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Dam Removal Advances Atlantic Salmon Restoration in Lake Champlain Basin
Two dams that stand between Atlantic salmon and upstream spawning habitat on the Saranac River in New York are coming down, the culmination of years of collaboration among the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Trout Unlimited and other public-private partners. The Lake Champlain Basin Program supported the project by providing $370,000 in funding through its…
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Volunteers Remove Invasive Plant from Waterways
Working from both land and water, volunteers hand-pulled water chestnut, an invasive plant, from waterbodies in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Over the course of 10 events this past June and July, 133 community members removed forty-six cubic yards of plant material from four locations, totaling 463 volunteer hours. These efforts are part of a habitat…
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Beneath the Surface
By Matthew C. H. Vaughan In forested watersheds, we are accustomed to seeing tranquil headwater streams and cascading rivers flow through the trees. In cities, gutters and storm drains replace these natural features to move water through the urban environment. For agricultural landscape, however, hidden “tile drains” make up water conveyance systems that are often…
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National Nonpoint Source Workshop focuses on Collaboration and Interconnectedness
NEIWPCC hosted a four-day National Nonpoint Source (NPS) Training Workshop in Minneapolis in November. The event brought together more than 300 federal, state, tribal, territorial, and other NPS program practitioners involved with activities under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act. Last held in-person in 2018, the workshop provided a forum for discussion and coordination…
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LUSTLine Examines the Past, Present and Future of the Tanks Industry
The latest issue of LUSTLine (#93) looks back at the history of the underground storage tanks industry, while also highlighting some of the newest developments in the field. Marcel Moreau, a nationally recognized petroleum storage specialist, investigates the impact that the Veeder Root TLS 350 has had in preventing fuel tanks from leaking through quick detection…
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The Role of Nutrients in Water: Launching Season Two of the Clean Water Pod
Season two of the “Clean Water Pod” podcast will focus on nutrient-related success stories from across the country. To set the stage for this topic, host Jeff Berckes kicks off the first episode by speaking with two professors about the role of the commonly found nutrients, nitrogen and phosphorus, in water quality. To learn about…
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New Officers Elected at Fall Commissioners Meeting
NEIWPCC hosted its annual fall Executive Committee and Commission meeting in Plymouth, Massachusetts in September. Attendees included representatives and commissioners from NEIWPCC’s seven member states, the U.S. EPA Regions 1 and 2, and invited guests from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the New York and New England Environmental Finance…
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Interstate Waters Explores Tile Drains and Environmental Art
The Fall 2023 issue of Interstate Waters features Matthew C. H. Vaughan, chief scientist at the Lake Champlain Basin Program, examining the challenges presented by the use of agricultural “tile drains.” These hidden pipes run under the surface of farm fields to move water away from the crop root zone. However, their use creates challenges…
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Economic Study in the New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary Reveals Improved Water Quality Creates Significant Economic Value
The New York-New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program (HEP) and NEIWPCC released the first-ever attempt to calculate the economic value of clean water in the New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary. The report, which was completed by management consulting company ICF and NEIWPCC, and funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), suggests that even relatively…