{"id":852,"date":"2024-06-01T16:07:31","date_gmt":"2024-06-01T20:07:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.seagrant.w3.uvm.edu\/2024\/06\/01\/2024-state-of-the-lake-report-released\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T17:49:03","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T21:49:03","slug":"2024-state-of-the-lake-report-released","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uvm.edu\/seagrant\/2024\/06\/01\/2024-state-of-the-lake-report-released\/","title":{"rendered":"2024 State of the Lake Report Released"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tThe Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP)<\/a> released the\u00a02024 State of the Lake and Ecosystem Indicators Report\u00a0today. Drawing on the most recent scientific data, the report provides a comprehensive assessment of the condition of Lake Champlain.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe report documents ongoing challenges and recent successes in the management of the lake\u2019s water quality and ecosystem. Produced every three years, the report reflects the most current scientific data and resource management approaches. The report\u2019s Ecosystem Indicators Scorecard provides the status and trend for key water quality and ecosystem parameters.<\/p>\n

\n\tDr. Eric Howe, NEIWPCC Program Director of the Lake Champlain Basin Program, said, \u201cSound science and evidence-based management is more important than ever. The\u00a02024 State of the Lake Report\u00a0provides a timely update on what the data is telling us about our progress and remaining challenges in protecting clean water and habitat in the Lake Champlain basin.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe State of the Lake provides high-quality information to guide EPA and our partners on how to improve water quality and conserve important habitat for people who live, work, and play in the Basin,\u201d said EPA Region 1 Regional Administrator David W. Cash. \u201cWhile the data shows improvements in water quality and fish and wildlife habitat, we still have a lot of work to do, including significantly further reductions in nutrient pollution to the lake.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cLake Champlain is a jewel, and EPA is proud to continue to address and improve water quality from harmful run-off and other challenges facing the lake,\u201d said EPA Region 2 Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. \u201cAs this report illustrates, conditions in the lake are improving but threats like climate change remain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe State of the Lake Report is an important resource for understanding the health of the Lake Champlain ecosystem,\u201d said Agency of Natural Resources Secretary Julie Moore. \u201cThis report brings together valuable data from all three jurisdictions that surround Lake Champlain \u2013 Vermont, New York and Quebec \u2013 painting a comprehensive picture of lake health and providing insights that guide our shared work that will help restore and sustain Lake Champlain for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cDEC and the Lake Champlain Basin Program have worked together for decades to address water quality and environmental challenges facing Lake Champlain,\u201d\u00a0New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said.\u00a0\u201cAs the impacts of climate change present real and tangible challenges to protect our waterways, I join all of the partners of this program in celebrating the successes noted in the most recent State of the Lake report and the collective efforts to protect and support this vital body of water and the watershed system that feeds it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMarie-Claude Francoeur, Qu\u00e9bec Delegate to New England, said, \u201cIt is with great enthusiasm that the Qu\u00e9bec government welcomes the release of the 2024 State of the Lake and Ecosystem Indicators Report. We look forward to continue actively working with our partners from Vermont and New York State on the management of the Lake Champlain and its basin for the benefit of current and future generations. I want to once again thank and congratulate the LCBP team and the various committees for their efforts towards the many successes highlighted in the report as well as their tireless work tackling the challenges that remain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSusan Sullivan, NEIWPCC Executive Director, said, \u201cNEIWPCC is excited that the State of the Lake report continues to show the work that NEIWPCC\u2019s Lake Champlain Basin Program and our partners do to support the watershed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe impacts of climate change are among the greatest challenges. The lake\u2014which froze over nearly every year in the past\u2014now freezes once every five years and is expected to freeze over just once per decade by 2050.<\/p>\n

\n\tMore frequent and intense rainstorms like those experienced in the Lake Champlain Basin in 2023 will likely cause increased erosion and nutrient loading to the lake. Warmer air and lake temperatures work against efforts to reduce the occurrence of cyanobacteria blooms, which continue to close beaches on the hottest summer days.<\/p>\n

\n\tDespite these challenges, water quality monitoring on the lake provides hope in some areas that historically have been problematic. For example, while still higher than the target, phosphorus concentrations in Missisquoi Bay show a general downward trend since 2018.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe report includes several other positive findings on clean water and ecosystem health. Mercury levels in all monitored sport fish have returned to a downward trend, after an upward trend observed in the 2018 report.<\/p>\n

\n\tAtlantic salmon are native to Lake Champlain and prized by anglers, but wounding by sea lamprey has contributed to population declines. Wounding rates have been below targeted limits for the last three years, improving the viability of restoration efforts.<\/p>\n

\n\tNo new aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been documented since 2018, despite threats from AIS in surrounding waterbodies. The round goby, an aquatic invasive of particular concern, is \u201con the doorstep\u201d of Lake Champlain. Partners throughout the basin are working proactively to prevent its introduction to the basin.<\/p>\n

\n\tA healthy Lake Champlain relies on communities that have the capacity to implement programs to protect the Basin\u2019s resources and individuals who are involved as stewards of the Lake. The\u00a02024 State of the Lake\u00a0reports that residents are aware of water quality challenges and prioritize clean water in their communities, but more work is needed to transform awareness into action.<\/p>\n

\n\tNew programs that provide free access to recreation and cultural resources are increasing enjoyment of the lake and participation in its management. Multilingual outreach and messaging are helping to better inform members of diverse communities about fishing regulations, water quality, and human health.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe report follows the framework of the LCBP\u2019s management plan\u00a0Opportunities for Action<\/em><\/a>, which defines the following four goals: Clean Water, Healthy Ecosystems, Informed and Involved Public, and Thriving Communities. It is informed by the expertise of dozens of scientific and resource management partners.<\/p>\n

\n\tFree copies of the\u00a02024 State of the Lake Report\u00a0are available by calling the Lake Champlain Basin Program at (802) 372-3213. An electronic version may be found at\u00a0sol.lcbp.org<\/a>.\u00a0A French version of the full document will be posted online in late June.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tFor more information, please call Eric Howe at (802) 372-3213 or email\u00a0ehowe<\/span> [at] lcbp.org<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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