Water

Alkaline hydrolysis — a cremation process that dissolves body tissue in water and chemicals — has been introduced to Vermont as a greener afterlife alternative.

How trail management is impacted by severe weather

Reliance on on-site septic and well water signifies that a place “is frozen in amber, ain’t nothing gonna happen here again, it is what it is, nothing’s gonna change,” said Chris Campany, executive director of the Windham County Regional Planning Commission.

Vermont is aging and many operators are retiring. But even before this issue, there weren’t enough operators to go around. 

Attendees gathered for the River of Light last Saturday to celebrate one of Vermont’s most important ecological resources.

The Clark Sawmill Dam collapsed during the flooding that hit Vermont in 2023, punctuating years of back-and-forths about its future. 

Scientists say the fish are a reliable measure of lake and basin ecological health.

Swimming in natural waters, also known as open water swimming, has taken over the world recreationally and competitively. These Vermont swimmers talk about the serenity it brings them, but also how it empowers their connection to nature.

A St. Albans food digester that opened in May transforms organic waste into energy, fertilizer, and water. 

Activities in the park such as a live music series and a community garden are threatened by flood risk

“The first flush is the most concentrated pollution load, and over time, dripping oil in grease from cars, road grit, and leaf litter are all built up. This system is specifically created to treat that buildup,” said Patrick Hurley, the Project Manager at Memphremagog Watershed Association. 

But there are ways to improve those roads that reduce pollution and strengthen against floods. 

“We are always looking for opportunities on the stream where we can feasibly drop wood,” said James King.

The Green River Reservoir State Park needed an alternative to a gas-powered boat. Park supporters gave them an electric canoe in order to maintain the land properly without causing a noise disturbance. 

“This spring, we collected 960 grams of seeds. That was mostly fluffy seeds, so that’s millions and millions of seeds,” said land steward Jess Colby. 

According to Curt Lindberg, chair of the Waitsfield Conservation Commission, the project spans a cumulative 260 worksites across the region.

When Canada geese molt their flying feathers in the summer, scientists see a key window to study and track them.

Community members share their concerns about water quality through state grants that could clean up waterways

Walleye season started this month. Almost 5 million of the fish have been stocked in Vermont’s waters since 2009, the state says.

A House committee recently heard the introduction of seven new bills covering five topics legislators hope to tackle.

Yellow buoys mark the wrecks’ locations, and divers can follow their lines down to submerged signage identifying each.

Neither version of the bill will get voted out of the Legislature this year, but lawmakers are making moves to develop the proposals ahead of the second half of the biennium.

Volunteers across Vermont gather to help herps traverse the roads. Most often, that entails people scooping critters into their hands and shuttling them to safety. 

For years, dams have been built to control river flow, power industry and prevent floods. Ecologists argue they just move the damage further downstream.

Around 100 of the 700 3-acre sites in Vermont are subdivisions, but the state doesn’t know exactly how many people live on those parcels.

Native plants provide the preferred food source, habitat and host for native birds and pollinators, as well as prevent invasive species from moving in.

With a background in environmental law, she steps into the role at a crucial time for the lake’s health.

Starting in 2027, builders will replace the floodgates with thicker, sturdier ones and swap out the bridge above the spillway.

Legislators in both chambers have been in talks about chloride’s impact on waterways.

Following a population dip in the 1960s and 1970s, the muskellunge were seemingly wiped out after an untreated waste spill.

The project is part of the Vermont Green Schools Initiative, a partnership between the Lake Champlain Sea Grant, state environmental conservation department and Greenprint Partners.

The project aims to eventually provide New York City with 20% of its annual energy needs through hydropower. It’s pegged to cost some $6 billion.

The July 2024 flooding was more destructive downstream while the December 2023 flooding resulted in higher flow because it involved snow and rain, said one scientist.

“You can control a lot of things — but the one thing you can’t control is if the fish is gonna bite,” said the coach of last year’s state champs.

With their own kits, groups measure E.coli bacteria levels, the marker used by the EPA to measure how safe water is to swim in.

The public will get a chance to learn more about the project at an August public meeting.

Researchers also announced the Lake Champlain Sea Grant was awarded just under $300,000 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

As of mid-July, none of the property owners nor local officials had heard back from FEMA. A year after floods ripped through Vermont, they have been left in the lurch. 

The NEK org’s $1 million fundraising goal from last summer has gone up to $2.5 million.

Barely a month after workers cut a tree off a bridge from last year’s floods, two more logs are jammed into the structure.

The commission denied the project March 27 after seven months of deliberation.

The gathering encouraged the community to reconnect and rejoice in the wake of a disaster.

The crowd included families with young children, experienced anglers, locals and visitors, all there for a day out on the ice.

Meanwhile, a state police investigation lingers and the boy’s family is in touch with an attorney.

Last month, Freak Folk Bier brewery received a grant from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation’s wastewater management program that would pay for upgrades to keep its sludge out of the waste stream.

“We rely on that water for training, and if those beaches are closed because of the quality of the water, that really impacts us,” said the Burlington diving center’s co-owner.

Lacking waste services, poor access to safe drinking water and frustration with the state’s composting requirement were highlighted as common concerns across the state in a report released late last month by state environmental officials.

Farmers are grappling with what could soon be a hay shortage that threatens their livelihoods and the normal food routines of their animals.

Even with these losses, and 10 of the 45 acres of pasture taking significant water damage, Sanford-Long considered herself one of the luckier farms last week.

A novel experiment at Shelburne Farms aims to enhance that process along Lake Champlain by using fungi.

As the state pushes toward its solar goals, what environmental questions must be examined?

When scientists detected a small, bug-eyed gray fish two years ago at the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson rivers in New York, it set off alarms everywhere along the waters of Lake Champlain.

Vermont is the only state in the country where farmers cannot readily access a program meant to pay them back for restoring habitats around their farms.

Whether towns and cities can charge farms for stormwater utility fees is at the center of a bubbling debate between state agriculture officials and municipal leaders around Vermont. 

With mud season just beginning, experts warn that Vermonters should stay away from high-elevation trails for now to protect natural areas from erosion and further damage.

Earlier this year, the Hinesburg Town Forest Committee learned that Lyman had gone into the town forest with heavy machinery and destroyed three beaver dams.

The Lewis Creek Association is a local environmental group that has been working to protect and restore Vermont waterways since 1990.

Alarmingly high levels of E.coli were found in an early February sample from a small town wastewater facility outflow into the Missisquoi River, but local officials say the testing lab didn’t tell them until weeks later — meaning the bacteria could have continued to leave the plant for most of the month.

An oil spill of at least 200 gallons occurred 100 feet away from Lake Champlain in late February, and while state officials say they can’t yet be sure, they’re optimistic the spill won’t reach the lake. 

Residents in Bethel will tackle articles to authorize $2.5 million in bonds to improve the town’s water system, fill two openings on the selectboard, and decide if the town will move to Australian ballot voting in the following year.

A power outage Monday caused up to 500,000 gallons of partially treated liquids to flood out of the city’s wastewater treatment plant and into an outflow area near Stevens Brook, a waterbody that’s connected to Lake Champlain and flows downstream into St. Albans. 

Chemicals are discharged into the Winooski River

Communities statewide are set to start a series of wastewater projects funded by federal Covid-19 relief money.

Winooski River’s Salmon Hole is part of Vermont’s list of impaired and threatened waters.

One in every five taps tested was at or above the level requiring that it be removed, because it has a higher chance of harming children. Thousands of lead-tainted taps have been replaced or are no longer in use. Photo illustration by Natalie Williams; photo by Skitterphoto via Pexels State officials have been making the […]