State senators announce improvement plans for Owasco Lake

AUBURN, N.Y. — Owasco Lake and its watershed are in line for “significant” water-quality improvements.

New York State Sens. John DeFrancisco (R–Syracuse), Michael Nozzolio (R–Fayette) and James Seward (R–Oneonta) on Monday joined officials from the Owasco Watershed Lake Association to make the announcement, DeFrancisco’s office said in a news release issued the same day.

The state lawmakers, who represent parts of Cayuga County, secured $600,000 in the state budget to support “ongoing and long-term” efforts to improve water quality throughout the watershed.  

A watershed is “the area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place,” according to the website of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Owasco Lake is currently labeled as “potentially impaired” for such uses as water supply and recreation on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) priority waterbodies list, the lawmakers said.

Water-quality improvement projects will address phosphorous removal and reduction, lake inspections, ongoing research, public education and outreach, and project management.

Owasco Lake is the drinking-water source for about 44,000 residents in Cayuga County. The lawmakers also describe it as an “important natural resource for the local economy and many watershed residents.”  

The DEC suspects pollutants, including silt and sediment that carry nutrients into the lake, including phosphorous, are causing the impairment, the lawmakers said.

Owasco Lake is a “showcase” for all that the Finger Lakes offer, but the lake is in “turmoil because of nutrient loading,” James Beckwith, president of the Owasco Watershed Lake Association (OWLA), said in the release.  

“Senators DeFrancisco, Seward and Nozzolio recognize the lake’s significance to the future of this region. This funding will help advance the work that is already being done by OWLA, and its partners, and ensure a future for Owasco Lake that will enrich the lives of all who visit or live here with clean water and gourmet foods,” said Beckwith.