On the lake: I live too far from the lake
By Gretchen Messer
As these days heat up to 90 degrees or more, many people are thinking this. Who isn’t wanting to dip their toes in cool water, or even just vicariously cool down by catching glimpse of the Lake? In this context, this feeling is true! But with respect to water quality, if you are in this watershed, no one is too far from the lake. Therefore, no one is exempt from taking responsibility for their actions which may result in impacts to the lake. Yes, groundwater moves slowly and what gets soaked in today may not reach the lake for years, depending on distance, soils and slopes. But it does get there. In fact, some of the groundwater reaching the lake now may actually be carrying pollutants that were gathered years in the past. We can’t be responsible for all the past actions. We need to understand them in context, and we need not to repeat those which we now know are harmful to water quality.
Surface water is a very different story. Surface runoff flows quickly, no matter how far from the lake you are. Excess fertilization followed by rains can flow from yards across driveways, to roads, into storm ditches or drains and is transported to the lake within days. Previous articles have addressed methods and rational for slowing this surface water down, encouraging it to drain into the soils to be used by plants or to recharge groundwater. Rain barrels have been discussed to store water for on-site use when needed. There has been considerable work by many organizations to educate the public – the people of the Lake Skaneateles watershed who benefit from a clean lake in endless ways.
The Skaneateles Lake Association, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Onondaga County Soil and Water Conservation District, the Syracuse Water District, the DEC Watershed Coordinator, Finger Lakes Land Trust, Watershed Community Citizens Task Force, and the Town and Village of Skaneateles, and more, have held public meetings and delivered educational pamphlets so that everyone is aware of the immediate issues facing Skaneateles Lake water quality. The public meetings have been well attended. Newsletters are sent to everyone in the areas. No one should be able to say they do not know the issues. No one should say it is not their responsibility. No one should say they won’t/can’t take steps to change habits in order to better the environment.
A large portion of the work being proposed addresses monitoring the water quality. Importantly, this not only identifies the quality of the water at that moment and at that location, it identifies how successful the residents of the watershed are in taking vital steps to reduce the runoff from their yards and leaks from their septic systems. Swales in farm fields are well vegetated and functioning. However, it is incredibly discouraging to drive through residential areas these days. Lawns are mowed to within a quarter inch of their roots. Turf grass is mown short on both sides of road drainage ditches. Storm runoff is flowing quickly, causing erosion and carrying impurities. People may be listening to speeches, but they are not doing what is being asked of them. Lawn services – professional services – need to also educate their clients, and not mow into the ditches. Changes need to happen now because everyone is closer to the Lake than they think.
Gretchen Messer is an adjunct professor in landscape architecture at SUNY ESF.
