The bill H.113 aims to declare Lake Memphremagog a "lake in crisis" due to significant environmental concerns, particularly related to phosphorus runoff that is causing excessive algal growth and posing threats to public health and natural resources. The bill emphasizes the lake's importance as a vital water source for over 175,000 people and an economic driver for the region. It outlines the need for immediate action to improve water quality and includes findings that highlight Vermont's responsibility for the lake's impairment, given that a majority of the phosphorus loading originates from Vermont watersheds.

Key changes in the bill include the elimination of the requirement that a municipality must demonstrate declining real property values for a lake to be designated as in crisis. The Secretary of Natural Resources will now be able to designate a lake as in crisis based on its impairment status and potential harm to public health and the environment, without the previous property valuation criterion. The bill also mandates the development of a crisis response plan that includes controls on effluent discharges into the lake's tributaries. The declaration of Lake Memphremagog as a lake in crisis will take effect immediately upon passage, while the revised criteria for lake designation will come into effect on July 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 10-1310, 10-1311(c), 10-1311