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HVA Water Quality Committee Update
June 2005        

As we enter the summer, there has been a lot of progress, and there is still much to do.  Our key action items remain the same as adopted from our public meeting in April of 2003:

• An alum application in April/May of 2006 in the deepest portions of the lake to prevent the release of phosphorus from bottom sediments to avoid the heavy summer blooms of algae (expected life of 5-15 years); and,
• To purchase and operate additional weed harvesting equipment to manage our tall weeds.

We received a grant for $40,000 from NYS this April that we wrote and applied for in June 2004 (see article in this issue).  This grant, along with town funding, is financing the completion of a Nutrient/Hydrologic Computer Model and a complete Watershed Management Plan for our lake and watershed.  Both are in process (see article). 

Weed Management Status/Progress 

Our “new” harvester will begin operation Monday June 27.  After a week of harvesting, it will be joined by our other harvester cutting and harvesting weeds.  This is very good news, as we have almost doubled our ability to harvest tall weeds - as well as removing many more tons of “green manure” from our lake.  Both harvesters can operate as full harvesters, or as a transport barge as best meets our needs.  We purchased this new harvester at auction last fall.  The new harvester is the same make and model as our existing one and has many fewer hours.  Ontario County will continue to manage the harvesting operations. 

Algae Management Status/Progress 

We are making excellent progress toward our goal for an alum application to the deepest portions of our lake for next April/May 2006.  This safe treatment will prevent the release of phosphorus for 5-15 years from deep water lake sediments that fuel our algae blooms in summer and early fall.  Our nearly complete Nutrient Computer Model has shown that almost all of the phosphorus driving summer and early fall algae blooms is indeed coming from bottom sediments in our lake.  This confirms that the planned alum treatment is critical to preventing these algae blooms.  A technical committee has been organized under the auspices of the Honeoye Lake Watershed Task Force (HLWTF) to manage this program.  Representatives of the Water Quality Committee, the towns of Richmond and Canadice, DEC, Ontario County Planning, Ontario County Soil and Water Conservation District, FLCC and Princeton Hydro serve on this critical committee.  

A public Scoping meeting was held May 12 at the school as the first step under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR).  This public process will ensure that we all understand the alum treatment, and that all actions necessary to prevent any harm to our lake environment thru this beneficial treatment are taken.  At the May 12 meeting, Dr Stephen J. Souza of Princeton Hydro LLC.  presented a review of our lake status and explained why an alum treatment will be safe and greatly benefit our lake.  Questions were taken and answered from the audience about our lake and the actual treatment.  Oral and written comments were also accepted on the outline for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) at the end of the meeting.  Tom Harvey of the County Planning Department also presented an overview of the SEQR process for the project. 

The DEIS is nearing completion as I write this update and will be distributed to agencies and the public in the next several weeks.  When complete, it will be available at the Richmond and Canadice Town Halls as well as on the HVA website (www.hvaweb.org).  An important public hearing will be scheduled in August (targeting the 17^th) that will provide for public comment and input on the project and DEIS.  It is very important that we all attend this critical meeting. This treatment is a vital part of our efforts to improve water quality in Honeoye Lake and prevent algae blooms.  

We have all worked very hard to get to this point.  Please be sure to attend and speak at the meetings/hearings on alum and the Watershed plan this August (see President’s Letter in this issue).  We need your support and involvement to ensure that these critical water quality initiatives are supported and funded for the long-term health of our lake, watershed and local economy.  Our thanks to the towns of Richmond and Canadice who have continued to be strong advocates for lake restoration and it’s funding.  Credit should also be given to Ontario County Planning Department, DEC, FLCC, Ontario County Soil and Water, HLWTF, and the numerous volunteers who continue to work for the responsible restoration of our lake and it’s watershed. 

Don Bennett
HVA Water Quality Committee & HLWTF Technical Committee
229-2003