reducing the impact of future flooding.

https://www.lcbp.org/our-goals/thriving-communities/flooding/floods-of-2011/
https://www.watercanada.net/study-board-to-investigate-lake-champlain-flood-risks/

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High concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls and mercury found in the sediments of Lake Champlain, plants, and animal life have prompted Quebec, Vermont, and New York to issue consumption advisories. Fish including trout, walleye, and Atlantic salmon may be contaminated. The associated risks include cancer and birth defects. Bioaccumulation and biomagnification are major concerns here

https://www.lcbp.org/our-goals/clean-water/fishable-swimmable-drinkable/fish-advisories/

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1. Home

2. Our Goals

3. Clean Water

4. Fishable, Swimmable, Drinkable

5. Fish Advisories

Fish Consumption Advisories

Photo: OBVBM

As a result of high concentrations of mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) found in the Lake sediments and in plant and animal life, New York, Vermont, and Québec have issued fish consumption advisories for certain Lake Champlain fish, including lake trout, Atlantic salmon, and walleye. These contaminants, which can cause birth defects, cancer, or other illnesses in humans, are of concern because of their tendency to bioaccumulate in some fish species. Bioaccumulation is the retention and buildup of contaminants in an animal over time. The Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set “action levels” or tolerances for contaminants. If fish tissue analysis indicates that action levels are exceeded, an advisory for eating fish is established by state health departments.

New York, Québec, and Vermont each independently analyze available information for fish commonly caught and consumed from Lake Champlain and provide their own consumption recommendations. Generally, the three advisories recommend limits for a suite of species, and frequently the consumption limits are lower for women and children than for men. Fish consumption advisories for the three jurisdictions for Lake Champlain are listed in the table below.

Lake Champlain fish consumption advisories

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Fish Advisories - Lake Champlain Basin Program

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Fish Consumption Advisories As a result of high concentrations of mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) found in the Lake sediments…

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For generations, farmers have been making a living along the Champlain Valley. Many people still use the land to produce fruit, vegetables, meat, honey, cheese, and much else. From June to September, there are many farmers markets where many of the regions farms come together to celebrate, educate, and sell their stock.

https://www.lakechamplainregion.com/farms-flavors

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As far as I can tell, the power of Lake Champlain has not yet been harnessed for hydroelctricity, although there is record of this being discussed back in 2012. Where the La Chute River connects Lake George to Lake Champlain

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In 1993, Vermont, New York, and Quebec came together to define a phosphorus budget, determining a concentration target. According to a 2018 Lake and Ecosystems Indicators report, the annual phosphorus load is now 432 metric tons greater than the established budget.
The increasing eutrophic conditions from algae blooms in Lake Champlain have been a problem for years. As discussed previously, there are many point and non-point source pollutants contributing the the high levels of phosphorus run-off. Trying to stop all of it is a monumental challenge. One thing that we can do in the meantime is set the lake up for success. Planting lots of deep-rooted native plants can absorb and filter runoff while providing habitats.
Another solution to keep the phosphorus levels from rising would be to not lay the electrical cord that transports green energy from Canada to New York. 250,000 people use the water for drinking, there has to be other ways to get green energy to New York.

https://www.lcbp.org/our-goals/clean-water/nutrients-and-cyanobacteria/phosphorus-reduction-strategy/

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The average annual water level is 96.5ft, with a high of 103.57ft recorded in 2011 near Whitehall, NY.

https://www.lcbp.org/about-the-basin/facts/

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Lake Length: 120 miles (193 kilometers). Lake Champlain flows from Whitehall, New York north almost across the U.S./Canadian border to its outlet at the Richelieu River in Quebec. From there, the water joins the St. Lawrence River, which eventually drains into the Atlantic Ocean at the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Greatest Width: 12 miles (19 km).

Greatest Lake Depth: 400 ft. (122 meters). The waters of Lake Champlain reach their greatest depth in the area between Charlotte, Vermont and Essex, New York.

Average Lake Depth: 64 ft. (19.5 meters).

Average Annual Water Level: 96.5 ft (29.5 m)

Record High Water Level: 103.57 ft. recorded in 2011 near Whitehall, NY (Burlington, VT recorded 103.27 ft. in the same year).

Record Low Water Level: 92.4 ft. recorded in 1908.

Lake Area: 435 sq. miles (1127 sq. kilometers) of surface water.

Average Volume of Water: 6.8 trillion gallons (25.8 cubic kilometers).

