Kingsland Bay is an incredibly beautiful setting with an abundance of wildlife, and is one of Lake Champlain’s best sheltered anchorages.  It is an ideal place to spend a sunny summer day or host a wedding, and its swimming and picnicking area is sought out by thousands of outdoor enthusiasts.  On a beautiful summer day, it is not uncommon for the bay to have up to 100 boats at anchor, and for hundreds of people to be enjoying swimming, fishing, picnicking and paddling along the shore of the bay.

The traditional recreational uses of this cherished bay are threatened by the proposed installation of a 400-Megawatt underwater power line to be installed directly through the bay.  The power line along the bottom of the lake from north of Plattsburgh, NY, would be installed along the east side of Kingsland Bay, passing directly adjacent to the park swimming area.  It would come ashore in the field adjacent to the park entrance road, and run underground to a converter station in New Haven. See map here.

The power line developer Vermont Green Line Devco LLC (VGL), has stated that they have “no intention of interfering with anchoring or mooring in the bay.“  This offers little or no reassurance to many boaters who routinely anchor in the bay, because if the project is installed, Federal regulations alone may prohibit anchoring along the entire east side of Kingsland Bay

We as concerned boaters are not opposed to the proposed project on principal, but we strongly object to the power line being routed through Kingsland Bay State Park.  The route for the power line must be changed.  We have proposed an alternate route which still runs through the park but not through Kingsland Bay, and which will impact far fewer boaters.

 

 

We as concerned swimmers, parents of swimmers, and fishermen are opposed to a 400,000,000 watt, 1,300 amp, 300,000 volt power cable through one of Lake Champlain’s best recreational sites.  We endorse the proposed alternate route, which while still on Park grounds would eliminate these concerns.

 

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