Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2008VT32B

Treatment Solutions to Reduce Nutrient and Bacterial Inputs to Lake Champlain at Shelburne Farms

Institute: Vermont
Year Established: 2008 Start Date: 2008-03-01 End Date: 2010-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $26,629 Total Non-Federal Funds: $137,562

Principal Investigators: Sarah Lovell, Alan Mcintosh

Project Summary: Ecological and social functions of Lake Champlain are increasingly threatened by high concentrations of contaminants such as phosphorus which promotes the growth of algae and aquatic plants. Of the 80% of phosphorus entering the lake from non-point sources, approximately 55% is contributed by agricultural activities (Lake Champlain Steering Committee, 2003). Animal waste from agricultural livestock also contributes to harmful strains of bacteria that threaten the health of individuals swimming at public beaches or drinking the water. At Shelburne Farms, a non-profit education center and working dairy farm located directly on Lake Champlain, water quality was monitored in 2004, 2005, and 2007 to determine concentrations of nutrients and bacteria entering Lake Champlain. The results indicate unacceptable levels of phosphorus and E. coli enter the lake in runoff from agricultural areas during storm events. Shelburne Farms intends to serve as a model of environmental stewardship by considering ecological, practical, and cost-effective remediation strategies that will improve the water quality of runoff entering the lake and to provide an education function in demonstrating new treatment technologies. This project will require a multi-scale approach considering: 1) the watershed scale, to develop an ArcGIS flow path model to characterize the relationship between surface flow from the farm landscape into Lake Champlain; 2) the farm scale, to consider land use structure and livestock management activities; and 3) the site scale, to develop a design for a system to treat contaminated runoff from key areas. The focus of this initial effort will be the implementation of a bioretention system designed to treat runoff from the dairy barnyard source area. We hypothesize that bioretention systems designed for agricultural runoff in primary source locations are ecological, practical, and cost-effective solutions for reducing phosphorus and E.coli concentrations to acceptable standards, decreasing the contribution to surface water sources such as Lake Champlain. We will test this hypothesis by designing and installing a site-specific bioretention system for runoff from the dairy barnyard and manure storage facilities focusing on ecological, practical, and cost-effective technologies to reduce nutrient and bacteria loads entering Lake Champlain. The system design will be based on a model of surface flow from the dairy barnyard to the wetland. We will monitor total phosphorus (TP), total suspended solids (TSS), and E. coli from runoff at input and output points along multiple stages of the bioretention system using a standardized sampling protocol. Soils and vegetation will be analyzed in the bioretention system and the downstream wetland to determine the potential for long-term nutrient retention and pathogen transport. This project will be used to educate the public about opportunities to improve the health of Lake Champlain through innovative, yet practical solutions for stormwater management on farms.