Water Retention Time: Varies by Lake segment. It is longest in the Main Lake (about three years) and shortest in the South Lake (less than two months).

Amount of Shoreline: 587 miles (945 kilometers) of shoreline.

Number of Beaches: There are about 54 public or commercial beaches and 10 private beaches on the Lake's shores. Visit the Lake Champlain Basin Atlas Beaches page for more information.

Average Lake Freeze Date: The average Lake freeze date (across the Lake's widest part) is February 12th. During the frigid winter of 2003, it froze on February 15th, and during 2004, the Lake froze on January 27th. In 2005, it froze on March 8th. However, the Lake is still freezing less frequently across its widest part than it has in the past. For example, it only froze during three winters between 1990-2000.

Lake Segments: The Lake is divided into five distinct areas, each with different physical and chemical characteristics and water quality. These lake segments include: the South Lake, the Main Lake (or Broad Lake), Malletts Bay, the Inland Sea (or Northeast Arm), and Missisquoi Bay.

Lake Stratification: Lake Champlain stratifies in the spring and summer. The warmer, less dense, upper layer (epilimnion) of the Lake typically extends down about 33 feet (10 meters) in the Main Lake during the summer. Below this layer, there is a sharp transition in temperature called the "metalimnion" or "thermocline," to the much colder waters below, called the "hypolimnion".

Number of Islands in Lake: More than 70.

Area of the Basin: 8,234 sq. miles (21,326 sq. kms). Ninety percent of the water that enters Lake Champlain flows through the Lake's drainage basin before it reaches the Lake.

Land Distribution: Fifty-six percent of the Basin is in Vermont, 37% is in New York, and 7% is in the Province of Quebec.

Area of Wetlands in the Basin: More than 300,000 acres. Visit the Lake Champlain Basin Atlas Wetlands page for more information.

Average Annual Precipitation: More than 50 in. (127 cm) in the mountains and 30 in. (76 centimeters) near the Lake or in valleys.

Growing Season: 150 days near the Lake and 105 days in higher terrain.

Average Annual Air Temperature: 40-45 degrees Fahrenheit (4.4-7.2 Celsius).

Population of Basin: 571,000 (541,000 in the US according to the 2000 Census Data, and 30,000 in Quebec). About 68% live in Vermont, 27% in New York, and 5% in Quebec. Density is about 61 people per sq. mi. Visit the Lake Champlain Basin Atlas Population page for more information.

Drinking Water Use: Approximately 200,000 people, or about 35% of the Basin population, depend on Lake Champlain for drinking water. Approximately 4,149 draw water directly from Lake Champlain for individual use. There are 99 public water systems drawing water from Lake Champlain.

Tourism Expenditures: About 3.8 billion in 1998-99.

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Lake Length: 120 miles (193 kilometers). Lake Champlain flows from Whitehall, New York north almost across the U.S./Canadian border to its outlet at the Richelieu River in Quebec. From there, the water joins the St. Lawrence River, which eventually drains into the Atlantic Ocean at the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

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The energy use in the New York City area near Lake Champlain is about 80% fossil fuels. The 19 oil and gas facilities are within 1 mile of 750,000 people, 78% of whom are either low-income or people of color.
A study on proximity to fuel plants and hospitalization for respiratory disease found significantly higher hospitalization in zip codes with fuel plants.

https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/stories/transmission-line-power-park

Liu, X., Lessner, L., & Carpenter, D. O. (2012). Association between residential proximity to fuel-fired power plants and hospitalization rate for respiratory diseases. Environmental health perspectives, 120(6), 807–810. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1104146

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$4 billion transmission line to drop into Lake Champlain
By Zachary Matson
The large boats will prowl Lake Champlain all day and all night for five months.

Barges up to 300 feet long and 90 feet across will carry 12 miles of spooled electrical cable, navigation equipment, a tall crane and a specialized crew. They will drop the cable 4 feet deep in their wake and cover 2 miles a day. The underwater installation will stir up sediment, displace bottom-dwelling creatures and alter the lake's ecology.

Then the boats will be gone.

"I call it a one-time disturbance," said Tim Mihuc, a professor of environmental science at SUNY Plattsburgh.

The extraordinary activity will leave behind a hidden thread of power delivering a near-constant flow of energy from manmade reservoirs in Quebec and Labrador to Queens, effectively an Adirondack Park-sized battery projected to provide about one-fifth of New York City's massive electricity needs in the coming decades. Construction may start in a few months and the cable could be laid in 2024 as part of a major transmission line called the Champlain Hudson Power Express.

