"Vermont is a beautiful and generally rural state, but the landscape is littered with a
toxic legacy. There are over 3000 identified hazardous waste sites and 1500 MTBE
(gasoline additive) sites that threaten groundwater. Strip mining across the state has
decimated landscapes and has contaminated water supplies. State testing has revealed that
at least 10% of wells that were sampled near agricultural areas are contaminated with
pesticides. Frog deformity rates of up to 25% have been found in rivers leading into Lake
Champlain, and this is disturbing because frogs are known to serve as an indicator
species reflecting the health of environment. Mercury pollution has lead to advisories for
limiting fish consumption in all of the lakes, rivers, and stream in Vermont. In 2001,
industries released 363,002 pounds of toxins in the state....."
http://www.middlebury.edu/media/view...cmapreport.pdf