The Northwest Vermont Solid Waste Management District received $20,200 through the Lake Champlain Basin Program for this project. In partnership with the Vermont Department of Agriculture, 42 out of 84 known mercury manometers have been replaced with non-mercury manometers so far - at no cost to the farmers. Each manometer contains up to 1/2 pound of mercury. The mercury collected will be disposed by a certified mercury handler.

Mercury is listed as a "Group 1 Toxic Substance of Concern" for the Lake Champlain basin because it is highly toxic and can bioaccumulate in the tissue of fish and wildlife, and also humans. Both the Vermont and New York departments of health have posted consumption advisories for several fish species, such as walleye, in Lake Champlain because of mercury contamination. Click here for more information.

In addition to replacing manometers, the project will inform farmers and dairy equipment service providers about the dangers of mercury. Articles about the program are also published in Agriview, which is the newsletter of the Vermont Department of Agriculture. Farmers interested in participating in the program should contact Mike Loner at the Northwest Vermont Solid Waste Management District, (802) 524-5986.

More information and contacts:

Northwest Vermont Solid Waste Management District
Mike Loner, Project Specialist
PO Box 1547
St. Albans, VT 05478
Phone: 802-524-5986
E-mail: nwswdps@together.net

Vermont Department of Agriculture, Food and Markets
Anne Macmillan
(802) 828-2431
annie@agr.state.vt.us

Mercury Contamination of Aquatic Ecosystems (USGS Fact Sheet)