Solutions for Lake Champlain Pollution

The pollutants of Lake Champlain and what the community can do to preserve the lake

State governmental organizations, like the State Department of Environmental Conservation, academic institutions, and some private companies have begun efforts to improve and preserve Lake Champlain's environment in the last decade. Now it's time for each member of the community to take action.

The water in Lake Champlain has increased in quality, but it still has pollutants.

Though phosphorus is essential for plant growth, too much causes algal blooms and excessive aquatic plant growth which eventually kills fish in the lake. The amount of phosphorus has stagnated in most monitoring sites in the Lake Champlain.

"I was going to swim in the lake with my friend this summer, but my boyfriend told me not to swim there because he was really concerned about the contamination."

The Lake Champlain Basin Program has found eleven substances in Lake Champlain to be "High Priority Toxins," Dr. Robert Fuller, of Plattsburgh State University Colege, said. "Among those substances, two historical problems are PCB (Poly Chlorinated Biphenyl) and mercury because they are bioaccumulative."

PCB accumulates in fat tissues while mercury accumulates in muscle tissues. Both can cause health problems such as birth defects and cancer. New York and Vermont have issued Fish Consumption Advisories that advise people to limit the amount of, or not to eat, particular fish caught in Lake Champlain.

The fish in the lake are contaminated. Some people are concerned the lake may be harmful to swimmers as well.

"I was going to swim in the lake with my friend this summer," said Mizuki Asami, a student at PSUC. "But my boyfriend told me not to swim there because he was really concerned about the contamination."

However, "You can drink the (lake) water as much as you want," Fuller said.

According to Fuller, fish consumption advisories were issued because fish spend their entire lives in the water, so "the larger the fish, the more likely to have accumulated PCB and mercury." Swimming in Lake Champlain, or drinking the water, is fine in terms of PCB and mercury.

Where do the Pollutants Come From?

Joji Yoshida, also a PSUC student, sighed when he saw Ausable Chasm. "The landscape is beautiful, but look at that (AuSable) river. What are those weird-color bubbles on the water surface?" Yoshida asked. He also wondered if some industrial facilities are discharging the dirty water without any treatments.

The water quality of AuSable River is ranked fourth level from worst watershed, out of ten levels, in the New York State Clean Water Act Comparative Rankings. However, not only does Ausable River carry pollutants into the Lake but other watersheds do as well.

The source of pollution that is discharged from a specific point, as Yoshida wondered, is called point source. If the source is a wide geographic area, it is called nonpoint source.

Thanks to the improvement of sewage treatment and other facilities, now the percentage of phosphorus pollution from point sources around Lake Champlain has decreased from 20 to 10 percent.

Stormwater runoff, atmospheric deposition, and groundwater discharge are included in nonpoint sources. Stormwater runoff carries any pollutants on the road surface into the lake. These pollutants include de-icing chemicals, animal wastes, oils that are thrown away improperly and so on. Atmospheric pollutants can be carried by rain. Pollutants released from industrial areas in the Midwest can also fall into the lake with acid rain. Pollutants in the groundwater absorbed through ground surface can slowly flow to the lake. If seals of hazardous waste site are not enough or are broken, the groundwater will have critical damage.

Some organizations, such as Lake Champlain Research Institute, Lake Champlain Sea Grant, and Lake Champlain Basin Program, have been working on the lake's preservation and conservation, accumulating a number of achievements. Governments have tried to solve the problems by regulating pollutants, making and improving treatment facilities, removing heavily contaminated sediments in the lake and so on.

The organizations' next job is to inform communities of the important facts about the pollution and to persuade its members to improve their morals when it comes to environmental conservation.

There is, however, other ways people can help. They can reduce emitting toxic substances in their daily lives by knowing how to choose and how to appropriately dispose household products, for example batteries, which contain mercury, cadmium, nickel and other toxic substances.

When asked about the disposal of batteries, "I just throw them into a trash bin," Khoa Ngo, another PSUC student, said.

Not only Ngo, none of the eight interviewed people knew how to properly dispose batteries and other hazardous wastes. Though disposing such hazardous products with trash is illegal in New York State, many people are not informed enough to know this.

Jonathan Ruff, of Environmental Services Department of the City of Plattsburgh, said, "In regard to routine solid waste (trash), the City offers collection services as do a number of private haulers. I believe all is then disposed at the County landfill."

If batteries are disposed into trash bins, they will be landfilled without any treatment of the toxic substances. Haulers usually offer separated collection for hazardous waste and recyclable materials.

Using these precautions and more, it is possible not only to stop the pollution coming into the rivers and Lake Champlain, but to clean up pollution that is already in the lake as well.

What actions would you suggest that an individual can make to solve this problem?

Toxic Substances of Concern

High Priority Toxins:
PCB
Mercury
Arsenic
Cadmium
Chromium
Dioxins/furans
Lead
Nickel
PAH (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons)
Silver
Zinc

Potential Concern Toxins:
Ammonia
Persistant chlorinated pesticides
Phthalates
Chlorinated phenols
Chlorine
Copper
VOC (Benzene, Acetone)
Pesticides (Atrazine, Alachlor)
Strong acids and bases
Potential pollutants such as flouride