Financed by one of the world's richest private equity firms, The Blackstone Group, the CHPE is championed by its supporters as essential to unwind New York's reliance on carbon-spewing fossil fuel and meet a 2040 target of emissions-free electricity. The project's opponents denounce it as a green-in-name-only risk built on a legacy of mistreatment of Indigenous peoples and continuing ecological harm to Canadian rivers, one that boxes out New York energy producers.

The project, announced in 2010, is backed by scores of elected officials, including Gov. Kathy Hochul. Securing state and federal permits, in 2013 and 2014, CHPE generated thousands of comments to the Public Service Commission and a promise of a $117 million trust fund to support environmental restoration.

The commission in April approved a 25-year state contract offering billions of dollars to Hydro-Quebec, a corporation tied to the Quebec government, for delivering renewable energy. The contract enables developers to move forward with construction this summer and potentially energize the transmission line by the end of 2025.

Opponents have raised concerns about the project's impact on drinking water supplies from the Hudson River, fish that spawn in the Hudson estuary and market share of New York-based energy producers.

The project's winding path underscores the grinding pace and tough choices of building new energy infrastructure as the state transitions from fossil fuels.

Map of the transmission line's route

The route

The line, a pair of six-inch high-voltage direct current cables with the capacity to transmit 1,250 megawatts, would connect to Hydro-Quebec's sprawling transmission network outside Montreal, crossing the border via the Richelieu River and Lake Champlain.

Leaving the lake in Putnam Station 97 miles south of the border, the cable would run underground along Washington County Route 3, past a farm bed and breakfast, past a 240-acre strip of state-owned forest preserve and down Lake Road for two miles before joining the right-of-way on State Route 22.

Most of the route is underwater or within railroad corridors. A 20-mile stretch in Washington County through rolling country east of Lake George ranks among the longest roadway sections.

The cable path heads south under Washington and Saratoga counties, through the Capital Region and into the Hudson Valley, entering the Hudson River just south of Catskill.

CHPE would leave the water to bypass Haverstraw Bay, critical fish spawning grounds, before reentering the river, crossing Randall's Island Park underground and ending at a new converter station in Astoria - 340 miles from Quebec to Queens.

The Champlain Hudson Power Express transmission line will stretch on the bottom of Lake Champlain past Split Rock Mountain Wild Forest and through a section of the Adirondack Park. Photo by Mike Lynch.

A question of lake bottoms

As the transmission line stretches beneath Champlain, it would pass through the Adirondack Park, winding among the islands east of historic Valcour Island. It would skirt Split Rock Mountain Wild Forest.

At Split Rock, steep ridges dark with evergreens jut into the lake. A mix of hemlocks, pines and cedars toes the shoreline. An eagle in early spring rested in a nest perched atop a dead tree on the shore of a bay.

Adirondack advocacy groups at the project's outset urged state officials to evaluate whether Article 14 "forever wild" protections extend to the bottom of Lake Champlain.

"We believe a new attorney general opinion should be sought ... to lessen the chance that any citizen of the state file a lawsuit stopping the project as it may violate Article XIV of the State Constitution," wrote Allison Buckley, then the Adirondack Council's conservation director, in comments submitted in 2012.

But state officials have been satisfied with a 104-year-old attorney general opinion. It allowed the Fort William Henry Hotel to run a cable on the bottom of Lake George.

Public Service staff in a 2012 filing dismissed concerns that granting property rights under Lake Champlain would be unconstitutional. Whether the lake-bottom route "is part of the protected Forest Preserve is a legal question that has been answered repeatedly in the negative," the PSC wrote.

The filing provided one citation in support: the 1918 opinion of Attorney General Merton E. Lewis. State officials cited the same opinion in response to questions from the Adirondack Explorer. Lewis opined that because the state owns the land under navigable waters "as sovereign" rather than "proprietor" they were not intended to be included in the forest preserve when the protections were adopted at the 1894 Constitutional Convention, at which Lewis served as a delegate.

"It seems absurd to speak of preserving the lands under the navigable waters of the forest preserve counties as 'wild forest lands,'" Lewis wrote.

Two administrative law judges tasked with overseeing the project in 2012 noted the Adirondack Park Agency "supports the [proposed project] and agreed to the routing of the transmission line in Lake Champlain."

The judges wrote that Lewis' 1918 opinion found the power to convey state lands under navigable waters existed. They noted the limited environmental impacts documented in assessments of the project and determined "that placement of the cable underwater in Lake Champlain should not impair the lake's 'wild character' nor interfere with its natural qualities or recreational uses."

