OWASCO - They came from all over Cayuga County to the Emerson Park Pavilion on Tuesday to preserve Owasco Lake. More than 500 attended, including representatives of municipalities and organizations to support an action plan to safeguard and improve Owasco Lake's water quality.
Jill Connor / The Citizen
Jessica Miles, the Owasco Lake watershed inspector, addresses the audience at a public meeting at Emerson Park about Owasco Lake on Tuesday as state Sen. Mike Nozzolio, and Assemblyman Gary Finch listen.
Jessica Miles, the Owasco Lake watershed inspector, addresses the audience at a public meeting at Emerson Park about Owasco Lake on Tuesday as state Sen. Mike Nozzolio, and Assemblyman Gary Finch listen.
July 1 was proclaimed Owasco Lake Day and will be an annual event to celebrate the lake, create awareness, foster dialogue, educate the community, and foster stewardship.
It was also a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Owasco Watershed Lake Association Inc.
State Sen. Michael Nozzolio spoke of community members who worked together to protect the lake. He addressed the recent preliminary decision by the state Department of Environmental Conservation to reduce phosphorous discharges from the Groton wastewater treatment plant.
“I'm happily surprised that the DEC made its decision to limit the amount of phosphorus being discharged into the lake,” he said. “I don't believe any of us should be inebriated by this success. This meeting is already successful. It was like a Damocles' sword over the head of the DEC.”
Nozzolio said DEC officials maintained the Groton plant's discharge was not the main reason for phosphorus in Owasco Lake.
“I know it's not the only reason, but it is a reason,” he told the audience. “More reasons are going to be brought out today.”
He pointed out the collaborative scientific Water Quality Study of Owasco Lake in 2007 by the Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, headed by John D. Halfman, Ph.D. Copies of the study were available at the meeting. Nozzolio credited the study with providing the data that persuaded the DEC to lower the allowable phosphorus discharge levels for Groton.
Halfman presented the study's main findings, noting that water quality had improved this year, but there was not as much runoff because the season was drier than last year.
Nozzolio said the study came about when the president of Hobart and William Smith asked him what he thought of combining the scientific program at Hobart with the need for analysis of Owasco Lake.
Nozzolio secured $125,000 in funding for an Owasco Watershed Network (OWN) information exchange to be created by the Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technology (IAGT) at Cayuga Community College. The network will allow residents to access data and information on Owasco Lake through a single portal to connecting websites, with electronic updates for those concerned about the lake's future.
IAGT already had a robotic buoy program in place to provide daily data on seven water quality characteristics.
Last year, Nozzolio secured a $60,000 grant to fund the position of a watershed inspector and Jessica Mills was hired. Mills now has two part-time assistants to help oversee the lake's protection.
“Local governments will continue to fund the inspector's job,” Nozzolio said.
In recognition of his efforts, Nozzolio was made an honorary OWL.
This meeting came just after the DEC's announcement that a draft permit requiring Groton's wastewater treatment plant to reduce phosphorous discharge into the lake's inlet from four pounds per day to two will be issued July 2.
A year ago, the DEC indicated it would keep the discharge level at four pounds, since that was a definite improvement over earlier levels. At that time, Maureen Wren, spokesperson for the DEC, said the four-pound limit was in place as the result of a consent order, but the plant still needed a SPDES (State Pollution Discharge Elimination System) permit. Wren described the limit as “something in a draft for a SPDES permit which we are continuing to develop.”
She indicated then the draft was still a work in progress and noted that at its peak in 2003, the Groton plant had been producing 12.2 pounds of phosphorous daily.
The draft report still has a public review period and the village of Groton has yet to respond. The Groton plant will need to be upgraded to reach a two-pound-per-day limit.
The DEC said that effective land-use planning would also have to be looked at to avoid runoff that contributes to contamination of the lake. OWLA plans to do just that by promoting safe agriculture, using buffers and wetlands to control runoff and endorsing best nutrient management practices, partnering with farmers to buffer tributaries within their acreages, helping secure funding for this and promoting cooperation among farms.
The idea of using anerobic digesters to turn byproducts of agriculture into energy was also raised as a realistic possibility in the near future.
Restoration of Owasco Flats at the southern end of the lake to allow it to filter out contaminants before they enter the lake will be focused on in the future.
OWLA's action plan includes eight points: aid and assist the Groton community in their STP expansion; create an intermunicipal organization and agreement with all communities and agencies within the watershed; permanently protect and preserve Owasco Flats; promote viable and safe agriculture within the watershed; support the role and resources of the watershed inspector; create the Owasco Watershed Network (OWN) developed by IAGT; educate everyone within the watershed of the enormous importance and potential of Owasco Lake; monitor and support the management of invasive species.
Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311, ext. 238 or kathleen.barran@lee.net
It was also a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Owasco Watershed Lake Association Inc.
