Lake Champlain advisory committee urges state to fund flood mitigation, septic upgrades and invasive‑species work

Members of the Vermont Citizens Advisory Committee for Lake Champlain presented their annual action plan to the Agriculture, Food Resiliency & Forestry Committee, asking the Legislature to prioritize funding for nature‑based flood mitigation, river connectivity projects, agricultural technical assistance, wastewater and septic upgrades, and sustained support for aquatic invasive‑species programs and public access.

"Our goal every year is to create an action plan to share with you all," Corinna Daley, vice chair of the Vermont Citizens Advisory Committee and a staff member at the Vermont Natural Resources Council, told lawmakers. The committee, which includes Vermont, New York and Quebec advisory groups supported by the Lake Champlain Basin Program, said this year’s priorities sit at the intersection of water quality, climate resilience and healthy ecosystems.

The nut graf: The committee emphasized the statewide consequences of Lake Champlain’s health, noting that roughly 56% of Vermont’s land area drains to the lake. Committee members said investments upstream — in riparian buffers, wetlands and improved infrastructure — reduce flood risk and protect drinking water, ecosystems and the recreation economy.

Committee members outlined four linked priority areas. Brett Bowden, a CAC member and retired watershed scientist from the University of Vermont, summarized the first as flood mitigation and climate adaptation. The committee urged continued…