Department of Environmental Conservation lawyers in 2013 agreed, but added that "a thorough analysis of the New York Constitution's Article 14 'forever wild' clause is beyond the scope of this proceeding and is far too complex to be summarized in an overly broad manner."

The DEC's support for the project concluded: "This proceeding is not the appropriate venue to litigate constitutional claims premised on the 'forever wild' clause."

In 1996, Attorney General Dennis Vacco, the last Republican to hold the office, took a different view about lakes and forest preserve. He asserted that Raquette and Moose lakes "are indisputably part of the forest preserve" and advised against granting permits for lake-bottom electrical lines to a handful of private homes.

Contractor Caldwell Marine used a special barge to lay electric cable under Lake Champlain for a project connecting Plattsburgh to Vermont in 2018. Photo by Caldwell Marine

David Gibson, of Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve, said questions about where the forest preserve extends underwater have been "swept under the rug all of these years."

Rob Rosborough, an attorney who has worked on Adirondack cases at the state Court of Appeals, said it was a common state to avoid analyzing Article 14 issues and noted officials could have pursued a constitutional amendment if necessary.

"What they try to do in every case is take the easy way out and hope no one challenges them," Rosborough said.

Emissions-free electricity by 2040

In the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, New York committed to a set of ambitious electricity targets: 70% from renewable sources by 2030 and 100% by 2040.

In 2020, 27% of the state's electric load was met by renewable sources, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority reported. That year, electricity users in the state consumed around 150,000 gigawatt hours with a third of the use in New York City.

The state in 2020 produced around 130,000 GWh of electricity, 43% from gas and oil power plants, 29% from nuclear plants and 22% from hydroelectric sources, according to New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) data. Wind accounted for 3% of the state's production, solar less than 1%. The state imported over 30,000 GWh, including around 8,500 GWh from Hydro-Quebec on a pair of existing transmission connections in the North Country.

The state's electricity network has been called a "tale of two grids." Already, 90% produced upstate is emissions free, but in New York City around 80% comes from fossil fuels. Transmission constraints limit the flow of upstate renewable sources to the city.

State officials cite a pipeline of approved large-scale renewable projects expected to deliver 54,000 GWh of electricity and lift the state's use of renewable sources over 60% by 2030.

"New York's renewable and environmental goals are driving profound changes on the electric system," NYISO reported last year.

Drawing from the enormous energy portfolio of Hydro-Quebec's 62 generating stations, the proposed CHPE line is projected to transmit around 10,000 GWh of energy to New York City each year, about 20% of the city's estimated electricity needs in 2026.

"To be able to achieve these targets by 2030 and 2040, you need to get new transmission services into the city to bring the renewable energy in," said Donald Jessome, CEO of Transmission Developers Inc., the company building CHPE. Existing dams and reservoirs qualify under the state's renewable standards.

CHPE proponents say the project will help wean New York City off oil and gas generating facilities switched on during periods of high electricity demand, so-called "peaker plants." The city's 19 peaker plants produce a disproportionate share of emissions and pollution.

The plants are in low-income areas and contribute to health problems among people of color. Around 750,000 city residents live within one mile of a peaker plant, and 78% of them are either low income or people of color, according to a 2021 report by the Peak Coalition, a group that advocates for environmental justice. Reliance on the peaker plants has only increased since the state closed the Indian Point nuclear plant north of the city last year.

A big 'green battery'

Quebec Premier François Legault has said he hopes the province will become the "green battery of North America." The scale of Hydro-Quebec's water resources underscores the potential role it can play in serving New York's energy needs.

The hydro company in recent decades has aimed to expand its exports in American markets, supporting major transmission corridors in New York and New England. But those efforts have been stymied by resistance on multiple fronts.

The developer behind a proposed transmission line from Quebec through New Hampshire in 2019 dropped the plan amid resistance similar to what CHPE is facing. Maine voters in November rejected a transmission line already under construction to deliver Canadian hydropower to New England.

Still, energy economists and many environmentalists see the existing Canadian reservoirs as a key tool to balance wind and solar power sources in New York.

Wind energy is so variable that over some stretches the state's combined wind fleet produces 5% or less of its overall capacity. Solar as of 2020 represented less than 1% of electricity produced in New York. Hydro-Quebec claims it will deliver electricity at 95% of its capacity.

"The current decision in front of New York is a slam dunk to take existing assets and utilize them better," MIT energy economist John Parsons said.

