Fall Creek Watershed Committee Minutes
March 28, 2000
McLean Fire Hall

Attending: Geri Tierney, Kate Hackett, Craig Schutt, Mary Hegarty, Phil Koons, Steve Penningroth, Greg Nagle, Jim Skaley, Joyce Gerbasi, Tim Patronski, Marshall Taylor

Steve gave a brief report on the MacroInvertebrate workshop: 22 attended the evening session and 12 the following Sunday. Feedback good. Participants expressed need for followup support.

Next workshops scheduled as follows:

• Chemical Analysis: April 18th Eve.
• Microbiology April 27th Eve
• Phosphorus/Nitrates May 9th

All are to be held at the 4H Acres on Lower Creek Rd, just off Rt 13.

The Ithaca Environmental Health Lab has agreed to help with our water chemistry analyses. The have offered to analyze up to 50 samples over the next year and suggested that we look into ways of covering their costs for future years.

Water Quality Monitoring Teams

We next discussed the need to identify streches of Fall Creek and thetype of sampling people were interested in doing/how often, etc.

Mary Hagerty indicated that she has been using the Lamont kits below the Falls and would continue doing so. She also is interested in coliform and sediment testing. She expects to be able to perform sampling at least monthly and year round. She wonders if a site downstream of the Rt. 13 crossing of Fall Creek, in addition to the sampling nearer the Falls, would be of benefit. She has identified a point source location along Cayuga Inlet which she is concerned about.

Phil Koon also indicated below the falls and interested in macroinvertebrates. He would team up with Mary. Phil mentioned others Trout Unlimited members who are interested in helping. Locations may include a spot (mainstream or trib) up near Groton and a location along Virgil Creek near the village of Virgil.

Varna Group would be Steve Penningroth, Jim Skaley and Dave Weinstein and would look at tribs and stream in the Varna area.

Greg Nagler is at Cornell and interested in doing sediment research using radionucliotides. He has experience doing sediment source assessments and would like to apply his experience to the study of local streams.

Geri Tierny would focus on the Forest Home area and is interested in chemistry and microbiology. Geri mentioned that she knows of others who would be willing to help out if we could develop site recommendations and get the infrastructure set up so that the lab analyses could be performed.

Tim Patronski knows bugs (the famous BMIs) and would team with Geri. Tim is willing to serve as a resource person on BMI identification. He also believes that he could recruit additional volunteers if we were able to identify priority monitoring sites. Tim is out of the area from late May until early September.

Joyce/Marshall : Dryden Lake and both above and below the Village of Dryden. Marshall expressed interest in sampling Virgil Creek below the Dryden WWTP and above the Village of Freeville.

Kate Hackett indicated that she was hopeful that some monies could be made available for monitoring supplies and be justified as part of the gathering of info for the Tompkins County Watershed Plan. Especially interested in changes in landuse along the creek. With Kate's lead, we discussed assigning monitoring locations based on different physical/land use characteristics of the watershed, to highlight possible differences in water quality, and getting some baseline info.

Jim brought up another survey which had to do with assessing stream habitat, both vegetation and stream quality.

Craig Schutt is on the Cayuga Lake Watershed Management Plan -Intermunicipal Organization's Agriculture Committee and is especially interested in getting monitoring going in Ag areas. There are two Tompkins County farmers on the Ag Committee. Reported that the IO has received monies to do a streambank and ditch survey for erosion/sedimenation for the whole Cayuga Lake watershed. Craig will be considering ways to get, and keep, the Ag community involved with the FCWC and in building positive interactions between the groups.

Next FCWC Meeting

Craig Schutt will give a presentation at the next meeting of the Fall Creek Watershed Committee on April 25, 7:00 to 9:00, at 4H acres on Lower Creek Road near Rt. 13. His topic will be on the methods that farmers are using to protect water quality. Craig's talk will be geared toward those of us who share neighborhoods and communities with farmers and who benefit from their maintaining open spaces.

Fall Creek Clean Up Day

Fall Creek Clean Up Day is scheduled for 15 April and is being coordinated with Trout Unlimited. TU will focus their cleanup activities below Ithaca Falls, but other sites , e.g. flat rocks and the Rt 13 crossing; were suggestions for cleanups. Trash pickup needs to be coordinated for hauling to the recycling center. Several people indicated their interest in helping out that day. Volunteers are asked to contact Sharon Anderson (272-2292, ska2@cornell.edu ) or Marshall Taylor (272-4155, rpamrt@aol.com ).

Possible Tours

Cornell water plant operator, Mark Vallely has agreed to provide a tour of CU’s water plant for the group when desired. The group was asked about interest in touring the "new" Virgil Creek Dam and fish ladder. Interest was expressed in both possible tours but no dates were suggested.

Announcements

April FCWC meeting: Tuesday, 25 April at 4H Acres, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

• May FCWC meeting: Monday, 22 May at Virgil Elementary School, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

• June FCWC meeting: Tuesday, 27 June, place TBA near Village of Dryden.

• We have a email listserver available. To subscribe, send an email to listproc@cornell.edu and include "subscribe FALLCREEK-L <your name>" in the body of your message.

Meeting adjourned at 9:02.

Notes submitted by: Jim Skaley and Marshall Taylor