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OUR PROGRAMS AND ONGOING EFFORTS
Lake Friendly Living
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To learn more about Lake Friendly Living, and the Owasco Lake Watershed Management Council's involvement in The Lake Friendly Living Coalition of the Finger Lakes, please utilize the following link:
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For Reporting Water Quality Concerns:
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Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)
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HAB Surveillance Program (NYSDEC)
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A map of​ reported HABs in the last two weeks, and archived HAB locations
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Suspicious Algal Bloom Report Form (NYSDEC)
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See something that looks like a HAB? Report it!
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Advanced HABS monitoring buoy (USGS)
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Water quality monitoring locations and data available through the USGS​
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Owasco Lake Watershed Rules and Regulations
Project Update
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The Owasco Lake Watershed Rules and Regulations (WRR) Update Project is an important water quality initiative being undertaken by the Owasco Lake Watershed Management Council.
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The project goal is to update and revise the 1984 Owasco Lake Watershed Rules and Regulations, through a thoughtful and engaged public participation process resulting in effective and equitable watershed regulations that will help to improve, protect and preserve water quality within Owasco Lake and it’s 208 square mile watershed for the benefit of current and future generations.
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NYS Department of Health-- State Consensus Project Updates:
7.19.22 Monthly Owasco WRR Update for OLWMC
8.16.22 Monthly Owasco WRR Update for OLWMC
9.20.2022 Monthly Owasco WRR Update for OLWMC
10.18.2022 Monthly Owasco WRR Update for OLWMC
11.15.2022 Monthly Owasco WRR Update for OLWMC
12.20.2022 Monthly Owasco WRR Update for OLWMC
1.17.2023 Monthly Owasco WRR Update for OLWMC
2.21.2023 Monthly Owasco WRR Update for OLWMC
3.21.2023 Monthly Owasco WRR Update for OLWMC
Community Project Highlights
The October 23, 2021 planting event attracted community involvement and volunteerism for beautifying Emerson Park and demonstrated a recommended practice for capturing runoff and settling sediments. Raingardens are considered ‘green infrastructure’ practices. Green infrastructure is a recommended strategy within multiple watershed and lake management plans. 100 selected native and wet-tolerant plants were planted in a 500 ft2 area. The OLWMC thanks its project partners, including the Owasco Watershed Lake Association (OWLA), Cayuga County Parks and Trails, Wegmans Food Markets, and the community volunteers that committed their time and assistance.
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In January of 2023, a 161-acre parcel in the Town of Sempronius was transferred from The Nature Conservancy to the Owasco Lake Watershed Management Council (OLWMC). The parcel was acquired by the Conservancy just over a year ago through a Water Quality Improvement Project grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to help protect drinking water supplies and reduce contributors to harmful algal blooms. The transfer of this parcel, as an important natural resource and source for public drinking water, to OLWMC is part of the Conservancy’s effort to empower local community organizations in managing water resources.
The protection of the 161-acre property, which OLWMC will call the Fillmore Nature Preserve, is critical for protecting water quality in Owasco Lake, which provides drinking water to more than 70% of Cayuga County. A study by The Nature Conservancy ranked the property within the top 10 parcels in the Owasco Lake watershed with the greatest impact on water quality. The land includes diverse forests and approximately 40 acres of freshwater wetlands and is located near the birthplace of President Millard Fillmore and Fillmore Glen State Park.
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On May 22, 2023, student conservation work at the Fillmore Nature Preserve was one of the activities included as part of Moravia High School 'Moravia Gives Back Day.' Students picked up litter along the roadway adjacent to the preserve, pulled invasive species and identified species to inform a conservation database. Using a Fillmore Nature Preserve survey map from Cayuga County Imagemate, the group used boundaries to create a map in Google Earth that was uploaded to iNaturalist, a program that tracks species identified during field surveys. Effectively, Moravia High School students were the first to assess biodiversity at the preserve. Now, every time someone uses iNaturalist to identify a species found there, the uploaded information will contribute to the initiated project.