Loading of Nutrients from North Shore Tributaries of Oneida Lake: Black, Crandell, Dakins, Little Bay and Black, Crandell, Dakins, Little Bay and Threemile Creeks Oswego County, N.Y.

Abstract

The 2002 Oneida Lake and tributary monitoring program of the Oswego Soil and Water Conservation District (SCWD) is an expansion of the monitoring program that took place in the southern region tributaries of Oneida Lake from 1999 to 2000 by the Central New York Regional Planning Board (CNYRPB)(See Makarewicz and Lewis 2000a, 2003). Phase I of the 2002-2003 program of the CNYRPB involved sampling at the base of the primary tributaries flowing into Oneida Lake (including Big Bay, Scriba, East Branch of Fish, Lower Fish, Wood, Oneida, Cowaselon, Canaseraga, Chittenango, Limestone, and Butternut Creeks). As an extension of the Oneida Lake Watershed Monitoring Program, the Oswego County SWCD is using the same procedures and methodology to monitor an additional five smaller northwest shore tributaries in the Oswego County portion of the Oneida Lake watershed. The sampling sites are summarized below (Figure 1): 1. Little Bay Creek at NYS Route 49 crossing 2. Threemile Creek at Lower Road crossing 3. Dakins Creek at Johnson Road crossing 4. Crandell Creek just West of the County Route 17 crossing 5. Black Creek at Gale Road crossing. The addition of the north shore tributaries to the monitoring strategy allows a better evaluation and prioritization of the subwatersheds in terms of nutrient and suspended solids (soil) loss to the lake from tributaries. That is, the goal of monitoring program goal is to document nutrient and sediment loading to the lake and to prioritize the streams according to problem severity allowing direction on potential restoration and protection initiatives in affected subwatersheds.