Essay Contest Winner:
"It Takes a Community to Protect Our Cayuga Lake Watershed"

Thomas Updike
First Place, Middle School Category

Have you ever wanted to jump into some ice-cold refreshing water to cool off on a hot summer day? However, when you arrived at the water's edge and looked into the depths, the water was green, murky and foul smelling? This is a possible scenario if the population of our Cayuga Lake Watershed keeps polluting the water. One person cannot maintain the health of the Watershed; it takes a community. There are three important factors you should know about our Watershed: what it contributes to the community, pollution risks, and how to help protect and preserve the ecosystem.

Most importantly, the Cayuga Lake Watershed is a setting for recreation, a location for vineyards, communities of people, and a wildlife habitat. Our Watershed attracts visitors and tourists who enjoy concerts, museums, wine tasting at vineyards, and historic sites. These attractions also provide local employment, which helps keep the economy at a higher level of prosperity. If you are looking for entertainment, then the Watershed provides various activities such as fishing, boating, sailing, kayaking, hiking, swimming, diving, windsurfing, bird watching, or you can kick back and enjoy the view. If pollution carries on at the rate it is going, then eventually all these attractions would vanish from the community.

Sadly attractions and activities are not sufficient to stop people from contaminating our Watershed. Most people inadvertently pollute the watershed without realizing what they are causing to happen. A quantity of the pollution comes from oil leaks in boat motors, and run-off sewage from ill repaired septic systems. The oil and sewage spurs a process called eutrophication to occur. Eutrophication transpires when there is an elevated level of phosphorus (caused by oil, sewage, and fertilizer) in the water. The phosphorus then creates a rapid growth of algae. As the algae die, decomposers become more active. The decomposers use up much of the dissolved oxygen, which results in the deaths of many aquatic animals. The algae are the reason why the water becomes murky, foul, and ultimately unappealing. Other pollutants include heavy metal concentrations (such as chromium and lead), and coliform bacteria (mostly derived from sewage from sewage systems).

Here are several ways you can help. If you own a boat, then regularly check the engine and keep it in good repair to prevent oil leaks. If you have the need to dispose of chemicals or sewage, restrain yourself from dumping the contents into a drain or into the soil. Most drains deposit the water in a part of the Watershed. The chemicals can also become runoff into the water from the soil. To prevent sediment plumes (soil deposits which cause the water to become murky), refrain from cutting down trees or vegetation from the stream banks. The roots of trees and undergrowth help to hold the soil together. The regularly checking and repairing of septic systems is an essential element to helping preserve our Watershed. Paying your taxes is also of assistance for the reason that the government helps manage the land surrounding our Watershed. Everyone has to take part in helping to prevent pollution.

In conclusion, our Watershed only contributes positive effects to our society. How does society show its appreciation? We are abusing and destroying the health of our Watershed. Therefore we should immediately desist from polluting and commence in preserving Cayuga Lake's ecosystem. Not just one person can preserve the ecosystem; it will take a community of people to protect and preserve our Watershed.