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Updated Benthic Report

Honeoye Lake Alum Project   

Following intense algae blooms during the summer of 2002 the HVA formed a Water Quality Committee to investigate what management techniques could be employed to improve the lake water quality for improved recreational use.  The committee held its first public meeting on November 20, 2002 to inform and educate the public on what can be done and to obtain public input Click here to view the charts from this meeting 

Princeton Hydro, a lake management firm, was hired by the HVA to evaluate the lake water quality using data collected over the past 20 years and make a recommendation on possible environmentally sound remediation techniques that could be employed to improve recreational use of the lake. A second public meeting was held on April 10, 2003 where Dr. Steve Souza of Princeton Hydro presented these results. Click here to view the charts from this meeting

The recommendation of Princeton Hydro’s study was to use an alum treatment of the lake to prevent phosphorus release from the bottom sediment which will reduce the severity of algae blooms and to increase weed harvesting to control excessive weed growth. The results of this study results were documented in a report: Princeton Hydro’s Phase I Lake Restoration Guidance and Prioritization Plan for Honeoye Lake.

Future efforts of the HVA Water Quality Committee to implement the alum application have been transferred to the Alum Committee under the auspices of the Honeoye Lake Watershed Taskforce (HLWTF). In addition to the members of the HVA Water Quality Committee the Alum Committee now includes representatives from Ontario County Planning Department, NYS- Department of Environmental Conservation, and a representative from the town boards of Canadice and Richmond. These efforts are now documented in the Alum Project  link.  

• Alum controls the internal recycling of  phosphorus from lake bottom sediment
• Alum will reduce significant algae blooms by reducing internal phosphorus release
• Alum will only be applied to the deep-water portions of the lake greater than 18 feet deep– approximately 800 acres
• Alum when properly applied, will not adversely impact the fish or animal life within the lake
• Once the alum has settled to the bottom in the deep-water areas, it will not affect water uses

Alum has also been commonly utilized for many years to treat public drinking water

• Alum has been used in many lakes in the Northeast, including Irondequoit Bay in the 1980’s, to successfully control algae
• The treatment is expected to last a minimum of 5 years and could last  10-15 years
• Alum will not reduce in-lake rooted vegetation
• Alum application will be done over several days by a professional applicator using GPS equipment and a specially equipped barge to assure precise injection of the liquid alum beneath the surface in the treated area    
• Towns of Canadice and Richmond will pay for alum application
• Alum Project subject to State Environment Quality Review (SEQR)

o        A Scoping meeting was held on May 12 2005 to allow public input on the scope of the Environmental Impact Statement. Honeoye Lake Scoping Meeting Presentation 

o        A Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) was written and made available in the Canadice and Richmond town halls, the Honeoye Public Library and on-line at the Ontario County website prior to a Public Hearing which was held August 31, 2005. Click for: DEIS Public Hearing charts Comments from this public hearing along with other written comments from interested agencies provided public input that is addressed in the SEQR process.

o        The Proposed Alum Treatment Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) addressed all comments to the DEIS and was declared complete on February 8, 2006 by Ontario County Planning Department, acting as Lead Agency. It issued its findings on March 3, 2006.  The FEIS and findings are available in the Canadice and Richmond town halls, the Honeoye Public Library and on-line at http://www.co.ontario.ny.us/planning/honeoye_lk_alum.htm

• DEC issued a State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) Discharge Permit on May 10, 2006 which sets application and monitoring requirements and is required for an alum application
• The alum application was scheduled to start June 26, 2006 by Sweetwater Division of the TeeMark Corporation but due to an engine failure with the application barge, the application was delayed and done from September 15-23, 2006.
• Subsequent to the September 2006 application it was determined that Sweetwater applied about 80% of the alum in compliance with the contract, and is willing to return to remedy the other 20%.
• It was hoped that Sweetwater would return in the spring of 2007 to complete the alum application but the DEC has determined that they must publish a new public notice followed by a 30 day comment period before the modification to the County’s existing permit can be finalized and the application begin. As a result the additional alum treatment has been put off until mid September 2007.  
• The alum application was completed on September 20, 2007, concluding a project that took five years.