Parsons and his colleagues at the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research in a 2020 paper described how Quebec's hydro resources can help New York balance energy consumption, moving toward a two-way trade of electricity between the state and the province.

When solar and wind generators are overproducing in New York, they can send excess energy to Canada, allowing Quebec to maintain its reservoirs. When New York producers are falling short of demand, the hydropower can flow into the state, cementing systemwide efficiencies in both countries. If New York relied entirely on in-state wind and solar, Parsons said, it would have to overbuild capacity to accommodate fluctuations in production.

Detractors argue Hydro-Quebec's battery is not so green.

When forests and wetlands are flooded to create a new reservoir, they release a wave of greenhouse gas emissions that initially rival the emissions produced by gas-burning power plants, according to a 2011 study of a Hydro-Quebec reservoir. Those emissions slow over time and across the lifespan of a reservoir average out to roughly the emissions produced by wind and solar installations, according to a 2020 study that estimated the lifecycle emissions of Hydro-Quebec reservoirs.

The reservoirs also activate mercury in the soil, setting off a pulse of dangerous methylmercury that accumulates up the food chain. People who rely on fish from areas flooded by dams are at increased risk of methylmercury absorption, which has been shown to harm fetal development.

Dams wreak massive ecological and social changes across the planet.

Studies estimate that between 40 to 80 million people worldwide have been displaced by dam construction in the past century, and nearly 500 million people have been affected by changes to fisheries and river flows. An estimated 3,700 major dams are planned or under construction across the globe.

Annie Wilson, an activist with the North American Megadam Resistance Alliance, said dams cause wide-reaching environmental and social harm. "We have to restore our ecosystems as much as possible, and streams, rivers, those are the arteries of our Mother Earth," Wilson said. "These dams are not allowed to be built in the United States anymore."

She cited a Johnny Cash and Peter La Farge song that tells the story of the Kinzua Dam, which flooded Seneca Reservation lands in 1965 and left behind a reservoir stretching north across the New York state line. "The earth is mother to the Senecas, they're trampling sacred ground," Cash sang.

Under the lake

State and federal agencies have found minimal environmental impacts associated with the CHPE project, but ecologists who focus on Lake Champlain said construction could alter fish habitats and food webs. Developers established the $117 environmental trust fund to support monitoring and restoration projects in Lake Champlain and the Hudson, Harlem and East rivers.

A governance committee composed of representatives from CHPE, state agencies and environmental and community groups will direct the fund.

Ellen Marsden, of the University of Vermont Wildlife & Fisheries Biology Program, said she anticipates cable installation will affect Champlain's shallow southern section most.

Marsden said sediment disturbed by water jetting and dredging will change fish habitat. Some fish use the natural substrate for burrowing while others want rocky or sandy areas for spawning and foraging. As suspended sediment resettles, it will bury and alter these habitats, causing problems for the fish that breed and feed there. The long-term effect of degraded spawning areas could ripple through subsequent generations.

Marsden is also concerned about silt stirred up by turbulence. It can damage fish gills and insects in their larval stages. Eggs in nests could be suffocated by sediment. Cloudy water could prevent sunlight from reaching aquatic vegetation, limiting photosynthesis. Threats to food sources at the primary trophic level could trigger impacts throughout the food web.

The trust fund would be used in Lake Champlain for fish population surveys, fish habitat assessments, habitat restoration and aquatic invasive species management. Marsden emphasized the importance of collecting data before construction.

Once pre-construction conditions are known, the project's environmental impact can be measured. Restoration responses could range from clearing altered habitat of sediment by controlled blasts of water or constructing new habitat nearby-such as building a reef from loose rocks. Another management response could be to reduce fishing in those areas to enable ecosystem recovery.

Developers contracted with the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum to plot a route underwater that avoided shipwrecks and other cultural resources in the lake.

"There's a lot down there," said Chris Sabick, director of archeology and research at the museum. "We see our role in these types of projects as a continuation of our efforts to help preserve these resources."

Developers also negotiated more than a dozen agreements along the proposed route, seeking reduced tax payments over the next 30 years, while guaranteeing payments to local governments and school districts.

In Clinton, Essex and Washington counties, developers estimated a combined construction cost of nearly $700 million, over $4 billion for the entire project. Such agreements with these three counties outline projected tax payments of $470 million over the next three decades, including nearly $270 million in Washington County. The counties agreed to exempt developers of over $40 million in mortgage and sale taxes.

