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OPPORTUNITIES for ACTION an Evolving Plan for the Future of the Lake Champlain Basin

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OPPORTUNITIES for ACTION an Evolving Plan for the Future of the Lake Champlain Basin OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTION An Evolving Plan for the Future of the Lake Champlain Basin Prepared by the Lake Champlain Steering Committee April 2003 Lake Champlain Basin Program Bolton I Center P ik e IBedford Venise en I R Figure 1. i I v Sutton Quebec e IPhilipsburg r L QUEBEC I Richford I rNorth Troy ve Ri Champlain I Enosburg River ISwanton Falls i uo isq Chazy I ss Mi Ellenburg y z Center a h C Lake t St. Albans a e r G Plattsburgh I Eden Fairfax er iv Lamoille er Champlain R Riv Clayburg I I c Elmore a n ra a S IStowe I Hardwick Burlington Basin Ausable Forks ver I Ri ble usa ch A n W ra ino B Jay I h I os t c ki s n Willsboro e a W r I ICharlotte Saranac Saranac t B Lake Placid s I Lakes Lake a I E Essex I Montpelier is C r I e Lake ew I Elizabethtown L e R Barre Placid k iv I e r Westport I NorthfieldI IKeene IVergennes et u O q t o t B e Port r Henry I I IMiddlebury Crown Point I Ticonderoga Orwell Creek e rg o e G e k a Rutland L I Bolton Poultney Landing I I Mettawee Whitehall n i a l River l Wallingford p a n I m a Fort a I C Ann h Lake I C George GranvilleI Danby I R iv e r L L NEW YORK VERMONT Cover Photo: Converse Bay, Charlotte,VT. By Robert Lyons Photography. TOTHECITIZENS OF THE LAKE CHAMPLAIN BASIN: On behalf of the States of New York and Vermont and the US Environmental Protection Agency, we are pleased to approve the revised Opportunities for Action: An Evolving Plan for the Future of the Lake Champlain Basin. Opportunities for Action is comprehensive in its scope and focused in its mission. This revision of the 1996 plan builds on the successes of the past six years of plan implementation and responds to changing environmental conditions to Lake Champlain better protect the future of Lake Champlain. The successes achieved to date are the result of tremendous dedication and Basin Program hard work by thousands of individuals over the last decade since initiation of the planning process for Lake Champlain. Combined federal and state funding has made a difference. Municipal wastewater discharges to the Lake have been dramatically reduced, agricultural best management practices have been introduced on farms throughout the Basin, and local watershed associations have coordinated unprecedented community involvement in pollution reduction. The states and the federal government are working together on programs to reduce the impacts of aquatic nuisance species, including lamprey control measures and water chestnut harvesting. New York Bond Act funds supported the successful cleanup of Cumberland Bay. The phosphorus reduction targets established in Opportunities for Action in 1996 have provided a sound basis for the new bistate load reduction programs to achieve the water quality goals of the federal Clean Water Act. Special attention is being given to the Missisquoi Bay area through a phosphorus reduction agreement between Québec and Vermont. This revised Opportunities for Action presents several emerging priorities not included in the original plan, including the priority of human health protection from bacterial contamination and toxins associated with blue-green algae. New actions are recommended to identify conditions causing toxic blue-green algae blooms quickly, and new emphasis is being placed on ecosystem indicators to monitor change within the Lake's ecosystem. The Plan also recommends increased coordination among Vermont, New York, and Québec on cultural heritage tourism and improved recreational access. Implicit in our approval of the revised Plan is a continuing commitment to direct the resources of our respective agencies towards the imple- mentation of recommendations set forth in this plan, and recognition that adequate funding will be crucial to the continued success of Opportunities for Action. We also look forward to the continued commitment of citizens throughout the Basin to achieve cleaner water and a healthier economy so that future generations may enjoy Lake Champlain as fully as the current generation. We congratulate the Lake Champlain Basin Program, its Steering Committee, advisory committees, and staff for their work on the revisions of Opportunities for Action. We look to continued cooperation among all parties to foster its actions and goals. Howard Dean, MD James H. Douglas George E. Pataki Governor of Vermont - January 2003 Governor of Vermont - April 2003 Governor of New York - April 2003 Robert W. Varney Jane M. Kenny Regional Administrator, EPA New England Regional Administrator, EPA Region 2 Lake Champlain Basin Program i The Lake Champlain Steering Committee members are pleased to recommend to the Governors of New York and Vermont and the Administrators of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency these revisions of Opportunities for Action. C. Randall Beach Gérard Cusson Francis M. Keeler Daniel L. Stewart Tamsen Benjamin Canute Dalmasse Steven E. Lanthier David A.Tilton Michèle Bertrand Mario Del