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Basin 5 - Northern Lake Champlain Basin Planning

What’s New

The final 2020 Basin 5 Tactical Basin Plan is now available for review. A story map summarizing the plan is also available at: https://arcg.is/r10Se.

The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) invited Vermonters to attend three online presentations in July 2020 to review a collaborative watershed action plan for the Northern Lake Champlain Direct Drainages. The plan encompasses a portion of the Lake Champlain watershed that stretches from Ferrisburgh to Swanton, including the Lake Champlain Islands, as well as Shelburne, Burlington, Malletts and St. Albans Bays.

Developed in partnership with members of local communities, state and federal agencies, watershed groups, regional planners, and agricultural partners, the basin plan covers four key areas:  

  1. Current water quality issues,
  2. Strategies to protect and improve local waterways,
  3. Tactics to prevent and reduce phosphorus pollution from entering Lake Champlain,
  4. Funding and technical assistance for projects, such as tree planting along shorelines, that contribute to restoration of local waterways.

“While the state is responsible for developing basin plans to restore and protect surface waters,  the participation of Vermonters in developing and activating the plan is key to the plan’s success” said Karen Bates, Watershed Planner with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation.

December 28, 2017:  The Northern Lake Champlain Tactical Basin Plan was updated to include the Lake Champlain Phosphorus TMDL – Phase II Plan materials, such as high-resolution phosphorus load modeling. 


The Basin 5 Plan dated August 27, 2015 can be found at the following link:

The Basin 5 plan dated 2009 can be found at the following links:

Basin Specific Reports

Additional Resources