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Vermont DEC: Many once‑clear lakes showing rising phosphorus; monitoring and alum treatments highlighted
Summary
Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation officials told a committee that long‑term monitoring shows rising phosphorus in many oligotrophic lakes, and the agency described monitoring programs and targeted alum treatments used to reduce in‑lake phosphorus.
Jenny Austin, the new lakes and ponds program manager at the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, told a state committee that long‑term monitoring shows phosphorus concentrations are increasing in many of the state’s otherwise clear, cold lakes.
The trend matters because increasing phosphorus raises the risk of algal blooms and long‑term declines in water clarity, recreation and certain cold‑water fisheries. “Lakes and ponds are a focal point of the watershed system,” Austin said, adding that the agency monitors trophic state, shoreland condition and invasive species to gauge lake health.
Austin described the agency’s monitoring framework, including the Vermont Lay Monitoring Program, which trains volunteers to sample lake water…
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