New York: Skaneateles Lake Watershed Non-point Sources Addressed in NY Watershed Management Plan Background Skaneateles Lake, the fourth largest of the Finger Lakes in New York State, is long and narrow, averaging only three quarters of a mile in width over a length of fifteen miles. It is also deep, with a maximum depth of 300 feet. The total watershed area covers 72.54 square miles, and lies within three counties (Onondaga, Cayuga, and Cortland), encompassing one village and seven towns. It is an oligotrophic lake, meaning that there are low concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus, and relatively little productivity activity; consequently, the water is of high quality for drinking water purposes. Water quality monitoring has confirmed that nutrient and pollutant levels are not increasing in the lake. The City of Syracuse and portions of towns around its periphery, the Village of Skaneateles, and various water districts in the Town of Skaneateles and the Villages of Elbridge and Jordan all obtain water for their public water supplies from Skaneateles Lake via two 54-inch steel intake pipes belonging to the City of Syracuse (both located at the north end of the Lake). In addition, an estimated 1,000 lakefront residents have private intakes, although it is unknown how many of those households drink the water obtained through their own intakes. The lake is not used for industry, agriculture, or for animal watering, and the only known commercial use is for the irrigation of the Skaneateles Country Club. Boating and fishing are popular pastimes on Skaneateles Lake. Given the current high quality of Skaneateles Lake water, the significant financial savings associated with a filtration waiver issued to the City of Syracuse and the Village of Skaneateles by the state (it is estimated that construction of a filtration plant would cost Syracuse $60 to 70 million and the Village/Town of Skaneateles $4 to 6 million), and the high recreational value of the lake, the citizens of Syracuse and the Skaneateles Lake watershed have a vested interest in protecting their source of water from contamination. Efforts to protect Skaneateles Lake include the Skaneateles Lake Watershed Agricultural Program (SLWAP), the Skaneateles Lake Watershed Land Protection Program, several educational and outreach initiatives, and municipal regulations that govern zoning, proper use of chemicals, wastewater disposal, and agricultural activities. Local Involvement and Developing the Protection Plan Residents of the Skaneateles Lake watershed are involved in source water protection both through direct participation in protection efforts and as the targets of educational initiatives. The Skaneateles Lake Watershed Agricultural Program (SLWAP) is a cooperative effort between the Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Associations of the three counties in the watershed, several government agencies, the City of Syracuse, and farmers within the watershed. The program was initiated in 1994 as part of the filtration avoidance criteria established by the New York State Department of Health. The mission Office of Water (4606M) 816F10033 January 2010 ------- of the program is to implement Whole Farm Plans [based on Best Management Practices (BMPs)] to reduce the risk of nonpoint source pollution (pathogens, nutrients, pesticides, and sediments) from agricultural operations to preserve the water quality of Skaneateles Lake. As of October 2006, 42 of 46 farms were enrolled in the program, representing a 91% participation rate. Twenty-six of these farms had implemented Whole Farm Plans. Three (3) additional farms had Whole Farm Plans developed, and the farms chose to self-implement Best Management Practices from the plan. The Skaneateles Lake Watershed Land Protection Program is another cooperative effort between the City of Syracuse Water Department and landowners within the watershed. The Finger Lakes Land Trust provided assistance in the early stages of the program by assisting with development of a draft easement plan and by conducting several "Talks and Treks" programs throughout the Skaneateles Lake area for public education. The City is currently contracting with a private community planning consultant and American Farmland Trust for implementation of the program. The Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) offers public outreach tools to residents of the Skaneateles Lake Watershed. Since 1997, programs offered have included the national Home*A*Syst program (a pollution prevention and risk assessment program partially funded by the United States Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency), workshops and publications on landscaping for water quality, bioengineering for erosion and sediment control, private septic system and well maintenance, invasive species recognition and control, and natural gas exploration on private properties. The CCE has a comprehensive website at http://counties.cce.cornell.edu/onondaga/watersheds/skanhome.htm . In addition, "Water Quality Educators" from the CCE are available to help residents assess pollution risks and provide information on how to lower the risks of contaminating water supplies. Management Measures In addition to the SLWAP and the Skaneateles Lake Land Protection Program, which are voluntary programs to manage potential point and nonpoint sources of pollution, there are several regulatory measures in place to further ensure the continued high quality of drinking water from Skaneateles Lake. New York State Environmental Conservation Law 17-1709 prohibited point source discharges within the Skaneateles Lake watershed. Presently there are no municipal or package wastewater treatment plants or industrial discharges to Skaneateles Lake or its watercourses. Other potential sources of contamination include six storm water outfalls from the Village of Skaneateles, a few smaller storm water discharges, underground storage tanks, and nonpoint source pollution from septic tanks, agriculture, and erosion. Because nonpoint source pollution is