Seneca Lake Area Partners in 5 Counties:

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Seneca Lake Area Partners in 5 Counties
SLAP-5
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SLAP-5
Agencies with interest in the water quality of
Seneca Lake
Finger Lakes Institute, Hobart William Smith
CollegesRegional Planning Councils, County
Planning Depts.Soil and Water Conservation
DistrictsCornell Cooperative ExtensionsCounty
and Watershed Onsite Wastewater InspectorsCounty
Water Quality Coordinating CommitteesLake Groups
and Private Citizens
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What we know
Watershed 707 Square Miles 5 Counties
Land Use1999 42 active agriculture17
inactive 40 forest3 residential1 other
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Water Uses Drinking water for 75,000
people City of Geneva, Villages of Waterloo,
Ovid, Lodi, Watkins Glen, Willard, Hayts
Corners, Willard Treatment Center, Towns of
Reading, Dix, Hector, Milo, Starkey, Torrey,
Benton, Ovid, Romulus, Lodi, Varick, Fayette,
Waterloo
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• Health
• Agriculture
• Tourism Commerce
• Property values
• Tax base
• Sustainable communities

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Water quality makes a difference
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Community values
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Property values Tax base
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Active Passive Recreation
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Quality of life
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SURVEY RESULTS TO DATE Land uses and Trends
Agriculture Forestry Development Industrial and
Commercial Activities Opinions
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Need to update Setting A Course for Seneca Lake
Survey of Town Supervisors, Mayors other
municipal officials
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Land Uses and Trends Agriculture
Number of farms changing? Number of acres
changing? Products changing? Are you aware of
AEM?
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Trends in AGRICULTURE
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Increase in number of farms
Some increase in acreage
More vineyards
More animals
Anticipated increase in grain
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Agricultural Environmental Management
Program from NYS Ag Markets, available through
all county Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
Voluntary.
Provides environmental analysis of ag operations.
Offers cost-shares on a competitive basis for
installing BMPs.
Public money for public benefit.
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Fuel containment
Silage leachate containment
Grassed Buffer strips
Filter Strips
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Barnyard Management
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Chemical Mixing Containment
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Are you aware of Agriculture Environmental
Management Programs in your county?
Present in all counties in NY, variations in
activity levels.
About 2/3 of respondents were aware of AEM.
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Forestry / Forest Harvest
Acreage about the same. A few towns require
notice of intent .
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Forest Harvest concerns
soil erosion control
access roads
slope stability
infrastructure
debris (slash)
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Population,Infrastructure, Development
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Population trends

• Most municipalities have increased or maintained
  population.
• Housing developments have increased in some areas.

• Infrastructure sewers, waterlines - have been
  installed, upgraded in about half of the
  municipalities.

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Land Uses and TrendsDevelopment

• Comprehensive Plans ?
• Requirements for soil erosion sediment control
  ?
• Increased oversight on shoreline construction,
  steep slopes, near water ?

Site plan review requirements?
Who provides oversight?
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Driveways, Docks Moorings

• Standards for private driveway construction?
• Regulations for docks moorings?

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Industrial/ Commercial

• Increase? Decrease?
• Bulk chemical storage?

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Industrial/ Commercial Activities

• Increased in about half of responding areas
• Stayed about the same in most others
• More Cottage Industries
• Bed Breakfasts

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Many more wineries.
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• Bulk storage of fuels?
• Hazardous waste sites?
• Uncovered Salt Storage?

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• Local environmental requirements for marinas?

Fuel, paint, cleansers, bait, invasive species ..
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• SPDES permits?

Discharge 1000 gal wastewater/daily
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Landfills, illegal dumps, hazardous waste sites?
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Mined Lands

• Mined lands?

Concerns at north and south ends of the watershed
Mines are conduits to groundwater which flows
to the lake.
Gravel pits are direct conduits to aquifers.
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Things that worry officials -

• Septic Systems

• Animal Manure

• Ag Chemicals

• Construction

• Road Salt
• Sewage plant outfalls
• Tillage
• Withdrawals

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• Illegal dumping

• Lakeshore Lawns
• Boating recreation
• Streambank road bank erosion
• Pet poop

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Onsite wastewater treatment systems Issues
maintenance state standards inspection rentals

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Americans daily average water use 75
gallons.

Over 4 million gallons of septic system effluent
enters the soils of Seneca Lake watershed daily.
The underground watershed is also flowing to
Seneca Lake.
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Nothing Lasts Forever - and Expectations Change
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Construction Development
STORMWATER MANAGEMENT
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Land Uses and Trends Development

• Increased oversight-
• Shoreline construction?
• Steep slopes?
• Near major tributaries?

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Steep Slopes
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Site Plan Review
Local control and Inspection
DEC is good, but reactive.
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Why the concern aboutconstruction practices
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It cant be removed after its in the lake.
Phosphorus clings to soil particles.
1 pound of phosphorus in the water supports 500
pounds of aquatic plant growth.
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Outlet structure
Forebay
Stormwater pond
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Construction phasing, sequence, erosion control,
sediment controls
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Driveways
Standards for construction drainage, size,
placement
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Survey questions for your input

• Municipal sources
• Road salt
• Sewage plant outfalls
• Road bank erosion
• Streambank erosion
• Fuel storage/spills
• Landfills

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Residential Sources

• Septic Systems
• Lawn Chemicals
• Pet poop
• Boating recreation
• Shoreline Streambank Erosion

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Sensible Salting Requires Sensible Driving
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Commercial and Industrial Sources

• Marinas
• Construction
• Transportation
• Parking lot runoff
• Fuel storage/spills

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Ethanol Plant (photograph Burlington Iowa)

• Withdrawals
• Air pollution precipitation

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Agriculture
Animal manure Agricultural chemicals Tillage Fuel
storage/spills Streambank erosion
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Other
Forest Harvest Illegal dumps you name it
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Cyanobacterial toxins in New York and the lower
Great Lakes ecosystems Boyer, Gregory L.11. State
University of New York, College of Environmental
Science and Forestry,Syracuse NY 13210
Cyanobacteria blooms are common throughout New
York state waters. Historically,cyanobacteria
toxins were not measured. In recent years,
several widely publicized animal fatalities have
occurred in New York waters due to cyanobacterial
toxins. These include dog deaths in Lake
Champlain in 1999 due to anatoxin-a and in 2000
due to microcystin toxicity, as well as a dog and
water fowl deaths in Lake Neahtawanta in 2004.
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We all have a stake in Seneca Lake
Edith Davey Ontario County SWCD585-396-1450 ext
22ontswcd5_at_rochester.rr.com
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