Ways to Reduce Phosphorus Runoff in Lake Champlain

1. Reduce or discontinue use of pesticides.
   


2. Use phosphate free dishwashing and laundry detergents.
   
   
3. Clean up after your pets so that the waste does not run off directly into the lake untreated.
   
   
4. Wash your car on grass rather than pavement so the detergent can be filtered through the grass instead of running directly into the storm water system and into the lake untreated.
   
   
5. If you have a lawn, cut back on the amount of fertilizer you use. Cut only a third of the length of the grass with a sharp blade, leaving the cuttings to naturally
   fertilize the grass. If you must fertilize use a low phosphate fertilizer.
   
   
6. If you live near or on the Lake, landscape your property with native plants that will provide a buffer between your lawn, garden, or road so as to filter out any pollutants
   including phosphorus before they reach the Lake. Roots are great filters. They also keep soil (which phosphorus likes to cling onto) in place.

On an acre per acre basis, developed land contributes about 3.5 times as much phosphorus to the Lake as agricultural land.

Source : Lake Champlain Land Trust