Help may be on the way for Vermont’s lakes.
A National Lakes Assessment conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency in 2007 found that of the stressors included in the assessment, poor
lakeshore habitat (measured by the amount and type of lakeshore vegetation) is
the biggest problem in the nation’s lakes. Over one-third of the nation’s
lakes exhibit poor lakeshore habitat, and poor biological health is three times
more likely in these lakes. Lake assessments in Vermont have shown that
Vermont lakes rank worse than the northeast region and the national average
(lower 48 states) in terms of shoreland disturbance. Only 17% of Vermont
lakeshores are in good condition as measured by the extent of disturbance and
lawns along the shore, compared to 42% regionally and 35% nationally.
Vermont is the only northeastern state without state standards for shoreland
development.
Studies in Vermont and nationally show a strong correlation between cleared
shoreland and loss of shallow water habitat for fish and other organisms.
After learning of these studies, in 2012 the Vermont Legislature passed Act 138,
which in part directed the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources to report back to
the Legislature with recommendations on how the state should work toward the
restoration and protection of lake shorelands, including how the state should
regulate development in shorelands, whether the state should enact statewide
regulation for activities within shorelands, and whether any regulation of
activities within shorelands should be based on site-specific criteria.
The resulting Act 138 Shorelands Report, Lake Shoreland Protection and Restoration Management Options, can be viewed at the following link:
http://www.anr.state.vt.us/
The resulting Act 138 Shorelands Report, Lake Shoreland Protection and Restoration Management Options, can be viewed at the following link:
http://www.anr.state.vt.us/
An Executive Summary of the report can be found at:
It is anticipated that a bill will be introduced in the Vermont Legislature
this session to improve lake water quality in Vermont through a new approach to
the management of Vermont’s lakeshores. As the Act 138 Shorelands Report
states, “This is an opportunity for the Vermont Legislature to implement a fair
and effective program for lakeshore management and protection to ensure that the
state’s economic, social, and ecological values are protected for current and
future generations.”