Karl and Lani Ohly's farm overlooking Lake Champlain would be beside the path of the power line. Photo by Zachary Matson

For or against

When Lani and Karl Ohly moved from the Ohio River Valley, they looked for clear skies, clean air and a lack of industrial development.

They found a new home on over 400 acres in Putnam Station perched above the southern narrows of Lake Champlain. The farm site is where they run a bed and breakfast, the Inn on Lake Champlain.

"The Adirondacks is a more and more relevant model in terms of protecting the benefits for individuals who live here," Karl said. "You experience one side of the [industrialization] coin, and you realize how valuable the protections are."

They oppose CHPE, which would go by their property. The couple said they think the plan could be a violation of deed restrictions that require the road right-of-way be used only "for the purpose of a road," arguing the transmission line does nothing to benefit the residents of Putnam.

They are also concerned about precedent. "How many lines will be allowed to come through the Adirondack Park?" Lani asked. "The Adirondack Park has not been a place where private corporations can just crisscross the park at any price."

CHPE faces opposition further down the line.

The Hudson Riverkeeper, a nonprofit focused on protecting the river, agreed to a 2012 settlement, but in the past year has sought to block the project, highlighting concerns about Hudson River fisheries, drinking supplies and the emissions associated with hydropower. The Sierra Club opposes CHPE for similar reasons.

"We think putting in more transmission from upstate to downstate is a good thing. The thing we really disagree about is Canadian hydro," Riverkeeper attorney Richard Webster said.

Gavin Donohue, president of the Independent Power Producers of New York, said utility ratepayers will incur cost increases to pay for the renewable credits. The state should be encouraging projects by state generators, he said.

"When we have abundant renewable projects proposed within New York's borders, why are we giving money to a Canadian utility to accomplish our goals?" Donohue asked.

Opponents contend that the state can do more to bolster efficiency, expand rooftop solar and improve transmission to in-state projects.

Some environmental groups, including the Nature Conservancy and the New York League of Conservation Voters, support CHPE and emphasize moving to emissions-free electricity as soon as possible. So do activists focused on the pollution from New York City's oil and gas plants. Business groups, including the North Country and Adirondack chambers of commerce, support the project, and major unions hail the jobs it promises.

Ryan Calder, a professor of environmental health and policy at Virginia Tech, studied and documented the surge of methylmercury caused by new reservoirs in Labrador. His research is often cited by CHPE detractors as evidence of widespread methylmercury poisoning across Canadian reservoirs. "I know that people say that, l wish they wouldn't," Calder said.

The impacts of renewable projects should be examined and mitigated, Calder said, but a transition to new energy sources will require difficult tradeoffs. Sometimes a less-than-ideal project is better than continuing the use of more harmful energy sources, he said.

"I agree it's important to consider environmental impacts pretty broadly, but you have to consider them in the context of alternatives," Calder said.

Surveyors have started to chalk out marks in front of the Inn on Lake Champlain. The road bends at the old Victorian house and passes a large barn built in 1900. Karl Ohly is swapping old beams with hand-milled replacements. If CHPE becomes a reality, for 50 years or more electrons generated by dams 1,000 miles north will zip underground past the old barn to help turn on lights, charge cars and power the world's financial system in a city 250 miles south.

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By Zachary Matson The large boats will prowl Lake Champlain all day and all night for five months. Barges up to 300 feet long and 90 feet across will carry 12 miles of spooled electrical cable, navigation equipment, a tall crane and a specialized crew.

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Invasive Fish, Tourism, and Lock Closure

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Invasive Fish, Tourism, and Lock Closure

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There are roughly 50 invasive species in Lake Champlain, most coming in through a
200 years ago, a canal was bult at the southern tip of Lake Champlain. At one point it was an important trade rout, but now mostly servs to tourists and pleasure boaters. The canal has 11 individually operated locks connecting Lake Champlain to other water ways. Of the 50 or so invasive species that now call the lake home, almost half have come through the New York waterways.
The round goby is native to Eurasia, but arrived in America in 1990. In the summer, they can reproduce every 20 days. Gobies are known for eating the eggs of native fish and overeating the local prey. Major fish and bird population decline has been linked to the spread of diseases up the food chain that gobies facilitate. The 3-6 inch fish is also a nuisance to fishermen, they love to steal the bait off lines and gorge on the eggs of sport fish. Gobies often move into new waterways in the hulls of boats and bait buckets of fishermen.
The lock keeping them out of Lake Champlain has been closed since October and there is heated debate on whether it should be reopened. Those against the reopening want to prevent goby from entering Lake Champlain. Politicians in support of opening the lock cite the regions tourism industry. Local tourism slowed during the pandemic, but they are hoping to ramp things back up in the coming months. Many people want to go fish and and take a look at the historic site. Senators, governors, research institutes, and others are butting heads.