State Sen. Michael Nozzolio spoke of community members who worked together to protect the lake. He addressed the recent preliminary decision by the state Department of Environmental Conservation to reduce phosphorous discharges from the Groton wastewater treatment plant.
“I'm happily surprised that the DEC made its decision to limit the amount of phosphorus being discharged into the lake,” he said. “I don't believe any of us should be inebriated by this success. This meeting is already successful. It was like a Damocles' sword over the head of the DEC.”
Nozzolio said DEC officials maintained the Groton plant's discharge was not the main reason for phosphorus in Owasco Lake.
“I know it's not the only reason, but it is a reason,” he told the audience. “More reasons are going to be brought out today.”
He pointed out the collaborative scientific Water Quality Study of Owasco Lake in 2007 by the Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, headed by John D. Halfman, Ph.D. Copies of the study were available at the meeting. Nozzolio credited the study with providing the data that persuaded the DEC to lower the allowable phosphorus discharge levels for Groton.
Halfman presented the study's main findings, noting that water quality had improved this year, but there was not as much runoff because the season was drier than last year.
Nozzolio said the study came about when the president of Hobart and William Smith asked him what he thought of combining the scientific program at Hobart with the need for analysis of Owasco Lake.
Nozzolio secured $125,000 in funding for an Owasco Watershed Network (OWN) information exchange to be created by the Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technology (IAGT) at Cayuga Community College. The network will allow residents to access data and information on Owasco Lake through a single portal to connecting websites, with electronic updates for those concerned about the lake's future.
IAGT already had a robotic buoy program in place to provide daily data on seven water quality characteristics.
Last year, Nozzolio secured a $60,000 grant to fund the position of a watershed inspector and Jessica Mills was hired. Mills now has two part-time assistants to help oversee the lake's protection.
“Local governments will continue to fund the inspector's job,” Nozzolio said.
In recognition of his efforts, Nozzolio was made an honorary OWL.
This meeting came just after the DEC's announcement that a draft permit requiring Groton's wastewater treatment plant to reduce phosphorous discharge into the lake's inlet from four pounds per day to two will be issued July 2.
A year ago, the DEC indicated it would keep the discharge level at four pounds, since that was a definite improvement over earlier levels. At that time, Maureen Wren, spokesperson for the DEC, said the four-pound limit was in place as the result of a consent order, but the plant still needed a SPDES (State Pollution Discharge Elimination System) permit. Wren described the limit as “something in a draft for a SPDES permit which we are continuing to develop.”
She indicated then the draft was still a work in progress and noted that at its peak in 2003, the Groton plant had been producing 12.2 pounds of phosphorous daily.
The draft report still has a public review period and the village of Groton has yet to respond. The Groton plant will need to be upgraded to reach a two-pound-per-day limit.
The DEC said that effective land-use planning would also have to be looked at to avoid runoff that contributes to contamination of the lake. OWLA plans to do just that by promoting safe agriculture, using buffers and wetlands to control runoff and endorsing best nutrient management practices, partnering with farmers to buffer tributaries within their acreages, helping secure funding for this and promoting cooperation among farms.
The idea of using anerobic digesters to turn byproducts of agriculture into energy was also raised as a realistic possibility in the near future.
Restoration of Owasco Flats at the southern end of the lake to allow it to filter out contaminants before they enter the lake will be focused on in the future.
OWLA's action plan includes eight points: aid and assist the Groton community in their STP expansion; create an intermunicipal organization and agreement with all communities and agencies within the watershed; permanently protect and preserve Owasco Flats; promote viable and safe agriculture within the watershed; support the role and resources of the watershed inspector; create the Owasco Watershed Network (OWN) developed by IAGT; educate everyone within the watershed of the enormous importance and potential of Owasco Lake; monitor and support the management of invasive species.
Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311, ext. 238 or kathleen.barran@lee.net
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Farmer's Gal wrote on Jul 2, 2008 3:09 PM:
Farmer's Gal wrote on Jul 2, 2008 11:54 AM:
" Wouldn't it make even more sense to put a bit more control on how much manure is spread on the land to begin with? Also how and where it is spread in relation to runoff paths?
There are supposed to be controls in place but
A) they are different for every herd, every crop and every field
B) the plans are secret so we, the public, the people who are most directly affected, can't check to see if they are being enforced
C) on the rare occasions the DEC bothers to check, they have only the CAFO's word for how much they've spread where
It's not right that the government gives us no local control over the quality of our lives and our lakes, but rather protects the interests of corporations (agribusiness) over the real human rights of living individuals and our environment. "
bizzaro-world wrote on Jul 2, 2008 9:51 AM:
" hey folks...its a no-brainer to restore the lake. stop digging 8 foot deep ditches on every country road and allow hedge-rows to form. liquid manure has a non-stop direct route we have given it right into the lake. i was unable to attend the meeting & i hope this was brought up. the water has way too much cow manure entering it without natural leetching. that is and has been the problem. " "