Sodus Bay Wayne County, New York

Abstract

Sodus Bay is one of Lake Ontario’s major embayments separated from the lake by a 7,500-foot long barrier beach. The bay is located in Wayne County, New York, and is 4.4 miles in length and 2.4 miles across. This major point of access to Lake Ontario contains 12 marinas, 13 waterfront restaurants, 2 public access sites, a public beach, and a sailing school. The 46-mi2 Sodus Bay watershed is composed of land that is 30% agriculture, 4% developed land, 61% forest, and 4% wetlands. First Creek, Second Creek, Third Creek, Sodus Creek West, Sodus Creek East (Glenmark Creek), and Clark Creek empty into this bay. Sodus Bay has nuisance algae and macrophytes which can cause beach closings. This short report provides a synopsis of data collected monthly from May through September (2003 to 2009) on the water quality of Sodus Bay and the lakeside (swimmable depth) of Lake Ontario near the bay.