00A00981

Description:
Funding this award is to help the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission's (NEIWPCC's) Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) staff to accomplish the following activities and deliverables as authorized by Section 120 of the Clean Water Act:

1) Coordinate the continued exchange of state, federal, and local perspectives and concerns on LCBP programs and activities;
2) Advise the Steering Committee, states of Vermont and New York, and the Environmental Protection Agency of progress toward achieving objectives of LCBP's work plans and other activities;
3) Reduce phosphorus inputs to Lake Champlain to promote a healthy and diverse ecosystem and provide for sustainable human use and enjoyment of the lake;
4) Reduce toxic contamination to protect public health and the Lake Champlain ecosystem;
5) Promote a basin-wide perspective on water quality issues of regional and national importance;
6) Coordinate efforts of water pollution control experts to assist in evaluating the spread of invasive species in the lake and to develop an appropriate management plan to minimize their impact;
7) Minimize the risks to humans from water-related health hazards in the Lake Champlain Basin;
8) Protect, conserve, and restore Lake Champlain Basin wetlands, streams, and riparian habitats and the functions and values they provide;
9) Inform citizens of activities and progress related to program implementation and towards achieving water quality goals.

The outcomes from these projects will help improve and/or evaluate the water quality and ecological health of the Lake Champlain Basin and benefit all residents of the Lake Champlain Basin. Subrecipient deliverables, which will also benefit all residents of the Lake Champlain Basin, will support program outcomes of clean water, healthy ecosystems, and an informed and involved public.

Activities:
The activities to be performed by the funding of this award include:

- Coordination of all Lake Champlain Steering and Executive Committees and the Lake Champlain Federal Partners Workgroup;
- Ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Lake Champlain Basin Program;
- Interagency coordination and reporting;
- Review and track progress towards goals in the Lake Champlain Management Plan;
- Maintain water quality partnerships and coordinate the Technical Advisory Committee;
- Conducting cyanobacteria monitoring;
- Implementing the long-term water quality and biological monitoring program;
- Collaboration with the New York State Lake Champlain Coordinator;
- Providing agronomy support to farmers in New York;
- Creation of the binational Missisquoi Bay phosphorus model;
- Lake assessments and action plans;
- Phosphorus reduction and tracking;
- Invasive species management and response;
- Outreach and education coordination to the communities, residents, and visitors of the Lake Champlain Basin.

Subrecipient:
Known subrecipient activities include:

- Administering the long-term water quality monitoring program in the New York portion of the watershed;
- Cyanobacteria data collection;
- Road salt assessment and green infrastructure literature review;
- Development of a web-based soil health calculator that will allow users to access compiled floodplain connectivity screening results, provide planning tools, and track project implementation through a user-friendly interface;
- Agricultural water quality research of at least 30 farms measuring soil health, 60 technical assistance consultations with farmers, and 2 soil health innovator learning groups;
- Sub-watershed drainage network assessment for the Rock River;
- Preventing aquatic invasive species spread through targeted removal;
- Evaluating habitat function in floodplain natural communities of the Lake Champlain Basin to support conservation and restoration prioritization;
- Biological index development: a 'three-legged assessment stool' for lakes within the Lake Champlain Basin;
- Wool and water: using fiber art to bring science to Lake Champlain Basin communities;
- Continuing...

New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission

66.481 - Lake Champlain Basin Program

EPA Region 1: Boston [EPA - RO]

Vermont United States

State-Wide

None