Irondequoit Bay Monroe County, New York

Abstract

Irondequoit Bay is approximately 4.2 miles long and 0.6 miles wide and is separated from Lake Ontario by a small barrier beach. Irondequoit Bay had been historically considered hypereutrophic when several sewage plants discharged directly into the bay; however, aggressive restoration by Monroe County has improved the eutrophic state of the bay. Restoration efforts included sealing the bottom sediments with alum, reducing both point and non-point sources of phosphorus, and the pumping of air into the hypolimnion to reduce phosphorus movement from the sediments into the water. Currently no direct sewage plant discharge is received, and phosphorus levels are approaching goals set by the county. Irondequoit Bay is located within the Rochester embayment, an indentation of the shoreline stretching from Bogus Point to Nine Mile Point. Much of the southern shore of Lake Ontario, the Bay, and the shoreline of Lake Ontario experience nuisance algae, bacteria, and algal mat development which foul the nearshore waters and limit water recreation. This short report provides a synopsis of data collected monthly from May through September (2003 to 2009) on the water quality of Irondequoit Bay and the lakeside (swimmable depth) of Lake Ontario near the mouth of the bay.