7 Days Article on Bloom Showing

Seven Days reporter Margot Harrison has written an article on the recent showing of Bloom: The Plight of Lake Champlain at the Welden Theatre, which definitely got some discussion going… The showing was well attended and concluded with a discussion period led by Mike Rapacz, technical advisor for the movie. These conversations must take place if we are ever going to figure out how to restore the water quality of Lake Champlain.

BrightBlue Media announced they are planning to make three more movies on the Lake. They hope to go deeper into the issues surrounding Lake Champlain pollution and begin to address some solutions.

Great Article in the Messenger on the EPA and TMDL

The Messenger recently ran a great article by staff writer Michelle Monroe on the EPA’s decision to step in and revamp TMDL requirements for Lake Champlain. Michelle did a great job of explaining this complicated topic, and it may help clarify what’s going on between Vermont and the federal government.

Bloom — Special Showing at the Welden Monday 1/31 at 7pm

We are presenting a special showing of Bloom – The Plight of Lake Champlain, a documentary about the state of the Lake. Please be sure to join us Monday January 31 at 7:00 at the Welden Theatre on Main Street in St. Albans. This half-hour documentary explains the problems with water quality of the lake and proposes some directions for a solution. It is a must see for everyone who is interested in the Lake. St. Albans Bay shows up quite a bit, as does yours truly.

We will have some time for discussion afterwards.

The showing is free of charge although donations will be gratefully accepted at the door.

The State of the Bay — Not So Good…

A gorgeous summer day. Temps in the high 80′s. Slight breeze. Sunny skies. What could be nicer than a day on St. Albans Bay?

Unfortunately, a paddling trip from Hathaway Point to the Bay Store and Black Bridge today only confirmed, up close, the dismal state of the waters in the Bay this year. While the water quality toward the mouth of the bay is still fair, with milfoil just beginning to take over, the weeds are clearly choking the inner bay and the smell is horrible.

Not a single soul was swimming at the Bay Park. Hmmmmm…

Strangely quiet at the park for midday on a beautiful summer day.

Where are all the people? Maybe we should get a little closer…  Too bad you can’t smell to get the full effect! The shoreline is choked with slimy, smelly weeds. The shallow swimming area near the beach looks stagnant and brown. No swimmers seem ready to overlook the unpleasant conditions, even to cool off on a hot day. The water looks and feels unhealthy.

Weeds, foul water, rotting vegetation and dead fish scare swimmers away from St. Albans Bay Park

Paddling became difficult well before we approached the Black Bridge area. Weed growth there is so thick it is very hard to move through and there is a slimy layer of algae topping it all off. Motor boats should definitely avoid this area!

Paddles just don't cut it through the tangle of weeds and algae. Kayakers beware!

The SAAWA weed harvester will be running soon and, sadly, we have our work cut out for us!  The phosphorus-rich Bay is growing a bumper crop of weeds this year! We will continue the battle to get it under control to improve the beauty and usability of the Bay but we can use your help to keep the harvester running as much as possible. Not only will it improve usability in the short-term, but it will reduce the quantity of vegetation that decomposes and adds the problem over time.

Please visit SAAWAVT.org to donate to the Weed Harvester Fund. Your donations will enable us to run the harvester longer and make the Bay a nicer place to swim, fish, picnic, and boat. Please help!  Thanks so much.

The State of Agriculture

The following letter has a very different take on where agriculture is in Vermont and where it is going.

Kittell Partridge ban conv ag chem

Fair Dairy

The link will get you to Vermont Digger web site where there is an interesting article on the State of Vermont Dairy Farming and some different perspectives on what it all means.

