Missisquoi
Watershed Profile
Size: 310,527 hectares
Major Rivers: Pike River 154 km;
Missisquoi River
Lake Segment: Missisquoi Bay
ANR Coordinator: Karen Bates
Major Issues of Concern
•Phosphorus loading due to agricultural runoff
•Viability of small family dairy farms
Watershed Specific Research Questions
What are the mechanisms by which phosphorus is
transported from a farm to rivers/lake?
How can total phosphorus export be reduced in
the Missisquoi and Pike River watersheds?
Which BMPs are most appropriate for use in
agricultural watersheds in Vermont both for short-term reduction of
phosphorus and long-term reduction?
How can implementation of BMPs be optimized
over a watershed area based the following goals:
maximize reduction in load export
minimize life cycle cost (capital and O/M) of
BMPs implementation
maximize value added products from BMPs such as
methane production, winter vegetable growing, compost, etc.
What are the effects of changing landuse on
local economies and phosphorus loads in the Missisquoi and Pike River
watersheds including partial conversion to forestry, conversion to fallow
land, conversion to other types of farming (increase local food production),
and conversion to low-density residential housing?
Can watershed planning across international
borders be facilitated using a landscape modeling approach?
Stakeholders
•Northwest Regional Planning Commission
•Research and Development Institute for the Agri-Environment (Quebec)
Complimentary Projects/Funding
•Team in Canada working on similar issues. More data available.
•Don Meals, Al Cassell, Bill Jokela etc. project in Little Otter Creek
Watershed using GIS
Past Projects and Research
•Don Meals paired watershed studies showed that stream buffers had no
effect.
•Lots of phosphorus loading studies.
•Many research projects from Canadian research institute