Your environment – the land, river, streams and lakes – all work together to process, filter and otherwise manage rainwater.
Over time, these areas can be polluted, erode, or otherwise fill with sediment or other materials, causing both short and long-term problems in the environment.
Learn about what makes up a watershed and how stormwater runoff affects the stream, rivers, and Lake Champlain.
A watershed is an area of land that drains all the streams and rainfall to a common outlet such as the outflow of a reservoir, mouth of a bay, or in this case, Lake Champlain. The word watershed is sometimes used interchangeably with drainage basin or catchment.
We’ve included science experiments that are easy and simple to do with your children that highlight the impact of stormwater runoff and how it can affect the lake.
Cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, are photosynthetic bacteria that occur naturally in waters used for recreation, such as swimming and waterskiing.
Certain environmental conditions, such as elevated levels of nutrients, warmer temperatures, still water, and plentiful sunlight can promote the growth of cyanobacteria to higher densities, forming algae blooms.
Learn more about algae blooms and what you can do to help prevent them.