Fair Dairy

Letter to Membership, September, 2009

My boats and dock are out of the water, so I think it is time for some reflection on the state of the Lake this year. I’m going to try keeping the politics and the programs out of it and focus on the water and water quality.
All in all, 2009 was not a bad year for water quality in the Bay.
First, the weather was on the side of a clean Bay. The rain came early and often and resulted in a high water level though most of the summer. We didn’t get a hot spell until late August, so by that time the peak growing season for algae was already gone. Algae require a very particular water temperature and water level. If either factor is outside what the algae needs, growth will be stunted. This year the water was colder and higher than is optimum for the algae growth, a perfect combination for keeping the growth to a minimum.
There have been a number of man-made short term changes that have helped out water quality. This summer, two farms with barns close to delicate impaired waterways were without cows. No one knows long term how the current economic difficulties our farmers face will impact agriculture in our county or how this will the impact water quality. In the short term, though, getting cows out of these barns and out of our watershed will help the water quality. Also impacting water quality is that our farmers continue to implement practices that will reduce runoff. Franklin County contains the state’s number one farm for acreage in the CREP (Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program).
No one knows what factor was the most important in the relatively good water quality this year. My view is that the key factor is the weather, but we need to continue our efforts in the man-made arena.
The Town Bay Park saw more use than recent memory. The water quality was generally good; few days had odor coming from the water. I saw swimmers at the Park late in August, something I don’t remember seeing for a decade. Increased use of the Bay Park is a good indicator of success of the cleanup efforts and one of our key goals.
The Watershed Association purchased and operated a weed harvester this summer. While it does not address the root causes of excess algae growth, it can turn unusable weed infested shoreline into useable beach. In addition, the experts tell me that if weeds are harvested regularly over a number of years it can change growing patterns of algae. Just as algae needs a certain temperature and water level, if its growing patterns are disrupted for long enough it will start to retreat.
Looking forward, it has finally become clear to the State that their current path will not result in a clean lake. In addition, budget cuts area harmful to the cleanup, both short and long term. The bright side though, is that there finally is recognition by the State that the restoration of Lake Champlain will require the assistance of the Federal Government. The State now agrees that they need to put forward a comprehensive plan with a price tag for a Lake Champlain restoration. We need to present and support this plan, and lobby for resources similar to those dedicated to the Great Lakes and the Chesapeake Bay. The fact that this plan has not yet been put forth is somewhere between astounding and embarrassing, but somehow better late than never.
Personally, I am thankful that I have the Lake to enjoy and be a part of my life. The work to restore it to its full beauty is important and satisfying work. I invite all to take a more active role in cleaning up the Bay. Please join us in these efforts at the Saint Albans Area Watershed Association. Visit us at www.saintalbanswatershed.org.

A Joint Stormwater Utility?

Here is an article in the St. Albans Messenger on the possibility of a Storm Water Utility, jointly operated by the City and the Town.

Our Annual Meeting

We had our annual meeting last Friday night. We’ll put the pictures up on the main site, so look there for them.

We met at the pavilion in the Bay Park. It was a great night. The pavilion was a CCC project from the 30′s. The weather was good enough, and unlike most years, there was not odor from the bay.

Besides a barbeque from Jeff’s the highlight of evening was a talk by Mike Winslow of the Lake Champlain Committee. Mike is the author of Lake Champlain, A Natural History and, like the book, his talk was great.  You can get the book here:

http://www.lakechamplaincommittee.org/shop/

I’ve got to top this for next year’s annual meeting. I’d really like your suggestions – email me.

Enjoy the last days of boating weather.

The Car Show in the Bay Park

This Sunday there was a car show in the Bay Park.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a great event. There were a ton of cars. Mustangs and high performance imports seemed particularly numerous.

This motorcycle really caught my eye.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The water quality was not bad. Right at the stairs to the park it was still bad, but a few brave souls went swimming anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the key indicators for me on how we are doing in the Bay restoration effort is swimming  in the Bay Park. Are people swimming? When are they swimming? How drunk do you have to be to go swimming?  We will know we are well along when we consistently have many swimmers in the Bay.

Thankfully, so far the water quality is not bad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s hard to tell from this picture, but the white spots in the water are white rocks in the lake bottom. The fact that we can see the bottom of the Lake is a good sign. This was taken at the Boat Landing on Hathaway Point Road. Even at the end of the dock you could see the rocks on the bottom. Nice.

It’s too early to do the victory dance. Water quality can change quickly in a matter of days depending on water temperature. In addition, it can change year to year depending on weather. The rain pattern, water level, and temperature can all change the water quality in the Bay. After last year’s terrible water quality (the worst in my 20 years of experience) it is good to have a better year.

I’ll leave you with this picture. The small dots in the picture are swimmers.

Enjoy the rest of the summer!