Characterization of Six Watersheds of Wayne County, New York

Abstract

Wayne County Soil and Water Conservation District has a long history of working to keep soil and nutrients on the land and out of the water. Much of this work has focused on Sodus Bay and Port Bay (Makarewicz and Lewis 1989, 1990; Makarewicz et al. 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994; White et al. 2002). However, little is known about the environmental status of other major creeks in Wayne County away from the coastal area of Lake Ontario. As a result, the Wayne County Water Quality Coordinating Committee (WQCC) recommended a study to evaluate nutrient and soil loss from six watersheds and their creeks [Canandaigua Outlet, Glenmark (Sodus) Creek, Crusoe Creek, Black Brook, Red Creek East, and Red Creek West] not previously assessed. The purpose of the monitoring program was to collect water quality data in order to quantify the concentration and loading of nutrients and suspended sediments transported from these creeks and to evaluate the environmental health of each creek. In addition, the data serve as a database to make informed water quality management decisions, including the development of a watershed management plan, and as a benchmark of discharge and nutrient data to measure the success of future remediation efforts and to begin a data set that would lead to a priority listing of water quality goals.