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 04/11/2026, 17:24:25 UTC.

Briefings

Vermont spent nearly a billion dollars to clean Lake Champlain but failed to meet EPA targets, with cyanobacteria blooms persisting despite cleanup efforts. A volunteer from North Hero collected samples in August 2025, documenting thick neon green algae films that have plagued the lake since the 1960s. The state is not on track to meet its 2036 cleanup goal, having achieved only 35% of the target after 10 years. Key facts include that phosphorus runoff from agriculture and stormwater is the primary cause, and seven of the lake's 15 sampling stations exceeded annual phosphorus limits since 2015.

Key points

• A volunteer named 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.
• The state of Vermont is not on track to meet its 2036 cleanup goal for Lake Champlain, having achieved only 35% of the target after spending nearly a billion dollars over ten years.

Context

Lake Champlain supplies drinking water to about 200,000 people and has been plagued by cyanobacteria blooms since the 1960s. The state's Clean Water Act of 2015 promised tighter pollution limits and funding, but the EPA warned in 2024 that Vermont was not on track to meet its targets.

Limitations

Evidence covers only Vermont's Lake Champlain and mentions New York and Quebec as neighbors; specific dates for the 2025 sampling are limited to late August, and the 2036 target status is based on state estimates rather than verified final data.

Generated by Bittrees-hosted qwen35-2b sha256:aaf42c8b7c3c on 04/11/2026, 20:16:06 UTC. Based on publisher-provided feed evidence; may not cover the full original article. Check the source for details.

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