NEWS

Our spring symposium entitled "Our Wetlands: A Community Treasure" Saturday Apr 9, 2011 at the Montezuma Audubon Center was a grand success. All the presentations are provided. Please check out Jim Eckler's and Linda Ziemba's preliminary remarks, as well as Tony Eallonardo's, Sarah Fleming's, Howard Goebel's, and Zack Odell's inspiring talks.

Good News from Capitol Hill: Thanks to the hard work of Clean Water Network members and partners , the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) passed an amended version of the Clean Water Restoration Act, which will restore important environmental protections to all of our nation's waters!

Bill to control Phosphorus Levels: Lawmakers in NY to consider bill to control phosphorus levels in dishwasher detergents and fertilizers.

Water Quality Monitoring

Two plans aim to increase coordination of montoring. The Guide to Surface Water Quality Monitoring in CLW (867 kb PDF) covers the entire watershed. The Monitoring Plan for Southern Basin of CL (345 kb PDF) focuses on the shallow south end.

New clearinghouse will house data, reports and publications. On-line database summarizes Water Monitoring within the watershed.

Study of water quality of the North End of the Lake from 1991-2006 released.

Clean Water

Expanded information on sediment and phosphorus, two key threats to clean water.

Smart Steps for Clean Water - a free PDF full of easy actions you can take to keep water clean – at home, in your car, or while fishing and boating.

Rain Gardens are a beautiful and simple way to keep water clean.

Recent Awards

Finger Lakes Land Trust is the recipient of the 2008 David Morehouse award. The press release describes why they were so honored.

Two wineries and two farms were awarded Lake Friendly Farms awards in 2008. Winners these awards are announced each August.

WEEDS* at the North End of the Lake

In Summer 2008 aquatic plants clogged the waterways at the north end of the Lake. Citizens' groups complain that swimming is unpleasant - even dangerous, and that use of boats and personal watercraft is adversely affected. Links to several relevant news articles are provided: a call to arms appeared in the Post Standard July 22. Finger Lakes Institute announces on August 8 a study of weeds in the Finger Lakes requested by Senator Nozzolio.

*Although native species are not defined by scientists as weeds, non-scientists use the term to denote nuisance factors.

In addition, be sure to read former Watershed Steward Sharon Anderson's article discussing weed harvesting in the Summer Newsletter on page 5, and note that the south end of the lake also has a problem (page 4). Also see an article from the 2007 summer newsletter Solving Weed Problems Takes a Watershed.

For temporary relief outside your property in 2009, consider Bottom barriers (also called benthic barriers) which are good for weed control in a small area. Instructions show how to make your own.

Watch for the invasive Water Chestnut. The Invasive Weed ID Guide will help you learn to identify it and other invasive weeds.

DREDGING PUBLIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE

City Of Ithaca
Notes on Meeting of 14 April 2008

The Cayuga Lake Watershed Network has been asked by the City of Ithaca to serve on an advisory committee (The Dredging Public Advisory Committee - DPAC) considering the dredging of the Inlet at the south end of Cayuga Lake to restore the full navigational depth and perhaps to improve flood protection for large floods. See http://www.ecologicllc.com/ithacadredging.html

The City of Ithaca has just let a contract to identify solutions for dredging the inlet, choose the best one, design the scheme and obtain the required permits; the two companies carrying out this phase are Ecologic and ERM. They have developed a time table that shows this phase lasting until the summer of 2010. The dredging will follow when funds permit and should take perhaps 6 months, depending on the chosen solution.

The project has to show the need for dredging, decide on where to dispose of the sediment from the dredging – the most difficult aspect – and consider restoration of the site and longer term ways to reduce the sediment load and hence future dredging activities. The last dredging was about 25 years ago and the sediment was disposed of in the current dog park.

At present it is estimated there may be up to 600,000 cubic yds. of sediment to dispose of – an improved estimate will be made later this summer. The quality of the sediments has to be determined and classified as either A (no contaminants), B (some contaminants, which may affect where the spoil can be placed) or C (highly contaminated). At present it is thought that they will largely be A with some spots of B which will make them suitable for land disposal, but again tests will be performed this summer to clarify this.

The DEC is most unlikely to approve of dumping the sediment in the deeper lake, the cheapest solution, for ecological reasons. To dispose of the sediment on land, it has to be pumped or lifted onto land and dewatered; it will take 20-40 acres of land to do this. Sites within 1 mile of the inlet and at the level of downtown that are publicly owned are being considered as possible disposal sites at this stage.

