Lake Champlain Plan Targets Treatment Plants

It was warm and sunny on Friday afternoon two weeks ago in St. Albans, but the town beach was deserted. That’s because the water washing ashore was thick with blue-green algae, a potentially toxic threat to people and pets. “Beach closed” signs were posted up and down the stretch of lake in bulb-shaped St. Albans Bay.

This happens frequently in August, when the air and water are at their warmest and therefore most hospitable to algae blooms. When conditions change — cooler temperatures or a hearty breeze help make the algae dissipate — the beach reopens and people flock back.

Less than a mile away is the city’s wastewater treatment plant. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is targeting it as part of a sprawling plan to reduce the phosphorus that fuels the annual algae blooms. A draft plan unveiled last month would require St. Albans to upgrade the facility at a price tag of $2.9 million.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: m.sevendaysvt.com

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