MUD CREEK MIDDLEBURY RIVER OT

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 in your Neighborhood

and how you can make a difference
Addison County River Watch Collaborative
— Lewis Creek Summary —
 ✱
✱✱ Addison
Lewis Creek
✱ ✱ County
✱
✱ ✱
River Watch
✱ ✱ ✱ Collaborative
✱
Little Otter Creek
✱ ✱
✱ Water Quality
Otter Creek Monitoring Sites
✱ ✱ New Haven River
✱ by Watershed

✱
✱ ✱ 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
south of Addison County in
Mount Tabor, Peru and Dorset
and drains into Lake Champlain
in Ferrisburgh. At 91 miles, it is
the longest stream in the State.
The majority of Addison County’s
rivers and streams drain into
Otter Creek before entering
Lake Champlain. Water quality
monitoring has been conducted
on Otter Creek since 1992.
LEMON FAIR RIVER— is 27
miles long, beginning at Johnson
Pond in the town of Orwell. The
Lemon Fair flows into Shoreham
and includes 129-acre Richville
Pond, created by the Richville
Dam. From Shoreham it flows
through Bridport, Cornwall, and
Weybridge, where it enters the
Otter Creek. Water quality moni-
toring has been conducted on
the Lemon Fair River since 2003.
MIDDLEBURY RIVER— origi-
nates in Hancock and Ripton and
drains 63 square miles as it flows
16 miles to its confluence with Ot-
ter Creek in Middlebury. From its
headwaters it flows west through
downtown Ripton, into East
Middlebury, takes a sharp detour
into Salisbury, and flows into Otter
Creek in southwestern corner of
Middlebury. Water quality moni-
toring has been conducted on the
Middlebury River since 1993.
NEW HAVEN RIVER— is 58
miles long and flows through the
towns of Lincoln, Bristol, and
New Haven before entering Otter
Creek. The New Haven water-
shed is approximately 113 square
miles. Water quality monitoring
has been conducted on the New
Haven River since 1993.
LITTLE OTTER CREEK— drains
73 square miles and the creek
is approximately 25 miles in
length. Little Otter Creek begins
in Bristol and flows through New
Haven, Monkton, Panton, and
Ferrisburgh before entering Lake
Champlain. Water quality moni-
toring has been conducted on
Little Otter Creek since 1997.
MUD CREEK— is a tributary
of the Little Otter Creek. Mud
Creek’s watershed is 9 square
miles and the creek is ap-
proximately 12 miles long. Mud
Creek begins in Waltham and
flows through New Haven until
it reaches the Little Otter Creek
in Ferrisburgh. Water quality
monitoring has been conducted
on Mud Creek since 1997.
LEWIS CREEK - the main stem
is about 33 miles long and flows
through Starksboro, Monkton
and Ferrisburgh before entering
Lake Champlain. The 81 square
mile watershed also drains a por-
tion of Bristol, including Bristol 1
Pond, and a small section of the
town of Huntington. It also flows
through the Chittenden County
towns of Hinesburg and Char-
lotte. Water quality monitoring
has been conducted on Lewis
Creek since 1992.
 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
Phosphorus is an essential plant
nutrient, and is generally consid-
ered to be the major nutrient limit-
ing or stimulating the growth of
algae and aquatic plants in Lake
Champlain. By reducing the load
of phosphorus discharged into
Lake Champlain from its tributar-
ies, the deterioration of the lake
water quality can be halted.
Nitrogen
Nitrogen, like phosphorus, is an
essential plant nutrient, and can
limit or stimulate algal and plant
growth in lakes. Thus, to protect
Lake Champlain, it is important to
limit nitrogen loadings to the lake.

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.

Suspended sediment
Suspended sediment, measured as solids or
turbidity, is important in streams and lakes
because:
• It limits visibility in water which can be haz-
ardous to swimmers and boaters
• It limits light penetration in surface waters
which limits photosynthesis
• It settles to the bottom of streams and other
water bodies damaging habitat for aquatic
animals and breeding areas for fish
• Because phosphorus reacts with soil and
sediment, it builds up in soils, especially
where fertilizers have been applied. Runoff
from the land and high stream flows causing
bank erosion mobilize sediments and carry
them and their associated phosphorus down-
stream, and eventually into Lake Champlain.
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
Setting Standards - The Federal Clean Water Act
requires states to establish water quality standards.
Vermont established standards in 1999.
• Standards provide measures against which to
assess water quality
• Standards are based on requirements for water use,
for both human and aquatic life
• Standards provide a basis for identifying waters
impaired or threatened and in need of improvement
• Standards provide a basis for developing and imple-
menting plans for achieving water quality objectives
3
State Standards also stipulate that total phosphorus
loadings in streams shall be limited so that they will
not contribute to the acceleration of eutrophication or
the stimulation of the growth of aquatic biota in a man-
ner that prevents the full support of uses.
The Standard for total phosphorus in Lake Champlain
is 0.014 mg/l (14 µg/l) in the open lake.
 Lewis Creek –
Lewis Creek
HUNTINGTON

