WASHINGTON — (AP) -- Lake Champlain could be the beneficiary of $55 million in federal spending for cleanup and preservation under a bill that has won U.S. Senate approval. Sens. James Jeffords and Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer of New York co-sponsored a bill that authorized the federal government to spend the money over five years.

The money would be used to help reduce phosphorus pollution from fertilizers that run off farmland and city streets, and to control invasive species such as the water chestnut, which clog surface waters and prevents swimming and boating. The money would also be used to protect human health by reducing toxic contaminants such as the bacteria that shut down Bayside Park on Malletts Bay at least 11 times last summer.

“This is a wonderful statement of commitment to the future of Lake Champlain,” said Bill Howland, manager of the Lake Champlain Basin Program. “We’re thrilled that this legislation is likely to be the basis of federal appropriations for many years to come.”

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