https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/the-round-goby-a-new-threat-to-lake-champlain-reignites-debate-over-canal/Content?oid=35596156

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Point sources like industrial discharge and wastewater treatment facilities have been sending phosphorus into Lake Champlain for decades. Over the last twenty years government regulations and phosphorus caps have been implemented to keep the phosphorus levels lower. Non-point source pollution, such as farmland, lawns, and other rural areas make up about more than 90% of the phosphorus in the lake. Phosphorus is also being recycled through the water when sediment at the bottom of the lake is kicked up, as it will be when the power line is installed.
One of the major difficulties for reducing pollution is the amount of land that is contributing pollutants. Eighteen square miles of land in the basin deliver water to the lake; for comparison, the Great Lakes have 1.5x - 3.4x as much land as lake surface area.
Every year the rivers that connect to the basin deliver about 2 million pounds of phosphorus, depending on rain and runoff in the watershed.

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Lake Champlain is a popular spot for Walleye fishing. The problem is that mercury is also popular in Lake Champlain. It is a potent neurotoxin which usually accumulates from the combustion of coal and can be carried though the air for several miles before settling to the surface of earth. It bioaccumulates and biomagnifies. Some efforts to reduce mercury in the water include enhancing recycling programs for products containing it, reducing emissions from coal and oil-fired plants, and exchanging products containing mercury (like thermometers) for alternatives.

https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/mercury#overview
https://www.lcbp.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/MercuryPCBFactSheet1.pdf

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Habitat degredation and fragmentation of habitat is one of the biggest threats to species populations. Dams, culverts, and other barriers inhibit migration. One of the priorities of of the Lake Champlain Basin Project is improving passages and connectivity in the basin. One of the interconnected struggles here is the presence of invasive species which use the same passages. Prioritizing culvert replacement and restoring floodplain habitat and riparian areas has ben the focus to improve organism passage.
There are over 300,00 acres of wetland in the Lake Champlain basin. This area provides habitat, filters pollutants, and controls flooding.

https://www.lcbp.org/our-goals/healthy-ecosystems/habitat/

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Photo: LCBP

Habitat degradation, particularly fragmentation of habitat, is among the greatest threats to fish and wildlife populations. Wetlands, lakeshores, and stream corridors are especially important, providing critical habitat connections in the landscape. Dams, impassable culverts, and other stream barriers inhibit movement of migrating fish, invertebrates, and amphibians. Landlocked Atlantic salmon, eastern brook trout, and lake sturgeon are blocked from historic spawning waters.

The improvement of fish passage and habitat connectivity has become a conservation priority in the Basin. Recent work has focused on improving aquatic organism passage by mapping and prioritizing culverts for replacement, and protecting wildlife corridors by restoring riparian and floodplain habitat. Other projects have retrofitted culverts to improve passage for fish and other aquatic organisms.

Wetlands

The Lake Champlain Basin has more than 300,000 acres of wetlands that provide wildlife habitat, filter pollutants, and control flooding. Learn more about wetlands →

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Habitat degradation, particularly fragmentation of habitat, is among the greatest threats to fish and wildlife populations. Wetlands, lakeshores, and stream corridors are especially important, providing critical habitat connections in the landscape. Dams, impassable culverts, and other stream barriers inhibit movement of migrating fish, invertebrates, and amphibians.

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New York, Quebec, and Vermont came together to establish the basin program to coordinate benefits for the wildlife, wetlands, recreation, fisheries, cultural resources, and water quality. Some of the things being done are mapping fish distribution, removing the dam on the Bogue branch, phosphorus holding in wetlands, monitoring the fish community, and creating storm smart properties.

https://www.lcbp.org/lake-project/creating-storm-smart-properties/

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Friends of the Mad River (FMR) continues to expand its Storm Smart program for helping property owners protect roads and waterways. Launched in the Mad River Valley of Vermont in 2018, the program is expanding to the Winooski River watershed in partnership with the Winooski Natural Resource Conservation District and the Friends of the Winooski River. The program helps homeowners assess their property and implement practices that slow runoff, spread it across the landscape, and let it soak into the ground before it can cause erosion, degrade water quality, and destroy sensitive habitat.

To learn more, watch FMR's Storm Smart videos >

To have your property assessed, contact the Friends of the Mad River or the Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District.

