Sandy Creek Monroe/Orleans Counties, New York

Abstract

Sandy Creek is located in Monroe and Orleans Counties in New York State and drains 89 mi2 of land. Surrounding land use is predominantly agriculture, though there are also residential influences. The Orleans County Soil and Water Conservation District through the Water Quality Coordinating Committee (WQCC) has monitored nutrient loss from the watershed through continuous automated monitoring and event sampling. Sandy Creek was identified as moderately polluted, not as pristine as forested watersheds but not as polluted as streams receiving partially treated sewage. Soil loss was highest (75% of total) during precipitation events suggesting that agricultural runoff may play a large role in cultural eutrophication of the creek (Makarewicz 2000). Nuisance algae and algal mat development foul the nearshore waters along the southern shoreline of Lake Ontario and are major causes of beach closings and limited water recreation. This short report provides a synopsis of data collected monthly from May through September (2003 to 2009) on the water quality of Sandy Creek and the lakeside (swimmable depth) of Lake Ontario near the mouth of the creek.