Senator Chuck Schumer stopped on the shores of Owasco Lake Monday to call on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to do its part to allow a wetlands restoration project to go forward. Officials say it would reduce sediment and nutrient run-off that’s causing algae blooms and affecting the drinking water supply for Auburn and a dozen other towns.
Algae toxins were first detected in drinking water last fall, below the EPA's health advisory level. Still, it’s a concern that officials say could be alleviated by restoring the Owasco Flats. Phase one began in 2011 by state and local governments. Schumer says the state DEC finally issued the required permits earlier this month, so now it’s up to the federal government to push it over the finish line.
"I am told once the permits are approved, the bidding could go out in about two weeks. We could really get a leg up on the problem by the end of this summer and early fall, and it would make the lake and the drinking water a lot cleaner by next year. We shouldn't wait because things are getting worse."
Schumer says the Army Corps. isn’t dragging its feet…it’s just overwhelmed with the recent flooding on Lake Ontario and other emergencies. He says local officials know how much the wetlands could help.
"The natural filtration process would filter out a lot of the phosphorus and other sediments that shouldn't be here in the lake in increasing amounts. So the project does a very simple thing: It corrects this by re-establishing the wetlands, and through a natural process, help capture the sediment before it harms the lake."
While drinking water quality is the primary concern, the algae blooms can collect on the shoreline and prompt the county to issue health advisories for swimming. Rick Nelson is a board member with the Owasco Watershed Lake Association, and says the bacteria can ruin a visit to the lake.
"You're out of town, you rent a cabin for a week, and you happen to be unlucky and that blue-green algae is on your shoreline. You shouldn't go in the water because the health department advises you not to, and you're not coming back. If you're not coming back, you're not going into town to buy food, you're not spending money in the county."
Nelson says so far, the blooms have been relatively isolated. But he says they usually peak in August and September.