Using the sediment to create a new wetland in the shallows of the lake is one possible solution but it is difficult to create such wetlands according to the DEC representative.

Better definition of the options should be known later this summer when the next meeting of the DPAC is planned.

The Network is to serve on an outreach sub-committee which is likely to meet monthly.

The City is developing a web site that will contain more information on the project. When known we will provide a link to that site.

Notes made by:
John Mawdsley, Chair
Board of Directors, Cayuga Lake Watershed Network

..........................................................................................................

Fish Virus Threatens Fisheries

Viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS, is a cold water fish virus known to be present in the Cayuga-Seneca Canal and nearby in Skaneateles Lake. VHS has the potential for profound socio-economic consequences, since it has been linked with massive fish kills in lakes where it is present. Though not a threat to people who handle or consume infected fish, it is a threat to the more than 25 fish species it can kill.

Infected fish, dead or alive, or the waters they swim in can spread the virus. Because the NYS Canal System provides a water link that can act as a transport mechanism for further spreading VHS, boaters and fishermen play a vital role in containing the disease. Some very good introductory information on VHS, and guidelines for boaters and anglers can be found at the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation websites

http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/25328.html

..........................................................................................................

Seneca Meadows Renewable Resurces Park

IESI-Seneca Meadows Landill opened in Fall 2007 an electricity-generating power plant fueled by methane gas generated by decomposing trash. The plant will provide low-cost electricity and methane gas to future tenants at its Renewable Resources Park.

The IESI-Seneca Meadows Renewable Resource Park. The 200 acre, landfill gas powered industrial park will produce sufficient waste heat and energy for a number of new businesses. The industrial park’s first tenant, H2Gro, is a greenhouse company out of Lewiston, New York that grows hydroponic vegetables for retail sale in grocery stores throughout the southeastern states. H2Gro will provide an estimated 100 new jobs for the community with their 20 acre greenhouse facility, scheduled for construction this spring.

The IESI-Seneca Meadows Renewable Resource Park, which is located across from the Landfill site on the east side of State Route 414, houses 18 engine generators that burn landfill gas to produce 17 megawatts of electricity.

President and CEO of IESI-Seneca Meadows, Mickey Flood states that the company is commited to the success of the industrial park, as well as two other initiatives currently underway: an environmental community education center that the Landfill is constructing just north of it’s facility on Route 414, and a wetlands recreational and educational complex that will be created on the old Dove property across from the Landfill. When constructed, these three facilities will add to the eco-tourism potential for the area.

Stream Gages on the Seneca-Cayuga Canal and Salmon Creek as well as Other Locations

The watershed now has two new stream gages (alternate spelling of gauges used by USGS for this specific equipment) that measure and report stream height and discharge in cubic feet per second flow. The Seneca-Cayuga Canal gage is near Seneca Falls on the upstream side of the Rt. 89 bridge. The Salmon Creek gage is in Ludlowville by the upstream fishing access parking area. The US Geological Survey (USGS) website that houses the near real-time data states “data typically are recorded at 15-60 minute intervals, stored onsite, and then transmitted to USGS offices every 1 to 4 hours, depending on the data relay technique used. Recording and transmission times may be more frequent during critical events. Data from real-time sites are relayed to USGS offices via satellite, telephone, and/or radio and are available for viewing within minutes of arrival. All real-time data are provisional and subject to revision. Gaging information is available also for Cayuga Inlet , Fall Creek , and two locations on Six Mile Creek near Brooktondale and Bethel Grove .

Virus Not Guilty of Summer Fish Kills

Dead fish washed up on Cayuga's shore in unprecedented numbers in early to mid-summer. Fearing the culprit was the viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) found in upstate New York, fish were sent for testing. The virus causes fatal anemia and hemorrhaging in many fish species. It poses no threat to humans or other animals.

NYS Dept of Environmental Conservation blames the rapid rise in water temperature for the die-off of fish already stressed by the spawning season.

While the virus was found NOT to be the cause of death, the virus could spread to Cayuga Lake in the future. Anglers and boaters can help slow the spread by thoroughly cleaning fishing equipment, boats, and trailers before using them in a new body of water. Fish, including bait fish, should not be transferred from one body of water to another.