Protecting Lake Champlain.

LAKE CHAMPLAIN IS ONE OF THE NORTHEAST'S most treasured natural resources and the sixth largest body of fresh water in the nation. Tens of thousands of people visit every year to enjoy the Lake's magnificent scenery, fish its waters and observe its abundant wildlife.

Sadly, more than 30 years after the passage of the federal Clean Water Act, declining water quality still plagues Lake Champlain. Toxic bacteria from polluted stormwater runoff, leaky waterfront septic tanks and direct discharges of municipal sewage too frequently force beach closings. Excessive levels of phosphorus from agricultural runoff feed toxic algae blooms that block sunlight and choke oxygen from the Lake's struggling ecosystems. High levels of mercury and PCBs have made it dangerous to eat the Lake's fish.

In 2001, CLF launched its Lake Champlain Lakekeeper program to protect the Lake through a combination of legal advocacy and old-fashioned detective work. This summer, the Lakekeeper will test water quality in the Lake and its tributary streams and investigate illicit pollution discharges. Off the Lake, the Lakekeeper scours pollution discharge permits for inconsistencies with state and federal law and works to hold polluters and regulatory agencies accountable for their actions.

"Our Lakekeeper Initiative is not only crucial to CLF's efforts to protect Lake Champlain, but to enforcing the Clean...