perceived as the greatest threat to water quality, the Watershed Rules and Regulations, also implemented under New York State law, focus on evaluating these diffuse sources. In 1996, and again in 2005, both the Village and Town of Skaneateles updated their zoning and land use regulations, anticipating that the changes would offer improved protection of the public water supply. However, the other towns in the watershed (Niles, Spafford, Scott, and Sempronius) have few, if any, zoning measures, with the exception of lot size and setbacks in place for the protection of Skaneateles Lake water quality. Examples of the improvements in resource protection accomplished by the Town of Office of Water (4606M) 816F10033 January 2010 ------- Skaneateles' new zoning law include the creation of a Lake Watershed Overlay District, a Floodplain Overlay District, performance standards, size limitations, and Conservation Density Subdivisions. In 1993, the Village of Skaneateles implemented a cluster housing amendment to the zoning law to help preserve open space by requiring a conservation easement for cluster housing subdivisions. The two municipalities collaborated on a Joint Comprehensive Plan that is used to guide future social and economic growth and development in the area. The ultimate goal is to maintain the quality of Skaneateles Lake water and ground water at the current level. The Skaneateles Lake Watershed Land Protection Program promotes water quality stewardship through the City of Syracuse's purchase of conservation easements at fair- market value from willing sellers. Each easement, which limits development and/or encourages environmentally sound forest management and harvesting, becomes a permanent part of the property title that must be adhered to by future owners of the land. Funding by the City of Syracuse has in some cases been matched by the USDA NRCS Federal Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program. To date, the program has closed, or is in contract to close, on nearly 650 acres of land. Contingency Planning In the event of a hazardous material or petrochemical spill, the towns within the Skaneateles Lake Watershed rely on three parties for emergency response and remediation. Local volunteer firemen are usually first on the scene and provide initial public and environmental protection. The county fire coordinator manages the local and regional response, coordinating the efforts of different fire departments based on their expertise or specialized equipment. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Spills Response Team responds for containment of the spill and cleanup. The Onondaga County Soil and Water Conservation District (of which SLWAP is a component), in conjunction with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and the Onondaga County 911 Center, have been assembling a coordinated technical assistance team to respond to catastrophic events such as manure spills and other farm/spill related emergencies. The team is notified if first responders determine that technical assistance is required to assist with decision-making. The goal of this effort is to keep manure, fertilizer, and other pollutants out of NYS waterbodies, thus avoiding Water Quality Violations or environmental disasters and reducing the need for enforcement actions and fines. Measuring Program Effectiveness The City of Syracuse conducted an evaluation of the SLWAP in 2000-01 by interviewing farmers who implemented Whole Farm Plans. The evaluation covered all aspects of the SLWAP by assessing farmers' experiences from planning to implementation and management of BMPs. Office of Water (4606M) 816F10033 January 2010 ------- The evaluation included interviewing twelve (12) of the 24 farmers who had implemented plans and asked questions from a prepared questionnaire. Farmers were very positive about the planning process. They felt that with one exception, the BMPs were installed with adequate supervision by SLWAP and according to NRCS specs. Plan function and results showed the most diversity of responses. After the survey, the most important change was that the City added a "Revision" line item to the SLWAP contract in order to revisit farms and correct any BMPs that were not functioning as intended, or add new ones. The second most important change that came from the survey was to design discharge areas from clean water diversions and collected roof water lines so that during run-off events the discharge intensity would not cause road ditch and streambank erosion. Rock aprons or grassed waterways are now used to dissipate energy before the clean water reaches the ditch or waterbody. The third change was to begin planning for a Phase II of the program (after all farms were initially implemented). The first program sign-up was for ten (10) years. Some farms have passed the initial requirement of remaining in the program for the 10-year published life-span of the majority of constructed BMPs. The policy was updated in the last year so that now the farmer signs up to continue the process a year at a time, but may sign up for a longer period, if desired. Apparently, no one (who is still in farming) who implemented a plan under the program has dropped out of the program, although initially three farmers chose to implement their own plans, and did not join the program. They are currently running Phase II of the program on some farms, while others are still in Phase I. The SLWAP has teamed with the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and Forestry to monitor the effectiveness of BMPs such as barn yards, milk house waste treatment, nutrient management, and pasture management. Data has been collected prior to the installation of BMPs to establish a baseline of parameters such as turbidity, Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), and bacteria. Post installation data will be compared. Contact Lee Macbeth Watershed Coordinator City of Syracuse Department of Water Phone: (315)473-2634, lmacbeth@ci.Syracuse.ny.us Office of Water (4606M) 816F10033 January 2010 ------- |