Lesson's Learned in Implementing the Lake Champlain Phosphorus TMDL

The Lake Champlain Phosphorus TMDL was developed and submitted jointly by the States of Vermont and New York to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2002. The TMDL included a Vermont-specific implementation plan describing action items and funding needed to accomplish the necessary phosphorus load reduction. The implementation plan has served as a basis for the efforts of the state agencies of Natural Resources and Agriculture, Food and Markets by guiding annual funding requests, staffing levels, and program priorities for the past six years. During this time, the state has invested more than 45 million dollars in its efforts to improve water quality in the Lake, and in turn has leveraged these dollars to obtain an additional 40 million in federal funding. This paper discusses Vermont's efforts to implement the 2002 phosphorus TMDL, as well as the approach that will be used going forward.