OWASCO - Dave VanArsdale remembers spending his summers fishing on Owasco Lake when the water was so clear he could see the fish and the bottom of the lake.
Today, VanArsdale, a property owner on Owasco Lake in Fleming for 42 years, can see no more than three feet into the lake now overflowing with weeds and algae.
Owasco Lake is in the worst condition of the Finger Lakes, said John Halfman, director of environmental studies at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, at a meeting planned by state Sen. Michael Nozzolio at Emerson Park Thursday night.
Joe Wasileski, vice president of the Owasco Watershed Lake Association, holding a sign reading, “Do you like swimming with dead fish?” said, “We think the lake is being taken advantage of. We need someone there all the time monitoring it because the volunteers can't do it all.”
Attendance was far beyond expected (estimated around 200), indicative of the need to protect the lake, said Nozzolio, R-Fayette.
“Once the lake is polluted it will stay polluted for a long time,” Halfman said. “You're at an advantage because it still can be fixed. We have to do it now.”
Nozzolio called the meeting to discuss and learn about the issues causing the lake's pollution. Nozzolio completed his goal of ending the meeting with an action plan of how to clean up the lake.
“As policies are developed by you all, we will find the money to fund them,” Nozzolio said. “But I want the money to go to solutions.”
The lake's biggest pollutant is high phosphorous levels causing an overgrowth of algae and weeds which kills off oxygen needed for fish and plants to survive.
Cayuga County reports indicate that the village of Groton's sewage treatment plant contributes between 5 and 30 percent of phosphorus in the lake, Halfman said. While Groton is an easily recognizable point source of phosphorous discharge, Halfman believes field runoff and septic systems supply much of it.
Nozzolio said that he will now monitor work between the Department of Environmental Conservation and the plant.
A voluntary consent agreement is ready to be signed by the village, requiring Groton to minimize phosphorous either with chemicals or plant expansion, however, the amount of reduction needed will not be known when the plant's permit needs renewal Aug. 1.
An expansion of the plant will create space for more filtration systems.
“Groton is only one small piece of the problem,” Halfman said. “It's harder to measure what onsite septic systems and fields empty into the lake.”
DEC regional engineer Mary Jane Peachey updated the audience about the Groton sewage plant's attempts to reduce phosphorous.
The plant is working on pilot testing with chemicals to reduce phosphorus and is also planning to expand the plant's size in order to allow room for more filtration equipment, Peachey said.
Nozzolio and Peachey created an action plan to finish the plant's chemical testing by the end of July. In August, the results will be analyzed and then an agreement will be made if needed to expand the plant in 2007, Peachey said.
“No plans are final until after evaluation of the chemical testing,” Peachey said. “The village is ready to work and be cooperative.”
If phosphorous levels can be cut by fall, in two years lake conditions will improve, said Bruce Natale, Cayuga County's environmental engineer.
Al Kozlowski, of the Owasco Watershed Lake Association, said the DEC's commitment to continue experimenting is good but not enough.
“We are way past this point. We need to stop testing. We have enough so let's do something,” Kozlowski said.
Kozlowski also addressed the idea of creating a lake steward position, a person who fully focuses on lake conditions.
“We don't need more bureaucracy. This isn't brain surgery, let's all get on the same page and get something done, We need someone to enforce policies” Kozlowski said.
Nozzolio responded to Kozlowski's statement, “All the hard work your organization has done and the lake is still dirty. I don't think the requests are good enough. I want to do more, and now understand more about it.”
Nozzolio suggests organizations like Finger Lakes Institute and OWLA go to the county to come up with an agreed plan of action. Nozzolio supports establishing additional funding for more needed research of public concerns including other sources of phosphorous discharge.
“We need to deal with the fire before the fuel,” VanArsdale said. “I am happy to see people taking steps to address the problem. We should deal with Groton as one of the first issues.”
Staff writer Kristina Martino can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or at kristina.martino@lee.net
Owasco Lake is in the worst condition of the Finger Lakes, said John Halfman, director of environmental studies at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, at a meeting planned by state Sen. Michael Nozzolio at Emerson Park Thursday night.
Joe Wasileski, vice president of the Owasco Watershed Lake Association, holding a sign reading, “Do you like swimming with dead fish?” said, “We think the lake is being taken advantage of. We need someone there all the time monitoring it because the volunteers can't do it all.”
Attendance was far beyond expected (estimated around 200), indicative of the need to protect the lake, said Nozzolio, R-Fayette.
“Once the lake is polluted it will stay polluted for a long time,” Halfman said. “You're at an advantage because it still can be fixed. We have to do it now.”
Nozzolio called the meeting to discuss and learn about the issues causing the lake's pollution. Nozzolio completed his goal of ending the meeting with an action plan of how to clean up the lake.
“As policies are developed by you all, we will find the money to fund them,” Nozzolio said. “But I want the money to go to solutions.”
The lake's biggest pollutant is high phosphorous levels causing an overgrowth of algae and weeds which kills off oxygen needed for fish and plants to survive.
Cayuga County reports indicate that the village of Groton's sewage treatment plant contributes between 5 and 30 percent of phosphorus in the lake, Halfman said. While Groton is an easily recognizable point source of phosphorous discharge, Halfman believes field runoff and septic systems supply much of it.
Nozzolio said that he will now monitor work between the Department of Environmental Conservation and the plant.
A voluntary consent agreement is ready to be signed by the village, requiring Groton to minimize phosphorous either with chemicals or plant expansion, however, the amount of reduction needed will not be known when the plant's permit needs renewal Aug. 1.
An expansion of the plant will create space for more filtration systems.
“Groton is only one small piece of the problem,” Halfman said. “It's harder to measure what onsite septic systems and fields empty into the lake.”
DEC regional engineer Mary Jane Peachey updated the audience about the Groton sewage plant's attempts to reduce phosphorous.
The plant is working on pilot testing with chemicals to reduce phosphorus and is also planning to expand the plant's size in order to allow room for more filtration equipment, Peachey said.
Nozzolio and Peachey created an action plan to finish the plant's chemical testing by the end of July. In August, the results will be analyzed and then an agreement will be made if needed to expand the plant in 2007, Peachey said.
“No plans are final until after evaluation of the chemical testing,” Peachey said. “The village is ready to work and be cooperative.”
If phosphorous levels can be cut by fall, in two years lake conditions will improve, said Bruce Natale, Cayuga County's environmental engineer.
Al Kozlowski, of the Owasco Watershed Lake Association, said the DEC's commitment to continue experimenting is good but not enough.
“We are way past this point. We need to stop testing. We have enough so let's do something,” Kozlowski said.
Kozlowski also addressed the idea of creating a lake steward position, a person who fully focuses on lake conditions.
“We don't need more bureaucracy. This isn't brain surgery, let's all get on the same page and get something done, We need someone to enforce policies” Kozlowski said.
Nozzolio responded to Kozlowski's statement, “All the hard work your organization has done and the lake is still dirty. I don't think the requests are good enough. I want to do more, and now understand more about it.”
Nozzolio suggests organizations like Finger Lakes Institute and OWLA go to the county to come up with an agreed plan of action. Nozzolio supports establishing additional funding for more needed research of public concerns including other sources of phosphorous discharge.
“We need to deal with the fire before the fuel,” VanArsdale said. “I am happy to see people taking steps to address the problem. We should deal with Groton as one of the first issues.”
Staff writer Kristina Martino can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or at kristina.martino@lee.net
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Bill wrote on Jul 7, 2006 3:55 PM: