L E M O N FA I R R I V E R L E W I S C R E E K L
✱
✱ ✱ Water Quality
✱ Sampling Sites
in 2007
✱✱ ✱ Streams and
Middlebury River Lake listed as
✱
✱ impaired or in
need of further
✱ ✱ assessment
Lemon Fair
River
✱
✱
✱
What is the Addison County River Watch Collaborative?
The Addison County River Watch Collaborative (ACRWC) is a
citizen organization that samples and monitors surface water
quality to inform water quality and stream corridor improvement
measures in the Addison County region. Today, the collaborative
includes several distinct watersheds described below.
OTTER CREEK— originates ter Creek in Middlebury. From its MUD CREEK— is a tributary
south of Addison County in headwaters it flows west through of the Little Otter Creek. Mud
Mount Tabor, Peru and Dorset downtown Ripton, into East Creek’s watershed is 9 square
and drains into Lake Champlain Middlebury, takes a sharp detour miles and the creek is ap-
in Ferrisburgh. At 91 miles, it is into Salisbury, and flows into Otter proximately 12 miles long. Mud
the longest stream in the State. Creek in southwestern corner of Creek begins in Waltham and
The majority of Addison County’s Middlebury. Water quality moni- flows through New Haven until
rivers and streams drain into toring has been conducted on the it reaches the Little Otter Creek
Otter Creek before entering Middlebury River since 1993. in Ferrisburgh. Water quality
Lake Champlain. Water quality monitoring has been conducted
monitoring has been conducted NEW HAVEN RIVER— is 58 on Mud Creek since 1997.
on Otter Creek since 1992. miles long and flows through the
towns of Lincoln, Bristol, and
LEMON FAIR RIVER— is 27 New Haven before entering Otter LEWIS CREEK - the main stem
miles long, beginning at Johnson Creek. The New Haven water- is about 33 miles long and flows
Pond in the town of Orwell. The shed is approximately 113 square through Starksboro, Monkton
Lemon Fair flows into Shoreham miles. Water quality monitoring and Ferrisburgh before entering
and includes 129-acre Richville has been conducted on the New Lake Champlain. The 81 square
Pond, created by the Richville Haven River since 1993. mile watershed also drains a por-
Dam. From Shoreham it flows tion of Bristol, including Bristol 1
through Bridport, Cornwall, and LITTLE OTTER CREEK— drains Pond, and a small section of the
Weybridge, where it enters the 73 square miles and the creek town of Huntington. It also flows
Otter Creek. Water quality moni- is approximately 25 miles in through the Chittenden County
toring has been conducted on length. Little Otter Creek begins towns of Hinesburg and Char-
the Lemon Fair River since 2003. in Bristol and flows through New lotte. Water quality monitoring
Haven, Monkton, Panton, and has been conducted on Lewis
MIDDLEBURY RIVER— origi- Ferrisburgh before entering Lake Creek since 1992.
nates in Hancock and Ripton and Champlain. Water quality moni-
drains 63 square miles as it flows toring has been conducted on
16 miles to its confluence with Ot- Little Otter Creek since 1997.
How is water quality measured?
There are four important parameters that define water quality in streams flowing
into Lake Champlain and its major tributaries—
Phosphorus Nitrogen
Phosphorus is an essential plant Nitrogen, like phosphorus, is an
nutrient, and is generally consid- essential plant nutrient, and can
ered to be the major nutrient limit- limit or stimulate algal and plant
ing or stimulating the growth of growth in lakes. Thus, to protect
algae and aquatic plants in Lake Lake Champlain, it is important to
Champlain. By reducing the load limit nitrogen loadings to the lake.
of phosphorus discharged into
Lake Champlain from its tributar-
ies, the deterioration of the lake
water quality can be halted.
Escherichia coli
2 Escherichia coli is a generally harmless bac-
terium found normally in the intestinal tracts
of warm-blooded animals, but not generally
in the natural environment. Its presence in
the environment is therefore considered an
indication of possible fecal contamination,
and of the possible presence of other bacte-
ria capable of causing an intestinal disease.
Vermont Water Quality Standards
Parameter Unit Standard
Escherichia coli MPN 77/100 ml.
Nitrate mg/l as N 5
Turbidity* NTU 10
*Standard for cold water fish
NHR9
NHR9
NHR8
Current
✱✱
NHR8 NHR11.5
NHR11.5
✱
17 BRISTOL
✱ NHR13
NHR13
WARREN Sampling
17
✱ Stations
7
Watershed
NEW HAVEN
NHR6 NHR15 Boundary
NHR6 NHR15
✱ ✱L I N C O L N
NHR0.5
GRANVILLE
✱
4
WEYBRIDGE 116
MIDDLEBURY
125 RIPTON
7
GRANVILLE
CORNWALL
What is the quality of its water?
E. coli counts in the New Haven River generally are close to the State Standard,
but rise to high levels during periods of high flow and runoff, greatly exceeding the
standard for swimming waters.
Turbidity levels in the New Haven River increase steadily downstream but are
generally low and below the State Standard. However, at times of high flow and
runoff, turbidity levels reach very high levels, greatly exceeding the State Standard
near its mouth at NHR0.5.
Total phosphorus concentrations in the New Haven River are generally low,
increasing downstream as do turbidity levels, indicating that phosphorus in the
river is mainly associated with suspended sediment. Moderately high phosphorus
concentrations occur at times of high flow and runoff and are associated with high
sediment loads.
5
NHR0.5 NHR6 NHR9
Median Total Phosphorus Concentrations Median Turbidity Values Median Total Nitrogen Concentrations
Vermont State Standard = 5.0mgl as N
➡
173µ/l 158NTU
57.5µ/l 19.3NTU 2008
2008 2008
34.3µ/l 4
.8
3 Vermont State Standard = 10NTU
Lake Champlain Standard = 14µg/l
.4
2
.2
1
NHR0.5 NHR6 NHR9 NHR0.5 NHR6 NHR9 NHR0.5 NHR6 NHR9
What can we do together to improve and protect
the water quality in our rivers?
Our towns and watershed organizations can develop watershed
#
plans and involve landowners in protecting our rivers and
Lake Champlain
( Our community can inform its citizens about water quality issues
and promote protective policies at the town and state levels
8
ACRWC works with the following individuals and groups–
[ ]
Addison County River Watch
Collaborative’s information
complements the state’s data
by identifying sources of nutri-
ent loading entering the lake.
Bill Hoadley
Photo © The Nature Conservancy
L E M O N F A I RStill
R Ihave
VER LITTLE OTTER C
questions?
R E E K N E W H A V E N R I V E R L E M O N FA
Information about each watershed with full water quality reports
www.acrpc.org • www.lewiscreek.org