Grand Isle, VT – The Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) seeks proposals for an inventory of roads and implementation of a program to reduce phosphorus inputs to Lake Carmi from roads. The LCBP will provide up to $100,000 for this project. The work is intended to help reduce cyanobacteria blooms in the Franklin, Vermont lake, which was designated as a “Lake in Crisis” by the Vermont Legislature in 2018.
Lake Carmi suffers from cyanobacteria (also known as blue-green algae) blooms that result from high nutrient concentrations. A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMD) for phosphorus was issued in 2009 with the aim of reducing inputs to the lake. The “Lake in Crisis” designation prompted the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VTDEC) to issue a Crisis Response Plan. A roads assessment and improvement effort was one of the primary objectives of the plan.
The project funded by the LCBP Request for Proposals will include two phases. Phase 1 will consist of a road erosion inventory on privately owned roads and driveways that are not already subject to a state stormwater permits. Roads will be mapped and prioritized based on the potential to reduce phosphorus inputs. In Phase 2, the selected contractor will conduct a pilot program for working with and providing funds to willing landowners to repair and improve eroded roads.
In addition to state stormwater management goals, the project will further the goals of the Lake Champlain Basin Program’s long-term management plan Opportunities for Action. Support is provided with funds awarded to the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission on behalf of the Lake Champlain Basin Program by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Details about the Request for Proposals are available online at lcbp.org/grants or by calling the Lake Champlain Basin Program office at (802) 372-3213. The deadline for applications is January 3, 2020. Successful applicants will be notified by February 2020 for project initiation by May 2020.
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The Lake Champlain Basin Program coordinates and funds efforts that benefit the Lake Champlain Basin’s water quality, fisheries, wetlands, wildlife, recreation, and cultural resources. For further information about the program, contact the Lake Champlain Basin Program, 54 West Shore Road, Grand Isle, VT at (802) 372-3213 / (800) 468-5227 or visit www.lcbp.org.
