Renew America Success Stories

Canandaigua Lake Watershed Protection Program

Description

The Canandaigua Lake Watershed Task Force (CLWTF) is an effort uniting concerned citizens, municipal governments, county agencies, and representatives of various state agencies in their goal to help preserve the lake and its watershed through public awareness and policy education.

The lake, which supplies drinking water to 50,000 residents and serves as the focal point for a variety of businesses that contribute millions of dollars to the local economy, has suffered a number of environmental setbacks in recent years. A commercial development boom in the Canandaigua area during the 1980's disturbed topsoil and sent phosphorus and nitrogen down storm sewers and ditches into the lake. Development has continued in the area, and increased nutrient loads and pollution have triggered weed growth, starved fish of oxygen and stagnated the waters. In an effort to address these problems, several groups formed over the last several years and in 1989 the CLWTF was created to focus the efforts of the various groups toward an achievable goal of preserving the Lake's health and beauty.

CLWTF uses a public policy education model, which identifies and involves as many "stakeholders" as possible. Special mailings were sent to farmers, marina owners and shoreline property owners to encourage their participation at planned meetings. Often these mailings were followed up by personal contacts, and representatives of special interests were asked to serve on committees most pertinent to their concerns. Three hundred people attended these winter evening meetings.

Steve Lewandowski, an educator with the Ontario County Soil and Water Conservation District and cofounder of the Task Force, credits the Task Force's success with seeking community participation. "It isn't just a farm (or development) problem. It's a people problem," says Lewandowski. "And we want to take it to the people."

The Task Force hopes to address all causes of environmental damage, including agriculture and commercial and residential development. The Task Force is working to repair old, faulty septic systems, which are a significant problem in parts of the watershed.

The Task Force found early on that residents placed a high value on the lake, and that they recognize that good water quality and good land use planning lead to economic stability. A survey of watershed owners showed that many had located there because of the lake and they believed that the perception of water quality affected their businesses.

"Protecting this vital resource for ourselves and our children will help to ensure a stable local economy and an environment with beauty and integrity," explains the Task Force brochure.

Program Highlights

Task Force Activities

• The Task Force holds committee meetings on land use, water quality, research, development, education, recreation and regulations.
• Task Force members have presented plays and puppet shows with water quality themes in area schools, marked watershed boundaries with signs on public roads, coordinated water quality testing programs and produced information videotapes for public access television.
• The Task Force has mailed 3,500 surveys and fact sheets to businesses and residents who have septic systems in the Lake's watershed.
• The Task Force helped form a watershed council with representatives from all the municipal governments of the watershed.
• The Task Force is identifying sources of grants and low-interest loans for repairing defective septic systems for the elderly.
• The Task Force is seeking federal funds to help farmers pay for fences, animal watering sources and waste facilities.

Education

• Responsible Lawn Care. Teaches how to maintain a healthy lawn with minimal applications of fertilizers and pesticides.
• Agriculture in the Watershed. Demonstrates the link between farming and water quality and offers recommendations for lower-impact farming.
• Septic Information Mailing. Fact sheet explaining how septic systems can adversely affect the lake and providing information about safe septic system installation and maintenance.
• Educational Slide/Tape Program. Provides an overview of water-quality issues in the Lake Canandaigua watershed.
• Self-Guided Auto Tour. This 46-mile tour circles Lake Canandaigua and notes natural and historic scenic attractions.

• Based upon the New York State Water Quality Planning Guidance Manual, develop a clean land and water strategy for the watershed.
• Based upon data being collected now, the Task Force intends to produce a report detailing the relative impact of a variety of activities, and offering a detailed analysis of the Lake's status regarding nutrient load, organic pollutants and pathogens.
• Over an eight-year period, the soil conservation service hopes to enter into legally-binding contracts with farmers to adopt conservation measures to control erosion.
• Based upon data analysis, help establish regulations on road building, construction and the proper care of septic tanks.

Vital Statistics

Program Management/Partnerships: The CLWTF was formed in partnernship with various municipal and state entities and local organizations, including Canandaigua Lake Pure Waters Ltd., Groups Concerned About Canandaigua Lake Quality, the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ontario County, the Ontario County Soil and Water Conservation District, the Community College of the Finger Lakes Conservation Department, the Ontario County Planning Department and the state Water Resources Institute.

Budget: In review.

Community Served: The 50,000 residents of the Canandaigua watershed who rely on the lake as their primary source of drinking water.

Measures of Success:

Hundreds of volunteers have participated in Task Force-sponsored programs, and thousands have attended educational forums and public information meetings.

The Task Force has helped pass a lakewide, uniform docks and mooring regulation.

Debris has been removed from four miles of the Canandaigua Lake outlet.

More than two hundred tons of household waste and construction debris from an illegal dump on the lakeshore have been removed and disposed of safely.

Through a Task Force program, fifth-graders have painted "Do Not Dump Waste -- Drains to Lake" on 800 storm drains in the City of Canandaigua.

Published State of the Canandaigua Lake Watershed - 1994: A Guide to Understanding and Protecting Our Vital Resource, a 600-page publication analyzing sources of pollution and listing protective strategies and actions.

Published Prescription for a Healthy Lake: A Pro-Active Guide for Water Quality Protection.

Published Canandaigua Lake: Protecting Its Future.

Published the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Fact Sheet.

Published the Home Siting Handbook.

Success stories designed by Mark W. Nowak

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