Management Strategy for Oneida Lake

Abstract

Many people throughout the Oneida Lake watershed community have been working hard over the past several years to improve and protect Oneida Lake and its tributaries. This has involved extensive planning, creative program implementation, comprehensive data collection and analysis, and the development of professional partnerships leading to improved cost effectiveness and program effictency. The Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board (CNY RPDB) was responsible for coordinating the Oneida Lake Watershed Management Plan and worked with many watershed stakeholders to reach a diverse set of program goals. This has been an action-oriented, local level initiative involving extensive data collection and analysis, identification of priority issues, and the selection of opportunities for effective solutions. This report, A Management Strategy for Oneida Lake and Its Watershed (Strategy), contains a description of the environmental setting and cultural influences, background information on the priority water resource issues of concern, and recommendations to address these problems. The Strategy also presents a summary of the additional work (such as monitoring and education projects) that was accomplished as part of the watershed management plan over the past 3 Y2 years. Eight priority lake and watershed problem areas were initially identified through municipal surveys, stakeholder discussion groups, public comment meetings, and input from county Water Quality Coordinating Committees. Community leaders and agency representatives then met on a regular basis as "Working Groups" during 2003 and 2004 to compile background information and identify short and long-term goals for each of these issues. Recommendations were also developed for the long-term protection and enhancement of Oneida Lake and its tributaries. The findings were reviewed and endorsed by the Watershed Advisory Council and were then presented at six public meetings throughout the watershed. The findings from this effort are presented in this report. A Management Strategy for Oneida Lake and Its Watershed also provides information about the environmental and economic setting throughout the watershed. This information was taken from The Oneida Lake State of the Lake and Watershed Report (SOLWR) that was published in 2003. The SOLWR serves as a reference for local decision-makers. It is used in the identification and prioritization of goals and in the development of action plans for the protection of surface water and groundwater resources. Many watershed partners contributed to the collection of information for the SOL WR, which is now available at municipal offices, public libraries, and agencies throughout the watershed. It can also be found on the Internet at www .cnyrpdb.org/oneidalake.