Politics

Vermont Has Spent Nearly a Billion Dollars to Clean Up Lake Champlain. But the Green Slime Keeps Coming Back.

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Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 06/11/2026, 20:24:26 UTC.

Briefings

Vermont spent nearly a billion dollars to clean Lake Champlain but failed to meet its 2036 phosphorus cleanup targets, with cyanobacteria blooms persisting despite state efforts. A volunteer monitoring program by Jeff van den Noort documented thick neon green algae films in August 2025, while ProPublica analysis of 2015-2025 data showed seven of the lake's 15 sampling stations exceeded EPA phosphorus limits annually since 2015. The state is not on track to meet its 2036 goal, requiring more than double the annual pace, and farm pollution reductions have slowed since 2023.

Key points

• Jeff van den Noort collected cyanobacteria samples from Lake Champlain in North Hero, Vermont, in late August 2025, documenting thick neon green algae films coating the water just steps from his home.
• ProPublica analysis of lake monitoring data through 2025 revealed that seven of the lake's 15 sampling stations exceeded EPA annual phosphorus limits every year since 2015, with four stations recording higher average phosphorus levels over the past decade than in the decade before.

Context

Lake Champlain supplies drinking water to about 200,000 people in Vermont. The state signed Vermont's Clean Water Act in 2015 to tighten pollution limits and fund cleanup, but the EPA warned in 2024 that the state was not on track to meet its 2036 cleanup goal.

Limitations

Monitoring data covers only the period from 2015 to 2025, with no information on pre-2015 conditions or future trends beyond the 2036 target deadline.

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