Vicario Gérard Massé Emily Wadhams Gérard Boutin Lawrence K Forcier Ronald Ofner Mary Watzin Stuart A. Buchanan Leon C. Graves Gerald Potamis Peter Clavelle Buzz Hoerr Robert W. Reinhardt ii Opportunities for Action - April 2003 Lake Champlain Basin Program iii VISION STATEMENT The Lake Champlain Management Conference represents a broad-based diverse group of interests that share a common goal of developing a management program to pro- tect and enhance the environmental integrity and the social and economic benefits of Lake Champlain and its watershed. The Management Conference envisions a Lake Champlain which supports multiple uses—including commerce, a healthy drinking water supply, wildlife habitat, and recre- ation such as swimming, fishing, and boating. These diverse uses will be balanced to minimize stresses on any part of the Lake system. The Management Conference recog- nizes that maintaining a vital economy which values the preservation of the agricultur- al sector is an integral part of the balanced management of the Lake Champlain Basin. Implementing a comprehensive management plan will ensure that the Lake and its Basin will be protected, restored, and maintained so that future generations will enjoy its full benefits. The Lake Champlain Steering Committee continues to support the vision statement, prepared in 1996 by the Lake Champlain Management Conference, exactly as written. The Lake Champlain Steering Committee is pleased to dedicate this edition of Opportunities for Action to Ron Manfredonia of USEPA, New England (retired) who chaired the Lake Champlain Management Conference with great skill, wisdom, and foresight. The excellent work of the Management Conference is greatly appreciated by the Steering Committee. iv Opportunities for Action - April 2003 TABLE OF CONTENTS SOMMAIRE EXÉCUTIF CHAPTER SIX:ECONOMICS IN THE LAKE CHAMPLAIN BASIN 105 • Plan Summary in French 1 REFERENCES: • References 117 CHAPTER ONE:INTRODUCTION • Glossary 119 • Lake Champlain Basin Resources 3 • List of Acronyms 125 • Resource Issues Facing Lake Champlain 3 • Lake Champlain Special Designation Act 5 APPENDIX A: • Lake Champlain Special Designation Act (1990) 126 • Lake Champlain Basin Program 5 • Daniel Patrick Moynihan Lake Champlain Basin Program Act of 2002 128 • Overall Themes of the Plan 6 • Statement of Legislative Intent 129 • Priorities for Action 8 • An Evolving Plan 9 APPENDIX B: • List of LCBP Reports 131 • What is in the Plan? 10 CHAPTER TWO:WATER QUALITY AND THE HEALTH OF THE LAKE APPENDIX C: • A Process for Developing Phosphorus Targets for Lake Champlain 134 • Reducing Phosphorus Pollution 11 • Preventing Pollution from Toxic Substances 23 FIGURES: • Protecting Human Health 31 1. Lake Champlain Basin (inside front cover) CHAPTER THREE:LIVING NATURAL RESOURCES 2. Lake segment boundaries with current phosphorus concentrations and in-lake criteria 13 • Managing Fish and Wildlife 37 3. Drainage by Lake segment and targeted watersheds 15 • Protecting and Restoring Wetlands, Streams, 4. Sites of concern and cleanup actions as of 2001 26 and Riparian Habitats 45 5. Lake Champlain aquatic food web 39 • Managing Nonnative Aquatic Nuisance Plants 6. Upland and wetland habitat restoration in the Lake Champlain Basin 49 and Animals 53 7. Miles of stream banks restored in the Lake Champlain Basin 49 8. Lake Champlain water chestnut management: annual funding 56 CHAPTER FOUR:RECREATION AND CULTURAL RESOURCES 9. Zebra mussel distribution in the Lake Champlain Basin 59 • Managing Recreation 61 10. Lake Champlain underwater mapping, 1996-2000 72 • Protecting Cultural Heritage Resources 69 11. Lake Champlain Basin Program operating structure 86 12. Lake and tributary sites in the Long-Term Monitoring Program 101 13. Fiscal year 2001 federal Lake Champlain appropriations 104 CHAPTER FIVE:ASTRATEGY FOR IMPLEMENTING THE PLAN 77 • Key Partners and Their Potential Roles 78 TABLES: • Framework for Plan Implementation 81 1. Phosphorus loading targets, 1991 and 1995 phosphorus loads 14 • Key Functions for Plan Implementation 83 2. Toxic substances of concern 24 • A Framework for Carrying Out Key Functions 85 3. US population: Lake Champlain watershed areas, 1950-2000 111 • Informing and Involving the Public 91 4. Population change: Lake Champlain watershed areas, 1950-2000 112 • Building Local-Level Implementation 95 • Measuring and Monitoring Success 99 • Strategies for Funding Implementation 103 Lake Champlain Basin Program v Lake Champlain Near Apple Tree Bay. Credit: Ben Wang vi Opportunities for Action - April 2003 Introduction SOMMAIRE EXÉCUTIF une préoccupation d'intérêt public majeure et palités et organismes non gouvernementaux LES RESSOURCES DU demeure un enjeu prioritaire au niveau de l'al- se sont engagés dans la planification de location des ressources. Gérer les ressources l'avenir du lac Champlain. Le point de vue BASSIN DU LAC de manière à soutenir tous les usages actuels des citoyens est aussi considéré. Plusieurs et futurs, voilà le défi de taille que les gou- centaines de Québécois(es) ont d'ailleurs CHAMPLAIN vernements américains et québécois se sont pu exprimer leur avis lors de rencontres engagés à relever.
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