UVM researchers say climate change should play factor in water quality goals

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - University of Vermont researchers say that if progress is to be made in cleaning up Lake Champlain, state and federal regulators must factor in climate change.

Each summer as temperatures climb, beaches in some areas are forced to close because of cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae blooms. Researchers in a new study published this spring in Earth’s Future, say that current water-quality standards focus on levels of phosphorus that runoff from farms and other sources, but don’t account for existing “legacy” phosphorus in sediment that lies in wait for warmer temperatures.

Darren Perron spoke with Asim Zia, a UVM professor of public policy and the lead author of the article.

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