NEWPORT — Five environmental scientists from the United States and Quebec will present research and discuss chemical contamination risks in the Lake Memphremagog watershed at a public forum on June 10.
The event, titled “Science Matters! – Lake Memphremagog: Learning the Facts & Finding Solutions,” will begin at 6:30 p.m. in Room 380 of the North Country Career Center in Newport. It will also be available via Zoom. The forum is hosted by the Memphremagog Protection Coalition.
The panel comes as elected officials from municipalities surrounding the lake in both Quebec and Vermont have signed a joint statement calling for the prohibition of landfill leachate discharge anywhere in the Lake Memphremagog watershed. The effort aligns with H.652, a bill introduced this legislative session by Reps. Woody Page and Larry Labor that pursues the same goal.
The forum will focus on current research into the risks posed by chemical contamination in the watershed, including contamination linked to landfill leachate. Organizers noted that while leachate is not the watershed’s only source of pollution, research has shown it contains concerning levels of PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances known as “forever chemicals” — and other toxic substances that accumulate in water, fish and wildlife and threaten the health of those who drink from or eat fish from the lake.
The panelists are Dr. Vicki Blazer of the U.S. Geological Survey, who specializes in fish health and disease and has conducted research on brown bullhead in the lake; Dr. Sebastien Sauvé, an environmental chemist at the Université de Montréal; Dr. Kyla Bennett, director of science policy at the PEER Group; Dr. Nicole Dennis, a chemist and environmental toxicologist at the University of Florida; and Dr. David Bond of Bennington College, associate director of CAPA.
Marguerite Adelman, coordinator of PFAS Free Vermont, will serve as facilitator.
The event is free and open to the public. Those unable to attend in person can join via Zoom at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83011847097?pwd=0stJYL72CBHE1HdkR9ZYeqFtq63jOQ.1
