Seneca Lake Watershed Management Plan
Setting A Course for Seneca Lake
The State of the Seneca Lake Watershed
The Seneca Lake watershed management planning process began in 1996 with the
development of the Seneca Lake Watershed Study: Developing and Understanding of An
Important Natural Resource. That study called for an in-depth description and analysis to
determine the state of the watershed, an education and awareness program to educate local residents and to stimulate their interest in protecting the resource, development of coalitions for cooperation and participation in projects, and development of a plan of work relevant to the watershed and its residents to achieve the following goal:
To protect and enhance Seneca Lake and its surrounding watershed through the encouragement of sound management practices and cooperation at the local level to develop a comprehensive approach for improving the quality of life and water in the Seneca Lake Watershed.
It is that study that helped bring together representatives from local, regional, state, and
federal agencies as well as concerned citizens to form the Seneca Lake Area Partners in Five Counties (SLAP-5) that moved the Seneca Lake Watershed Management Planning process along. It is that group that worked as the Oversight Committee guiding this program which has culminated in this document.
This report describes the state of the watershed research, analysis and discussions,
identifies current problems facing the watershed, and details the public education and
outreach efforts. It is accompanied by a detailed appendix and a compact disk (CD) which contains the original computer mapping and databases, such as land use, soils, the agricultural inventory, the resident survey and the lakeshore owners survey, for use by
anyone interested in conducting his/her own research.
Undertaking an intense public outreach and review program is the next step in the Seneca Lake watershed planning process. Setting a Course for Seneca Lake forms a solid
foundation for the hard work of planning and implementation that lies ahead.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Water Quality Planning for Seneca Lake
Chapter 3 Watershed Description
Chapter 4 Existing Land Uses and Trends
Chapter 5 Demographic and Socio-Economic Profile
Chapter 6 Limnology and Water Quality
Chapter 6A Limnology
Chapter 6B Water Quality
Chapter 7 Sources of Pollution
Chapter 7A Agriculture
Chapter 7B Chemical Bulk Storage
Chapter 7C Forestry and Forest Practices
Chapter 7D LandFills, Dumps and Inactive Hazardous Waste Sites
Chapter 7E Mined Lands
Chapter 7F Petroleum Bulk Storage
Chapter 7G Roadbank Erosion
Chapter 7H Salt Storage and Deicing Materials
Chapter 7I Shore Residences Environmental Health Risks
Chapter 7J SPDES Permits
Chapter 7K Spills
Chapter 7L Streambank Erosion
Chapter 8 Findings: Problems and Needs
Chapter 9 Resident Survey
Chapter 10 Focus Group Meeting Series
Chapter 11 Education/Outreach
Appendices
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Last Modified: August 24, 2010