The Seneca-Keuka Watershed Nine Element Plan will be the topic of a public outreach session at 10 a.m. Oct. 7 at the Yates County Office Building, 417 Liberty St., Penn Yan. Register for the Zoom event at senecawatershedio.wordpress.com/events/or attend in person.
This meeting will focus on identifying and prioritizing management actions to include in the Nine Element Plan. Project consultant firm EcoLogic LLC will present information on where nutrient and sediment pollution are highest; best management practices to reduce pollutants; projections on the impact approaches will have on water quality; and a proposed course of action.
The session will include opportunities for public participation and will be recorded.
This is the second of three planned public sessions on the development of the Seneca-Keuka Watershed Nine Element Plan. The third will be held at 10 a.m. Feb. 3 at Watkins Glen Community Center, 155 S. Clute Park Drive, Watkins Glen, when the completed draft plan will be reviewed before it is submitted for state review and approval.
The final, state-approved plan will be unveiled at 6 p.m. April 25 at the Yates County Office Building, 417 Liberty St., Penn Yan.
“While development of the plan will have taken a few years, its execution will take decades. It is critical to remember that implementation of nearly all practices is voluntary and for this reason, it is important that we get feedback from all watershed stakeholders to help identify the most realistic and achievable path forward,” says Ian Smith, Seneca Lake Watershed Steward.
The Seneca-Keuka Watershed includes an area that spans from the Town of Italy in western Yates County to the Town of Hector in eastern Schuyler County, and from the Town of Horseheads in Chemung County to the Town of Geneva in Ontario County.
The project is sponsored with funding provided by the New York State Department of State under Title 11 of the Environmental Protection Fund. Additional funding is provided by Seneca Watershed Intermunicipal Organization, Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association, Keuka Watershed Improvement Cooperative, Keuka Lake Association, The Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Seneca County, Schuyler County, Ontario County, Yates County, Steuben County, and Corning Inc.
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