Geographic Programs – Lake Champlain Basin Program

The goal of this program is to implement the Lake Champlain Basin Management Plan, Opportunities for Action: An Evolving Plan for the Future of the Lake Champlain Basin 2022 (Opportunities for Action), and to assist the states of New York and Vermont in protecting, restoring and preserving the water quality and ecological health of the Lake Champlain ecosystem. In FY 2026 efforts in Lake Champlain will continue to support the successful interstate, interagency, and international partnership undertaking the implementation of Opportunities for Action, a plan designed to protect and where necessary restore the lake's water quality, sustain healthy ecosystems in the basin, support thriving communities and inform and involve the public in lake issues and activities. Non-competitive financial awards under this program are made to the States of Vermont and New York, and to the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) to implement Opportunities for Action. Congress directed EPA to allocate $25,000,000 for the Lake Champlain program via the Appropriations Act of 2024. These funds shall be allocated through the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP), other than $8,000,000, which shall be directed to support significant, impactful projects identified in the state implementation plan that will make measurable progress towards meeting the phosphorus reduction targets of the EPA's 2016 Phosphorus Total Maximum Daily Load Plan for Lake Champlain. Funding priorities include phosphorus reduction, cyanobacteria control, water quality monitoring to track progress and alerts to the public if unsafe conditions exist, implementation of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain Invasive Species Program as authorized by the Vessel Incident Discharge Act (Public Law 115–282), aquatic invasive species prevention and control, habitat protection and restoration, and environmental education and outreach. The Lake Champlain priorities for funding include increased technical assistance, capacity, and implementation funding to support aquatic organism passage, floodplain restoration and flood mitigation, use of natural infrastructure, and habitat restoration and conservation programs. IIJA funding will also be prioritized to support significant, impactful projects identified in the state implementation plan that will make measurable progress towards meeting the phosphorus reduction targets of the EPA’s 2016 Phosphorus Total Maximum Daily Load Plan for Lake Champlain, and to implement the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain Invasive Species Program as authorized by the Vessel Incident Discharge Act (Public Law 115–282) to address invasive species in the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain.