Read the Article

Click to read the article on Finger Lakes Daily News

According to the USGS website: "Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs) are increasingly a global concern because CyanoHABs pose a threat to human and aquatic ecosystem health and cause economic damages. Despite advances in scientific understanding of cyanobacteria and associated compounds, many unanswered questions remain about occurrence, environmental triggers for toxicity, and the ability to predict the timing, duration, and toxicity of CyanoHABs. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists are leading a diverse range of studies to address CyanoHAB issues in water bodies throughout the United States, using a combination of traditional methods and emerging technologies, and in collaboration with numerous partners. By providing practical applications of cutting edge CyanoHAB research, USGS studies have advanced scientific understanding, enabling the development of approaches to help protect ecological and human health." 

Visit the Current Conditions page of this website to access a link to the real time data provided by the USGS Advanced Monitoring Platform/Buoy.

By Hobart and William Smith Colleges on April 26th, 2019 

Villages, towns and cities around Seneca Lake now have a fulltime advocate for the management of their water supply’s health and longevity.

As the Seneca Watershed Steward, Ian Smith will be coordinating regional efforts to preserve Seneca Lake as a clean source of water. Hired in early 2019, Smith reports to the executive committee of the Seneca Watershed Intermunicipal Organization (SWIO), the regional body covering the 40 municipalities in five counties that span the Seneca Lake watershed. Smith is based at Hobart and William Smith Colleges’ Finger Lakes Institute (FLI), under the supervision of FLI Director Lisa Cleckner.

“People use the lake for recreation and drinking water, so first and foremost we want to protect what’s already functioning and highly valuable,” says Smith, who hopes “to take the framework of on-the-ground projects to get ahead of the game” on issues like invasive species, nutrient loading and algal blooms.

As watershed steward, Smith is tasked with developing expertise in Seneca Lake’s watershed challenges and providing guidance to steer the programming and actions of SWIO. Under this umbrella, his mandate includes updating and maintaining watershed quality data and water quality improvement projects; helping implement a Nine-Element Watershed Plan for the Seneca Lake watershed; organizing and executing programs to support SWIO plans; improving public understanding of Seneca watershed issues; and cultivating funding options for such initiatives.

Smith’s position is supported through state funds earmarked for the Town of Geneva as part of a wider $110 million effort to preserve New York drinking water at its sources through lake and watershed conservation, including protection against pollution and invasive species.

State Senator Pam Helming, who represents Geneva and helped secure that funding, notes that “the Finger Lakes as a whole, and specifically Seneca Lake, have experienced significant amounts of harmful algal blooms and toxic blue-green algae in recent years. These contaminants threaten municipal water systems and homeowners that use Seneca Lake as their main source of water. This Seneca Lake Watershed Steward will combat this by bringing together the Town of Geneva, other communities, and stakeholders along Seneca Lake to address water quality challenges through a coordinated, collaborative effort. I am grateful that we were able to secure the critically important funding for this position in last year’s state budget, and I look forward to working with the incoming watershed manager. Working together as a community, we can safeguard our lakes and enhance them for generations to come.”

“We tired to get funding for two years and then Senator Helming, knowing that we needed a watershed steward for Seneca Lake, was able to get it and make this a reality,” says Geneva Town Supervisor Mark Venuti, a member of the SWIO executive board. “We had more than 30 people apply for the job. Ian was our first choice, and we’re looking forward to working with him and helping SWIO make a significant impact for the betterment of the lake and region.”

Smith, who has worked on water quality issues in West Virginia coal country, Maryland Mennonite communities and the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, will coordinate among the SWIO, individual Finger Lakes municipal groups, area farmers and organizations like the Finger Lakes Land Trust and Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association. The key, he says, is “building bridges so people can figure out what everyone is doing. We have all these different groups heavily invested and doing good work, so now amplifying its impact through communication and coordination is the next step; that will ultimately get us to the watershed scale improvements we are looking for.”

Under memorandum of understanding, members of the SWIO are working toward the protection and improvement of Seneca Lake’s water and surrounding bodies and tributaries. (The Seneca Lake watershed includes all of Keuka Lake’s watershed.) The SWIO includes an appointed member from each municipality who participate in meetings and report plans and actions to their local government. Ex officio membership extends to regional planning board members, county Soil and Water Conservation District members, academic institutions including Hobart and William Smith Colleges and local water quality interest groups.

The SWIO meets next on Tuesday, April 30 at 7 p.m. The meeting, which is open to the public, will be held in the County Auditorium of the Yates County Building, 417 Liberty Street, Penn Yan.

The Chronicle Express - Penn Yan, NY

Over the past five years, Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association, in collaboration with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) and the Finger Lakes Institute (FLI) at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, has been diligently working to develop and implement a cyanobacteria bloom identification and notification process for Seneca Lake. Cyanobacteria, commonly known as blue-green algae or harmful algal blooms (HABs), are found worldwide especially in calm, nutrient-rich waters. Unfortunately, some species of cyanobacteria produce toxins that may negatively affect the health of animals and humans thus requiring a public notification or alert system.

Last summer, over 100 volunteers monitored 55 miles of Seneca Lake’s shoreline and submitted weekly reports of their observations. Blooms began to appear in mid-August and continued to be present through the end of September with 36 of the 39 cyanobacteria blooms identified producing high levels of microcystin. Cyanobacteria blooms are a growing problem as indicated by the chart below.

This year, in an effort to get a more complete picture of where blooms appear on the lake, organizers hope to monitor all 75+ miles of Seneca Lake’s shoreline. More than 90 percent of last year’s volunteers have agreed to participate in the shoreline monitoring program this year. However, additional volunteers to help observe the entire shoreline are still needed.

Anyone interested in helping out and who can:

‒ Attend a 2-hour training session at the Finger Lakes Institute in Geneva.

‒ Document conditions using a digital camera or smart phone.

 ‒ Observe the same segment of shoreline from Aug. 5 - Oct. 8.

‒ Submit a weekly observation report.

To learn more about this program visit https://senecalake.org/ and click on “Shoreline Monitoring Volunteers Needed” to complete a form.

Elmira Star-Gazette
By Jeff Murray

With two weeks to go until opening day of trout fishing in New York, the icy waters of Catharine Creek are teeming with spawning rainbows.

A team from the state Department of Environmental Conservation conducted its annual "shocking" of the legendary Seneca Lake tributary Monday, starting in Montour Falls before working their way south toward Millport.

Early each spring, rainbow trout that grow big in the nutrient-rich environment of Seneca Lake swim upstream into Catharine Creek and other tributaries to lay thousands of eggs that will become the next generation of potential trophy fish.

That mass migration also attracts an army of anglers hoping to hook a giant rainbow before it performs its biological imperative and heads back to the lake.

Most of the female trout sampled Monday were "hard," meaning they hadn't laid their eggs yet.

That indicates the fish are probably right in the middle of the spawning run, said DEC regional fish biologist Brad Hammers.

"The females are just swimming up the creek. We aren't seeing many males yet," Hammers said. "We've had reports from people there were fish in the creek two weeks ago. There should still be fish in the creek (opening day). If it gets warm, they will spawn and head back."

There are too many variables to predict how fishing will go opening day, but there should definitely still be some decent trout in the stream, Hammers said.

Many of the trout netted Monday also had the round scars left by parasitic lamprey eels.

The DEC conducted a lamprey eradication program last year and plans to treat the creek with lampricide again in two years, Hammers said.

Trout fishing opens April 1 on most waters. The promise of a giant rainbow draws anglers from hundreds of miles away to the banks of Catharine Creek each year.

For more information on trout fishing, go to dec.ny.gov/outdoor/fishing.html.

Environmental Monitor: A FONDRIEST publication 
by Karla Lant on March 8, 2019

The most voluminous of the Finger Lakes, Seneca Lake, rests at the heart of the local wine industry. Historically the lake has been a cool, clear body of water, but in recent times harmful algal blooms (HABs) have marred its crisp surface. Dan Corbett, vice president of water quality for the Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association, spoke to EM about what’s being done about HABs in the lake.

“I got engaged in the Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association in 2014 as a volunteer for our stream sampling program, and I have been more and more engaged over time,” explains Mr. Corbett. “I have responsibility for our water quality monitoring efforts. We have a pretty significant program that I can describe, and water quality improvement projects which we’re trying to kick off and define our organizational role for, to address some of the issues that we observe with our monitoring.”

HABs are not just a problem for Seneca Lake. All of the Finger Lakes have had problems with HABs throughout the summer, mostly in September, over the past few years.

“Even the cleanest lakes that are clearly oligotrophic in their measurements have had some very severe harmful algae blooms, and high toxin levels that have found their way into some of the water supply systems for municipalities, so it’s certainly raised a concern here,” details Mr. Corbett. “It’s certainly a large concern, and it gets people motivated to take action, either personally or politically, so that can be a positive longer-term benefit as you try to turn things around.”

Monitoring water quality in the Finger Lakes

There are monitoring efforts at some level taking place across the Finger Lakes, and policymakers are working to address these issues through improved watershed management plans that are more aggressive than they have been in the past.

“I can speak to the fact that an awful lot of work has gone into the Seneca Lake Watershed Management Plan,” Mr. Corbett describes. “The most recent editing of that plan took place in 2012, and it’s a tremendous document that contains extensive knowledge about watershed land uses, sources of contamination, along with extensive background information. It has become clear to everyone involved that we need some more focused actions and clearer priorities if we are to address some of the current issues—specifically the harmful algae bloom issues that we’re seeing.”

The management plan for Seneca Lake is shaped by the standardized formats promulgated by the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

“Completing approved plans in this fashion gives you higher marks as you seek funding for significant improvement projects,” states Mr. Corbett. The format that we’ve begun to focus on is called a Nine Element Plan, which is an EPA standard format. We’ve been in discussion with the consulting engineering group that has done this type of work for other watersheds that would play a key role in leading the effort and driving some of the more technical aspects of the plan.”

Corbett and the team believe that watershed modeling that can mathematically define pollutant loads is what has been missing from the plan before now. Along with large amounts of monitoring data, modeling can answer more questions.

“We have a pretty significant tributary monitoring program,” adds Mr. Corbett. “We currently monitor six of the tributaries in the Seneca Lake watershed. Three of those are very significant in their flow into the lake and make up the largest portion of the total fall into the lake.”

The other three tributaries are also interesting to the team, in that each offers a unique set of insights into the watershed. One is in a largely agricultural area with no urban regions and no wastewater treatment plant on it, so it provides a view of the agriculture impact. Another flows through the old Seneca Lake army munitions area. The last flows through a more forested watershed area, revealing what a more pristine area stream looks like.

“We monitor these six streams in the spring, summer, and fall,” states Mr. Corbett. “We typically have five or six sampling times and a date for sampling each tributary. We generally sample anywhere from three to seven locations on the stream, depending on how big it is and how many sub-tributaries it has that we want to obtain information about. We have an accredited local lab in Ithaca that runs our analysis. Mostly we’ve focused on nutrients and bacteria after the first year or two.”

A growing program for a growing problem

The organization has 70 to 80 people involved in the stream monitoring program around the lake. Since its inception in 2014, the program has grown each year.

“A couple years ago we began to get very focused on our harmful algal bloom monitoring,” comments Mr. Corbett. “This year we had 102 volunteers that each monitored a piece of shoreline throughout July, August, September, and early October. It’s all organized and set up on a map with each area of responsibility defined. Once a week, over the weekend, volunteers would go out and look for blooms. They’re all trained on what they look like, and on how to take samples and get them into the lab for testing. The results of that have been the discovery of many algae blooms in Seneca Lake, particularly in that September timeframe.”

An additional benefit of the monitoring program is awareness—of the program itself, but also the problem that HABs present in the region.

“So many people are out there looking, and because they’re trained and their awareness is heightened, they’re also talking to their neighbors as they’re walking or paddling the shoreline,” remarks Mr. Corbett. “There’s a lot of communication about the issue and the potential causes of these issues, so it brings an overall awareness for the lake, a heightening of that awareness. That’s a real positive.”

Of course, this much discussion of harmful algal blooms always brings up the same issues.

“That leads to the obvious question: it’s nice that you’re monitoring, but what are you doing to fix the problem?” explains Mr. Corbett. “That leads into the management plan, its definition of prioritized actions, the obtaining of funds, and the inter-municipal organizations that can help drive improvements at the municipal level. Requirements for septic system inspections and the building of new properties that meet certain standards can drive wastewater treatment plant improvements and the development of agricultural best practices.”

Of course, the fact that HABs remain in the area is a frustration—to Corbett and many others.

“There’s a lot of angst about why we aren’t doing more, and I think as a lake association we struggle a little bit with what role we can take in driving some of these soil conservation actions that largely occur at a county or district level—for example, highway departments that do ditching around the lake and municipalities that put in place rules and some governance of some of these practices,” Mr. Corbett describes. “We try to be an advocate for change and work in partnership with those organizations, including at the state level, which is exactly what initiated the upgrade of this watershed management plan, but still there’s a lot of people who want to move faster as they see the effects of the problems that we have.”

The swelling number of volunteers in this program and others like it speaks to the growing concern among everyday people about the health of the water they drink and otherwise use.

“I’m only speaking for myself, but I think there are a lot of questions out there, especially when some of our cleanest lakes experience significant blooms,” comments Mr. Corbett. “We can drive towards cleaner water, and I think it will help some, but I don’t know that it will reduce the frequency of these harmful algae blooms.”

At the state level, the DEC has established a new subgroup called the Finger Lakes Water Hub (FLWH), a group of four or five people dedicated to improving Finger Lakes water quality. FLWH works with lake associations and others to develop improved data on these water bodies, and helps drive and develop improved watershed management plans.

“The Finger Lakes water hub has initiated a lake monitoring program called CSLAP, which stands for Citizens Statewide Lake Assessment Program, in each of the Finger Lakes,” details Mr. Corbett. “On Seneca Lake, we have four mid-lake locations where our volunteers take samples near the surface and at about 60 feet deep. They also make observations of water clarity and other parameters, and they do this every two weeks throughout the summer for eight sessions, total. They do some actual lab work in the kitchen, and then they send the samples off to the lab for analysis.”

Overall, the stream and lake monitoring programs have been very positive, allowing the team to generate water quality information that they can compare to historical data to get a sense of how the lake’s water quality is changing.

“Over the past 10 or 20 years, Seneca Lake has clearly moved from an oligotrophic to a mesotrophic state,” remarks Mr. Corbett. “There are some big gaps in time, but we know where we are and where we used to be. I think the state is throwing some significant resources at this problem, which is very helpful, and I think adds to the call to action that harmful algal blooms have created. It gives us a lot more press and support for the work we’re trying to do.”

GENEVA – Senator Pam Helming today announced that the Finger Lakes region’s fight to block a proposed garbage incinerator project from moving forward at the former Seneca Army Depot in the Town of Romulus continues. Her bill to prevent Circular EnerG from obtaining a permit to build an incinerator that would require the daily delivery of more than 2,500 tons of trash to operate has advanced through the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee. It will now go before the Senate for a vote.

“The fight to stop this misguided proposal that would devastate the surrounding communities continues. This is a moment of celebration for the entire Finger Lakes region and all those who believe in clean water, clean air, and a high quality of life for our children and families. Ever since this project first came before the Romulus Planning Board, I have worked with local residents, environmental advocates, and business owners to craft this legislation and gain support for it. We brought together many diverse groups, including statewide business organizations and environmental advocacy groups, who are typically on opposite sides of the table to make sure that this project never happens and never has a chance of happening. The Finger Lakes Community Preservation Act, as the legislation is known, supports residents and business owners who are fearful of the impact this project would have on public health, the environment, their businesses, and the value of their property. Most importantly, it protects the children of Romulus who would have been forced to go to school next to a smokestack releasing who knows what. Whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, this is not a political issue. We need to continue putting the people first, not politics.  Thank you to Senator May, Senator O'Mara, and Assemblyman Palmesano for their partnership on this important legislation and to my colleagues on the Energy and Telecommunications Committee for working to advance this legislation,” Senator Helming said.

This legislation (S.2270/A.5029) prohibits the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) and others from issuing a waste-to-energy permit for a proposed trash incinerator if it meets the following conditions:

• The facility is within the Oswego River/Finger Lakes watershed;
• There is at least one landfill or other solid waste management facility permitted by the Department of Environmental Conservation and operating or located within a 50-mile radius of the proposed incineration facility;
• The proposed facility is within 10 miles of a priority waterbody as designated by the Department of Environmental Conservation.

Opponents of the project note that the incinerator would produce toxic ash from burning a range of solid wastes that can vary widely in chemical output, making compliance with emissions and toxic waste limits difficult. Siting a trash incinerator in the Finger Lakes region, with the associated impacts of air and ash pollution, will damage local tourism as well as the booming wine and agricultural industries. The Assembly bill is sponsored by Assemblyman Michael Cusick and has been referred to the Assembly Energy Committee.

Finger Lakes Wine Business Coalition Secretary William Ouweleen, also Vintner of O-Neh-Da and Eagle Crest Vineyards, said, “The Finger Lakes wine and agritourism industry is grateful that Senators Helming and May, along with Assembly Members Cusick and Palmesano, have come to the aid and rescue of the people of the Finger Lakes, through the introduction of a bipartisan bill that will prohibit garbage incineration projects in the Finger Lakes watershed. This legislation will serve to protect the economic interests of the Finger Lakes and preserve the Finger Lakes brand, which is becoming world-renowned for fine wine, food, and ecotourism.”

New York Wine Industry Association member Carol Doolittle, also co-owner of Frontenac Point Vineyard, said, “All winery owners and employees in the Finger Lakes region thank Senator Helming for successfully working to protect our environment and the tourism livelihood of thousands of small businesses. We are happy that she is collaborating with other legislators to achieve this goal and always look forward to working with her. The focus should be on reducing waste, not sending it to rural New York, where it will negatively impact residents as well as people who travel here to enjoy the beauty of the land. Landfills and incinerators are not beautiful. If they were, the waste would be disposed of where it is generated.”

Seneca Lake Guardian President Joseph Campbell said, “We remain indebted to Senator Helming for her dedication to getting this vital bill passed, and we are grateful to Senator Rachel May for her sponsorship of the bill. The proposed garbage-burning facility in the heart of the Finger Lakes has bipartisan, widespread opposition, and this bill should have been passed during last year’s legislative session. We urge Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins to do everything in their power to ensure swift passage of this bill and for Governor Cuomo to sign it into law as soon as it reaches his desk. The families and businesses of the Finger Lakes have fought long enough and deserve to have this issue settled once and for all.”

Finger Lakes Times
By DAVID L. SHAW 

GENEVA — Planting trees is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to improve water quality, according to the Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association.
In fact, SLPWA is urging property owners near Seneca Lake and its tributaries to plant trees. “Compared to the cost of building drains for storm water or repairing flood damage with concrete and steel, trees are a bargain,” said Rich Weakland, SLPWA president. The organization issued a statement Thursday on the ways trees help protect Seneca Lake. They include:

INTERCEPTION: During rainstorms, tree canopies are the first line of defense. Leaves and branches intercept the falling rain, dispersing it at a slower rate over a large area, encouraging more absorption by the ground.

FILTRATION: Trees help to filter road salt, fertilizers and pesticides out of water. Some chemicals are taken up by the trees themselves while others are taken up by fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms that exist in forest soils.

INFILTRATION: Decomposing materials from trees and plants collect on the ground and form an absorptive layer that acts as a sponge that soaks up water. A tree’s root system helps to break up compacted soil, opening up spaces for water to soak into the soil.

STABILIZATION: Tree roots help give the soil structure, preventing erosion. Organic matter from leaves and microorganisms living in the soil help hold soil together, acting like glue to bind soil particles together.

HABITAT: Trees growing along the lake’s shoreline or along the banks of a stream or creek support aquatic life. Leaves and seeds provide food for insects that, in turn, are eaten by fish and other large animals. Roots, falling logs and branches provide food, shade and hiding places in the water. Trees also shade the water, keeping it cool for species that are sensitive to temperature and keeping down the growth of algae and weeds that can clog waterways.

Weakland said the Ontario, Seneca and Schuyler County Soil and Water Conservation Districts will sell seedlings this spring. People can pre-order by Friday, March 8, and receive the trees for planting in May. Those district offices can be contacted for details.

For more information, call (585)396-1450 in Ontario County, (315)568-4366 ext. 4 in Seneca County, and (607)535-0878 in Schuyler County.

SLPWA’s membership cycle begins June 1 and ends May 3, 2020. Weakland says anyone interested in the protection and preservation of Seneca Lake can help by joining the organization. People can join by visiting senecalake.org. The cost is $10 for students, $30 for households and $50 for businesses.

Checks can also be mailed to SLPWA, P.O. Box 247, Geneva, 14456.

The Chronicle-Express - By John Christensen
Posted Jan 6, 2019 at 12:01 AM

The Seneca Watershed Intermunicipal Organization (SWIO) is conducting a search for the new watchdog/advocate to protect Seneca Lake as a clean source of water. According to Mark Venuti, chair of SWIO, State Sen. Pam Helming got $110 million in Clean Water funds tucked in the state budget, and $200,000 of that is earmarked for the Town of Geneva to hire the Seneca Watershed Steward, and to fund program efforts.

The SWIO Steward is a full-time, benefits-eligible, administrative salaried position for $59,000 per year. Venuti says Hobart & William Smith Colleges will manage payroll and the Finger Lakes Institute (FLI) will provide office space. Venuti says this arrangement of support relieves SWIO of the burden of administration and paying for office space.

Venuti says he expects the steward will report day-to-day to Dr. Lisa Cleckner, Director of the FLI, and to the SWIO governance group as an executive committee. SWIO hopes to fill the position by the end of January, and already has six applicants for the post.

According to the request for applications, the Seneca Watershed Steward will work on behalf of SWIO to “identify and implement projects in the watershed and lake to improve the water quality of Seneca Lake. The watershed steward will be the “on the ground” Seneca Lake expert and work with a number of different stakeholder groups, including the Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association, county governments, water purveyors, business and tourism entities, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, agricultural producers, academic institutions, Keuka Lake (part of the Seneca Lake watershed) organizations, and citizens to ensure that the lake remains a Class AA drinking water source. An annual work plan for this position will be developed in consultation with a small governance group (five members) from intermunicipal groups of Seneca and Keuka Lakes, watershed associations of Seneca and Keuka Lakes, and the Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.”