Watershed Management Plan

The Canandaigua Lake Watershed Management Plan builds on the knowledge gained and projects completed over the last fourteen years to develop a more comprehensive strategy to protect Canandaigua Lake and its surrounding watershed from existing and emerging threats.

This most recent update of the Watershed Plan makes the protection and restoration of critical areas a major area of focus utilizing a wide array of strategies. Some examples of these critical areas include: wetlands, shorelines, streamside/roadbank buffer areas, floodplains, forested areas and other areas that filter and reduce stormwater runoff. Protecting and restoring these critical areas provides substantial beneficial services to individuals and the overall community within and beyond the watershed boundaries.

Amending the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Plan to Meet New Challenges and Requirements

The watershed management plan has played an important role in guiding management efforts by documenting lake and watershed conditions, identifying on-going and new risks to the lake, and prioritizing actions. State agencies have often used the success of our watershed plan (most recent update in 2014) and ongoing watershed programs as a model across New York State.

In the last few years, the US EPA and the NYS DEC have put a new emphasis on plans that meet a threshold called a 9 Element Watershed Management Plan. To stay grant competitive and to address new concerns to the lake, the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Council, along with its partners, are in the process of completing the necessary steps to update our plan to meet the criteria of a 9E Plan.

What are the 9 Elements?

A) Identify and quantify sources of pollution in watershed

B) Identify water quality target or goal and pollutant reductions needed to achieve goal

C) Identify the best management practices (BMPs) that will help to achieve reductions needed to meet water quality goal/target

D) Describe the financial and technical assistance needed to implement BMPs identified in Element C

E) Describe the outreach to stakeholders and how their input was incorporated and the role of stakeholders to implement the plan

F) Estimate a schedule to implement BMPs identified in plan

G) Describe the milestones and estimated time frames for the implementation of BMPs implemented

H) Identify the criteria that will be used to assess water quality improvement as the plan is

I) Describe the monitoring plan that will collect water quality data need to measure water quality improvement (criteria identified in Element H)

For more information on 9 Element Plans:

• See this factsheet from NYS DEC – https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/water_pdf/9efaq17.pdf

• Visit the NYS DEC 9E Plan website – https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/103264.html

The Canandaigua Lake 9E Addendum Status

The first step to the 9E Addendum is to complete the non-point source pollution watershed model to estimate nutrient and sediment loading to the lake.  Our watershed area is large and the factors affecting loads are very complex.  Therefore, the watershed model provides a very rough estimate of loading.  The power of the model is really in assessing relative load reductions from different management practices in the watershed.  We have partnered with Dr. Todd Walter, Dr. Scott Steinschneider, and their PhD student Mahnaz Sepehrmanesh to complete the watershed model.  We are in the final stages of having a draft of these results complete.  Once the model is complete for current conditions, we will hold a meeting to review the results and get feedback on best management practice scenarios for the next phase of modeling.

Stay Up to Date and Send the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Council Your Comments

The Canandaigua Lake Watershed Council has set up a public comment submission section on their website.  Your comments, suggestions, feedback, etc. on the 9E Addendum will be critical.  Feedback will be collected throughout the process.