By John Herrick, VTDigger.org
Vermont’s plan to improve Lake Champlain’s water quality does not go far enough to comply with federal regulations, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The EPA released phosphorus pollution reduction targets for Lake Champlain at a meeting in Middlebury on Monday, Nov. 17. It also ran a model of the phosphorus reduction plan Vermont submitted in May to determine whether it would meet federal standards.
Stephen Perkins, director of ecosystem protection for the EPA’s Boston office, pointed to an up-sloping trend line showing the amount of phosphorus in several segments of Lake Champlain.
The EPA is requiring Vermont to cut phosphorus pollution in Lake Champlain by 36 percent. The Shumlin administration Monday released two proposals to raise state revenue for the cleanup. That plan does not go far enough, according to the EPA’s latest phosphorus models.
