Water recreation is a staple of the summer season, but according to the Department of Environmental Conservation, there are a few bodies of water in Schenectady County that are not always supporting their intended usage because of pollutants.
In order to complete certain requirements for the Federal Clean Water Act, the state DEC must provide periodic assessments of the quality of water resources and if specific uses are being supported. The complete list of water quality information is found in the DEC’s Waterbody Inventory and Priority Waterbodies List. The monitoring and assessment cycle for Schenectady County, included in the Mohawk River region, occurs for two years each period, which previously was 2000-02, 2005-07 and the region is currently being assessed starting in 2010 until 2012.
This is the second story in a four-part series examining the Schenectady County Environmental Advisory Council’s impact over the past four decades and looks at what still needs to be done to preserve the county’s natural resources.
For the first story Click here.
The cause of pollution isn’t an easy problem to tackle, according to DEC officials. In Schenectady County, according to the most recent DEC reports, the impaired waterbodies include Collins Lake, Mariaville Lake, Duane Lake and minor tributaries to the Mohawk River. The DEC classification of “impaired” means the water body frequently does not support appropriate uses. The most severe classification is when a water body does not support uses at all, but there are none in the county that bear such a designation.
“These lakes have a lot of things going on around them, and they get nutrients into them … and they get too much nitrogen and phosphorus in them, and weeds grow and that is what makes the lake unhealthy,” said Mary Werner, chairwoman of the Schenectady County Environmental Advisory Committee.
In 1972, the National Pollutant Discharge and Elimination System was established to regulate point source pollution, which includes industrial facilities, government facilities and some agricultural facilities. The United States Environmental Protection Agency manages the program, but in 46 states, including New York, a state agency issues the permits directly to facilities.
Werner said the State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, known as SPDES, has helped clean and maintain water bodies. Now, the main pollution sources are more difficult to track down and address.
“The SPDES in New York State has been very essential in cleaning up the surface water,” said Werner. “[Waterbodies] are not impaired by an industrial facility or waste water treatment plan; they are being impaired by a nonpoint source.”
Basically, everything not coming out a pipe, said Werner, is a nonpoint source. This type of pollution comes from stormwater from roofs, parking lots and lawns. Also, bare soil can gather various pollutants, which are released during runoff. Even pesticide usage and common household chemicals can affect water bodies.
“The primary causes of use impairments are typically urban and/or agricultural runoff, and in some cases on-site septic systems,” said Rick Georgeson, spokesman for the DEC, in an email. “These all contribute excess nutrients and other contaminants to the waterbodies. These are so-called nonpoint sources of pollution and there is no one easy way to address them all.”
For agricultural areas, there are best management practices that Soil and Water Conservation Districts and Cooperative Extension offices promote to farmers, said Georgeson. Grants are also occasionally available to provide assistance in reducing runoff from farm fields, he said, which can contain fertilizer, pesticides and soil particles.
Urban runoff from new development projects is addressed through SPDES, which include any owners or operators of a construction project disturbing at least one acre. Other forms of pollutions though, said Georgeson, are best addressed at a local level, through planning and zoning.
“Local building codes can reduce the amount of urban runoff from built-up areas by requiring different measures be taken to impact the movement of water during rain events so pollutants can be filtered before they reach a waterbody,” said Georgeson. “For example, requiring more permeable surfaces, such as fewer paved areas, will allow water to filter into the ground rather than run off directly into a waterbody.”
When it comes to addressing nonpoint pollutants, he said, rural areas will have fewer resources to use compared to cities and bustling towns.
“Some of the very small towns in the state do not even have local zoning at all,” he said.
Correcting Collins Lake
The Village of Scotia is well aware of water quality issues at Collins Lake.
“There has been a fair amount that has gone on at Collins Lake,” said Werner about correcting the water quality.
Collins Lake was sampled in 2006 by the DEC, and the quality was found to have noticeably improved from previous conditions through various management actions. Excessive weed and algal growth are found in the lake, according to DEC, which are caused by excessive runoff from urban nonpoint sources. The impact of geese excrement has been an ongoing issue the village has addressed as well.
As the only sand beach in Schenectady County, said Mayor Kris Kastberg, the village has a unique natural resource it aims to protect. Water usage for recreational activities has also increased the past two years, Kastberg said.
“Right now our water quality is better than it ever has been,” said Kastberg. “You can’t say any one thing did it, but a combination of factors … turned the lake around.”
Despite improvements to the lake, DEC officials said in June 2010, water quality issues are still typical of an impaired lake. The uses listed as impaired are public bathing and recreation.
Kastberg said the water is sampled regularly through the Department of Health to ensure it is safe for swimming. The lake cleaning included hydraulic dredging to increase water depth by one meter to reduce exotic plan growth, but the DEC also noted this as a pollution source. Also, Kastberg said, storm water going into the lake was diverted years ago and an aeration system was installed three years ago to constantly turn the water over so it doesn’t settle at the bottom. The number of geese has been reduced to around 25 per year, he said, instead of the previous 250.
“It takes a partnership between all levels of government and private citizens to address the many causes of nonpoint sources of pollution,” said Georgeson.
Other impaired waterbodies
The two other impaired lakes, Duane Lake and Mariaville Lake, have troubles similar to those at Collins Lake, with increased phosphorus entering the water. Again, nonpoint pollution sources are cited as the main culprits.
Recreational uses at Duane Lake are considered by the DEC to be impaired due to aquatic weed and algal growth and low water transparency. The DEC report on the lake was revised in April 2008. Previous assessments claimed failing or inadequate on-site septic systems serving lakeshore homes as a factor. The phosphorus levels in the lake, according the report based on 2006 sampling, was consistently exceeding state phosphorus guidelines.
While public bathing isn’t impaired at Duane Lake, at Mariaville Lake it is because of high nutrient loads, excessive aquatic weed growth, occasional algal blooms and reduced water clarity, according a DEC report.
The water at Mariaville Lake was tested through the DEC’s Citizen Statewide Lake Assessment Program beginning in 2002 to the present. The DEC said from the data collected through the program, phosphorus levels in the lake typically exceeded state guidelines and transparency measurements have occasionally failed to meet the recommended minimum requirements for swimming.
In 2006, lakeshore homes were put into sewer district, said DEC, so onsite impacts are no longer considered a significant source.
To view DEC Mohawk River Basin Waterbody Inventory and Priority Waterbodies List Report visit www.dec.ny.gov.