Watch this Clean Water Commitment video to learn how Friends of the Mad River and other watershed organizations are helping to reduce runoff and pollution.

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Creating Storm Smart Properties - Lake Champlain Basin Program

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Friends of the Mad River (FMR) continues to expand its Storm Smart program for helping property owners protect roads and waterways. Launched in the Mad River Valley of Vermont in 2018, the program is expanding to the Winooski River watershed in partnership with the Winooski Natural Resource Conservation District and the Friends of the Winooski River.

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The Lake Champlain Basin Program is taking steps to help homeowners assess their properties to find ways to slow runoff so that it can spread across the land and soak into the ground. This can help to slow the erosion, the degradation of water quality, and the destruction of habitat.

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https://youtu.be/-8zQWUnRd5s

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Clean Water Commitment: What can you do?

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https://youtu.be/PBFaphAuSQU

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Clean Water Commitment: What is Phosphorus?

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https://youtu.be/6-y1mW5CWus

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The Richelieu River comes off of Lake Champlain in Quebec, where there is much more green energy being produced and used than in New York, where the lower tip of Lake Champlain is. The problem lies in that New York has created a tentative plan to lay a power cord at the bottom of Lake Champlain. More on this in the section, "Transmission Line Project Delivering Canadian Hydropower To NYC"

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The most current account I could find of the land use in areas around Lake Champlain is from 2012.

Vermont: 412,000 acres of cropland - 305,000 acres of grassland, pasture, and range - 4,476,000 acres of forest - 498,000 acres of special-use areas - 101,000 acres of urban area - 106,000 acres of miscellaneous other land.

Ney York: 4,247,000 acres of cropland - 2,397,000 acres of grassland, pasture, and range - 15,920,000 acres of forest - 4,077,000 acres of special use areas - 2,638,000 acres of urban area - 882,000 acres of miscellaneous other land.

I can't find anything on how land is used in Quebec, but I took a screenshot of googlemaps, which shows the great amount of farmland with urban area around St-Jean-sur-Richelieu.

https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/DataFiles/52096/Summary_Table_1_major_uses_of_land_by_region_and_state_2012.xls?v=1723.1

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The best thing that we can do to work out the challenges facing this watershed it to come together and make positive change. This is already happening through the Champlain River Basin Project. At times there is bickering between the parties (we get a glimpse of this with the conflict about laying a power line from Canada to New York or opening the lock in the Champlain canal), but this process and passion for the ecosystem is essential for making the system-thinking-based informed decisions for the heath of the land and people.

A disconnect between between parties might mean that when there is a flood through farmland in Quebec and excess nutrients start flowing through the water, the southern regions like Vermont and New York would not be informed. They might put resources where they aren't needed to find the source, when they should be doing other things to protect the water.

Governments working together also means that when when a new project, like planting certain plants near the banks, is successful then the other regions can implement it.

https://www.lcbp.org/about-us/how-we-work/meetings/lake-champlain-research-conference-2022/
https://www.lcbp.org/about-us/people/

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Many cultural services are available through the Lake. Lake Champlain has been used since 1997 for professional bass-catching championships. Swimming in Lake Champlain is usually safe, but toxins produced by cyanobacteria. When the water is swallowed it can be toxic, and cause itchiness or rashes when it contacts the skin. The Lake is a popular spot to go out on boats, and the many wrecks (~300) make for an interesting scuba spot. Many life watchers come to see the beautiful species that call Lake Champlain home. There are 29 amphibian species, 19 reptile species, more than 300 bird species, and 93 species of fish. Bird watching and other wildlife viewing activities are estimated to generate $50 million per year. In 1997, more than $204 million was generated from fishing-related activities in the basin.

https://www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com/swimming-safely-algal-blooms/
https://www.bassmaster.com/video/2021-recap-champlain-and-st-lawrence/
https://www.lclt.org/about-lake-champlain/lake-champlain-facts/

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Posted on February 4, 2022

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2021 recap: Champlain and St. Lawrence - Bassmaster

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Join Tommy Sanders and Ronnie Moore as they go through the 2021 Northern Swing and watch two different Upstate New York slugfests. Bryan Schmitt added to his already stellar record...

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Last year, Lake Chaplains Oakledge, Texaco, North Beach, and Leddy beaches were closed due to cyanobacteria blooms. As well as Point au Roche State Park

https://www.wamc.org/new-england-news/2021-07-12/algae-blooms-prompt-closure-of-some-lake-champlain-beaches