The Burlington Bay Project was designed to provide the local community with information about the health of Lake Champlain in the greater Burlington area. Key concerns raised by the public over the last decade have centered on the Bay's water quality, healthy recreational use of the Bay and its shoreline, and the impacts of zebra mussels and toxic contaminants on the Bay ecosystem. To address these concerns, the project focused on the following objectives over the last five years:

1. Investigating the water quality and pollutants in the stormwater that flows directly into Burlington Bay and the potential risks that these pollutants pose for people and the aquatic organisms in the Bay.
    
2. Evaluating the overall extent of pollution in the sediments and organisms in Burlington Bay.
    
3. Examining the changes in the ecosystem that may be occurring as zebra mussels have proliferated throughout the Bay.
    
4. Sampling the plankton (tiny plants and animals floating in Bay waters) as indicators of the overall condition of the Bay ecosystem.
    
5. Evaluating the potential for toxic blue-green algae blooms in Burlington Bay, and screening for the presence of toxins in the public water supply.
    
6. Assembling baseline information on the fish using the habitats in Burlington Bay.

Web links:

Burlington Bay Project Website

Relevant Publications:

• Burlington Bay Project Final Report