Owasco Watershed Lake Association
“Speak on behalf of the lake for she cannot speak for herself.”
Owasco Lake is essential to our community character and our economic future. The Owasco Watershed Lake Association, as the voice of the lake, recognizes this and has joined together to draw attention to the value and importance of Owasco Lake.
OWLA commits itself to facilitating the strategies and activities that are designed to restore our watershed and improve water quality for both drinking and full recreational use of Owasco Lake and its watershed.
YOU CAN BE PART OF THE SOLUTION BY JOINING OWLA TODAY!!
2019 Ditch Remediation Program
Announcing a Lake Improvement Initiative! Scientists estimate that more than 20% of the sediment and nutrients reaching the lake came from eroding roadside ditches. This can be easily fixed by hydroseeding exposed soil and using rock on steep ditch surfaces. OWLA and partners have a Ditch Remediation Program now underway to reduce soil and nutrient erosion into the lake.
It’s not just the Water, it’s the ‘Shed
Owasco Lake is the collection point for all of the water used in the 208 square mile watershed.
Do you know that Owasco Lake provides drinking water for more than 44,000 people in our community? The lake offers year-round recreation, attracts tourists from far and wide, and continues to be a crown jewel of central New York! In turn, because Owasco Lake’s health is in jeopardy, all of us need to assist in its restoration, maintenance and preservation.
Since nutrient runoff, coupled with atmospheric changes, have endangered the lake, members of Owasco Watershed Lake Association, the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the Owasco Water Quality Management Council are working tirelessly to diagnose the sources of runoff, document the findings and determine actions for remediation. Our collective future, economic, physical and social, is greatly dependent on the future of Owasco Lake. Reaching the goal of a healthy Owasco Lake cannot happen without cooperation from the community at large.
2019 HABs Reporting
The OWLA HABs Program Volunteers began monitoring their assigned shoreline zones once a week on July 8, and will continue to do so through early October.
Learn More about the NYS DEC GIS-based, interactive map:
NEWS
Scroll through for current OWLA and area news:
Thank you Adam Effler, Executive Director of the Owasco Lake Watershed Council, Drew Snell and Kaitlyn Shanahan the Watershed Inspectors for speaking and discussing the health of the lake! #owascolake #fingerlakes #lovefreshwater
We Need Your Help! The Owasco Ditch Remediation Program currently underway.
OWLA initiated a partnership with the SWCD, the county and local highway departments and the watershed inspector to “fix” as many as possible of the roadside ditches that have exposed soil in them.
That’s where we need your help: OWLA has committed to raising the funds required to cover the local match so that the local highway departments see no additional cost for their ditch remediation work.
To find out more and donate: owla.org/donate/
Bill Phillips, member of the Owasco Watershed Lake Association board of directors, was the Owasco Lake harmful algal bloom surveillance coordinator this past summer. Below is a link to the article he wrote detailing how the project went and thanking his volunteer team :
Phillips: OWLA volunteers monitor Owasco Lake
Oct. 1 marked the end of a busy season for a diligent group of volunteers representing the Owasco Watershed Lake Association. Their responsibility was to search for harmful algal bloomsThank you to all of the volunteers for their amazing work. I own a house on Owasco Lake and would like to know what’s going to be done to prevent the HAB outbreaks, not only report them.
Thank you to all of the volunteers and those that work to protect our lake!
Hi Everyone -
This New York Times article is interesting and good reading for anyone concerned about agricultural practices and the health of our lakes and lands. Dana Hall, OWLA Board member and Chairperson of the Citizen Science Committee offers two thoughts to consider after reading the article.
Polluting Farms Should Pay, Catherine Kling
www.nytimes.com/2019/08/25/opinion/water-quality-agriculture.html?searchResultPosition=1
From Dana Hall:
1) Animal-based farms of all sizes should be required to process their animal's waste just as concentrations of people are required to do. Perhaps different technical solutions (e.g., a septic tank approach probably doesn't solve even a small animal farmer's animal waste needs) but nevertheless the same requirement in concept. Since large expense results in order to meet the waste processing mandate, the public should pay much of the initial costs. Such an outlay has to be orders of magnitude cheaper than the impact of manure runoff and losses are costing society now.
2) All land uses in every watershed must be required to follow a nutrient management approach. What I mean is apply only the amount of each nutrient for which soil tests show the land parcel is deficient for its current or intended use. Same rule should apply regardless of land use; i.e., gardens, orchards, lawns, and crop land. Records must be kept and must be shown to appropriate officials upon request.
Opinion | Polluting Farmers Should Pay
Fertilizer runoff is making us sick. States can step in to regulate farmers.
EVENTS and MEETINGS
Events Calendar
Check Out The Calendar For Area Events
News
OWLA presents important news and information from our area!
OWLA Monthly Meetings:
OWLA Monthly Meeting
OWLA Monthly Meeting
OWLA Monthly Meeting
OWLA Monthly Meeting
Robert N. Brower
Memorial Honorarium
In 2018 we lost our friend and advocate for the lake and the environment, Bob Brower. OWLA has established an Honorarium in Bob’s name to help fund projects that were dear to him.
Please consider contributing to the fund to honor Bob’s memory.
What can you do to HELP?
Protecting Owasco Lake is essential to the maintenance of our community character and the improvement of our economic future. We encourage everyone to help the Owasco Watershed Lake Association personally and/or financially. By this commitment you will help keep Owasco Lake clean and safe.