Environmental groups appeal sinking of old ferry into Lake Champlain for divers
The Lake Champlain ferry “Adirondack” docked at the waterfront in last year in Burlington, Vt. Wilson Ring / AP
Published: 5/3/2021 10:46:05 AM
Environmental organizations are appealing a decision to allow a century-old ferry to be sunk in Lake Champlain where it would become an underwater scuba diving destination just off the Burlington, Vermont, waterfront.
The state has approved the sinking of the vessel but environmental advocates are concerned about the impact on the lake, WCAX-TV reported.
“It’s a bad message of stewardship for this lake that we need to protect and care for,” said Lori Fisher, the executive director of the Lake Champlain Committee.
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A plan to create a new destination for scuba divers in Lake Champlain is being met with pushback from a pair of environmental groups. The concept is known as an.
A plan to create a new destination for scuba divers in Lake Champlain is being met with pushback from a pair of environmental groups.The concept is known as an artificial reef. One was created in the Atlantic off the coast of Delaware and New Jersey by sinking an old Coast Guard vessel.Similarly, the Vermont version would see the scuttling of the Adirondack a historic, double-ended ferry, now mothballed, which is no longer needed, since there are others in the Lake Champlain Ferries fleet. It s a good project, it s safe, it s going to provide economic benefit, said Jonathan Eddy of the Waterfront Diving Center in Burlington.Eddy predicted divers of a wide range of skill levels will enjoy exploring the features of the Adirondack once it is sunk.Eddy said he was pleased when the idea got the green light from the Army Corps of Engineers and from Vermont s Department of Environmental Conservation.The state permit, obtained by NECN, calls the project consistent with the public