HINESBURG
CHARLOTTE and Pond
LCR9.9
LCR9.9

✱
Brook
LCR7.25 LCR14
LCR14 Water Quality
✱ ✱
LCT3D.5
✱
LCT3D.5
Sample Sites
LCR3.7
LCR3.7
✱ Current
✱ LCR17.2
LCR17.2

✱ Sampling
LCR18.6
Stations
MONKTON
✱
LCR19.5
LCR19.5
STARKSBORO
Watershed
✱ BUELL'S GORE
Boundary
FERRISBURGH

22A

4
VERGENNES

17
PANTON

BRISTOL
7 116

WALTHAM

NEW HAVEN LINCOLN

116

17
What is the quality of its water?
Lewis Creek is listed by the State of Vermont as impaired for contact recreation from
the Spear Street covered bridge (LCR7.25) to approximately river mile 19.5, a result
of high E. coli counts and agricultural runoff. Its tributary Pond Brook (LCT3D.5) is
listed as impaired for 1.5 miles from its confluence with Lewis Creek.

E. coli counts in Lewis Creek are high, exceeding the State Standard at all points
sampled most of the time during the summers. Counts tend to be highest between
LCR18.6 and Tyler Bridge Road (LCR14), and decrease downstream.

Turbidity increases steadily downstream, and exceeds the State Standard during
periods of high flow and runoff at most sampling sites. Turbidity reaches very high
levels at times in Pond Brook.

Total phosphorus concentrations increase steadily downstream mirroring turbidity

levels, indicating that erosion is the primary source of phosphorus in Lewis Creek.
Phosphorus concentrations reach high levels at times,
Escherichia coli Counts and the jump in the concentrations below Pond Brook
1992-2008 reflects a jump in the suspended sediment. Total
phosphorus concentrations in Pond Brook tend to be
Vermont State Standard = 77/100ml very high, as do turbidity levels.

Total nitrogen concentrations mirror those of E. coli. 5

MR5.7
LCR3.7 LCR7.25 LCR9.9 LCR14 LCR17.2 LCR18.6 LCR19.5
Median Total Phosphorus Concentrations
and fall well below the State Standard for nitrate.
Median Turbidity Values Median Total Nitrogen Concentrations
Vermont State Standard = 10NTU
➡

Vermont State Standard = 5.0mgl as N

➡
124µg/l 342µg/l 83.2µg/l 63.6µg/l
120µg/l 258µg/l 31.5NTU 36.2NTU 8.85NTU 12.2NTU
2006-2008 8 2004-2008
35.1NTU 68NTU 2006-2008
1.2
6
.8
4
Lake Champlain Standard = 14µg/l
.4
2
LCR3.7 LCR.25 LCR9.9 LCR14 LCR17.2 LCR18.6 LCR19.5 LCR3.7 LCR.25 LCR9.9 LCR14 LCR17.2 LCR18.6 LCR19.5 LCR3.7 LCR.25 LCR9.9 LCR14 LCR17.2 LCR18.6 LCR19.5
 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

® We can promote natural buffers along water bodies and wetlands

We can support bank stabilization and tree planting projects

#
identified in watershed plans
6

$ We can help with fund raising for conservation and

restoration projects

☛ We can volunteer in water quality monitoring programs

7
 Contacts…
For summaries and more detailed information about ACRWC’s other watersheds, or to find out
how you can become involved, please contact us.

Sheila Schwaneflugel ACRWC Coordinator 802-877-0054 schwaneflugel@comcast.net

Heidi Willis Otter Creek and Middlebury

River Coordinator 802-352-4327 redsprings@nbnworks.net

Pete Diminico New Haven River Coordinator 802-453-3899 diminico@gmavt.net

Louis DuPont Lewis Creek Coordinator 802-453-5538 ldupont@gmavt.net

Marty Illick Lewis Creek Association 802-425-2002 martylewiscreek@gmavt.net

Craig Miner Little Otter Creek and

Mud Creek Coordinator 802-877-2469 newminer1974@msn.com

Kathy Morse Lemon Fair River Coordinator 802-545-2859 kmorse@middlebury.edu

Kevin Behm ACRPC Assistant Director 802-388-3141 kbehm@sover.net

Ethan Swift VTDEC Watershed Coordinator 802-786-2503 ethan.swift@state.vt.us

8
ACRWC works with the following individuals and groups–

■ Residents and Landowners

■ Watershed Towns
■ Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation
■ Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets
■ US Department of Agriculture - NRCS, Farm Service Agency
This report is funded by Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation 2008
How you can help …
≈ Learn more about water quality in your watershed
≈ Participate in meetings of your selectboard,
planning commission and conservation commission
≈ Join your local watershed organization
≈ Participate in water quality sampling
≈ Participate in tree planting
≈ Donate to your local watershed organization

[ ]
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

Information about Lake Champlain and water quality in Vermont rivers

www.vtwaterquality.org

Information about water issues and the nation’s water resources

www.epa.gov/ebtpages/water.html