What's in Our Water?
Kristen Tauer, Ithaca. High School level, 2006, tied for 2nd
place prize.
Thinking of my childhood summers always brings back the distinct
memory of fishing out on Cayuga Lake with my dad. We’d haul
our motorboat down to the dock, attached to the back of our jeep.
I always wanted to help launch the boat in the water, but I only
managed to get in the way. Sometimes I’d hold onto the rope
that kept it attached to the dock, but mostly I just stood on the
side and dragged my feet into the refreshing darkness of the water.
I’d stare down at the plants at the bottom, long and winding
their way towards the lighted surface of the water. Sometimes my
foot would brush against one and I’d shudder, alarmed by the
leafy feel of the seaweed.
It always took awhile to get out on the lake. On days that we went
fishing, we’d anchor the boat in a location not too close
or too far from another fisher’s boat. And in this same spot
we would wait, our four fishing poles hanging over the side of the
boat. My dad had a tracking unit on which I could see digitized
versions of fish go by on the screen, representing the fish many
feet below the water’s surface. They ranged in size and numbers,
and I imagined which ones we would catch.
Cayuga Lake, just over forty feet long, is the longest of the Finger
Lakes. The second largest finger lake in terms of surface area,
it is a popular spot for both fishing and recreation. The lake is
blessed with a abundant population of fish. My dad and I often caught
Lake Trout—not surprising, given that it is one of the most
abundant fish in the lake. Brown trout and rainbow trout are also
common catches, and my early love for fish was born through the
hours I spent admiring the colored scales of rainbow trout that
we caught and put in the livewell on our boat. Atlantic salmon,
Lake Sturgeon, Troutperch, and Alewife join these cold-water fish,
which dwell in the deeper and colder part of the lake. The lake
is also home to a reasonably small population of warm water fish,
which live in the more shallow areas of the lake. Here, the Yellow
Perch, Northern Pike, and both Large mouth and Small mouth bass
make their home.
I never started to notice-or even be aware of-anything present in
the lake that had a negative effect until I started to grow up.
I started to read and pay attention to the news at about the same
time the controversy over Cornell using the lake for lake-source
cooling started to get attention. Cold water is pumped from the
lake and used to cool buildings, and the warmed water is pumped
back into the lake. People were scared over what impact this warmed
water would have on the lake and the life living in it, but so far
there have been no signs of negative impact.
Many small towns and villages surround the boundary of Cayuga Lake.
Each of these poses potential problems to the lake. Herbicide and
pesticide pollution in the lake due to runoff is a concern to many
locals who depend on the lake as a drinking source. Towns also mean
human impact through pollution, and some people have seen the lake
and it’s inlets as an area to dispose of their trash.
Sedimentation and erosion have become an increasingly important
problem facing the lake. Efforts have been made to plant trees along
the banks of Six Mile Creek to help stabilize the shoreline. This
creek, which runs into Cayuga Lake, is one of the many culprits
that have led to water contamination in the lake
Through the years as I’ve gotten older, my summers have been
more busy and I haven’t had as much time to retreat to the
lake and sit for hours waiting for a fish to bite one of my fishing
lines. I was raised by the lake in nearby Ithaca, and spent much
of my childhood both on and around the shore of the lake at one
of the various parks. Many species of fish and plant life that reside
in the lake’s water call Cayuga Lake there home, and my love
for the lake has resulted in strong commitment to making sure that
they stay there. Cayuga Lake is my home too.
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