Why Does Your Lake Association Need a Lake Management Plan?
To guide the protection or restoration of your lake, it is important to have a plan that identifies issues, sets goals, develops potential remediation strategies and evaluates proposed outcomes. In many cases, grant funding is also dependent upon the existence of an overall lake management plan. If you are just starting this process, Chapters 9-11 of Diet for a Small Lake is a great place to start, but this page will also help you find additional information about lake management planning in NYS.
Plans to Restore or Protect Water Quality
Most lake associations become interested in lake and watershed management when a perceived problem occurs on their lake. Nuisance aquatic weeds, algae growth, or turbidity often spur action on the local level. Some lakes can become impaired for their designated use as a public water supply or recreational (contact) waterbody. Many of them have been designated by the NYS DEC as part of the . Many lakes on this list have been determined to have nutrient levels that lead to undesirable water quality. The nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus are the primary contributors to excessive weed and algae growth in lakes. The goal of most lake management programs is to reduce the amount of nutrients and sediment entering a lake.
Some lakes, on the other hand, have very good water quality, and lake associations want a proactive plan to keep it that way. Â
Information about the water quality of many NYS waterbodies can also be found on the . Water quality monitoring is often a first step in the development of a plan. Lake associations that are participating in the Citizens Statewide Lake Assessment Program (CSLAP) can use that data as the foundation of a lake management plan.
ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵWatershed Management Primer
In 1996 New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) began testing a program model that would allow watershed management programs to be developed quickly with limited funds using New York State Federation of Lake Associations (NYSFOLA) lake associations as the core organizing groups.
Four lakes ultimately became ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵcooperative test projects with NYSDEC funding. Two other lakes received separate NYSDEC and/or other agency funding and independently used the NYSDEC program model. Â
 A final survey from the Committee identified several issues critical to success as well as several challenges and problems in the projects. The lessons learned from the project continue to serve as guidance for lake association:. A Primer for Developing a Successful Watershed Management Program.
Tools For Lake Managment Planning
– WikiWatershed is an initiative of . The Stroud Center seeks to advance knowledge and stewardship of freshwater systems through global research, education, and watershed restoration. Check out the “Model My Watershed” app and more.
– StreamStats provides access to spatial analytical tools that are useful for water-resources planning and management, and for engineering and design purposes. The map-based user interface can be used to delineate drainage areas, get basin characteristics and estimates of flow statistics, and more. Available information varies from state to state.
– A wide range of tools and information provided by the USGS.
– What are the soils in your watershed? Are they highly erodable? Do they support septic systems? Web Soil Survey (WSS) provides soil data and information produced by the National Cooperative Soil Survey. It is operated by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and provides access to the largest natural resource information system in the world.Â
Hiring a Lake Management Professional Tips for ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵMembers – Hiring a lake management consultant to do work on your lake? Take a look at our brochure to help you plan and implement lake management strategies.
Since 2012, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵhas partnered with the SUNY Oneonta to provide a mechanism for member lake associations to have management plans prepared by graduate students in the program. ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵprovides funding to the Oneonta Foundation in order to support the work on selected ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵmember lakes. Links to many of those documents can be found below.
US EPA Nine Element Plan
The United States Environmental Protection Agency has prepared a module. They recommend a 9 Element Plan. They also have published a ““. A “” version of the document is available.
Lake Management Plan Examples
There are many good examples of lake management plans in New York State. Here links to some examples:
– (2022, EcoLogic LLC and Upstate Freshwater Institute)
(2020, George C. Smith, SUNY Oneonta).
(2000, Warren County SWCD)
(2015, Alejandro Reyes, SUNY Oneonta)
(2014, Carter Bailey, SUNY Oneonta)
(2001, Central NY Regional Planning and Development Board)
(2014, Daniel Kopec, SUNY Oneonta)
The State of the Chateaugay Lakes (1999, Prepared for the New York State Federation of Lake Associations Watershed Management Planning Project by Joe Racette and Erin Burns, NYS DEC, Dr. Lyn McIlroy and Dr. Richard Lamb (SUNY Plattsburgh))
(1999, Chateaugay Lakes Association)
(2022, Lucas Le Tarte, SUNY Oneonta)
(2021, Samantha Carey, SUNY Oneonta)
(2014, Owen Zaengle, SUNY Oneonta)
(2015, Jason Luce, SUNY Oneonta)
(2007, Honeoye Lake Watershed Task Force)
(2004, Warren County SWCD)
(2002, Melody Lake Association)
(2016, Benjamin P. German, SUNY Oneonta)
(2004, Central NY Regional Planning & Development Board)
(2014, Onondaga County et. al.)
(2008, Princeton Hydro, LLC)
(1998, prepared by the Otsego Lake Watershed Council, 2007 updated by the Otsego County Water Quality Coordinating Committee)
(2014, Derek K. Johnson, SUNY Oneonta)
(2022, D.S. Stich and A. Tumbarello, SUNY Oneonta)
(2022, Marshall Arnwine, SUNY Oneonta)
(2023, Sinead Comerford, SUNY Oneonta)
(2016, Edward J. Kwietniewski, SUNY Oneonta)
(2002, The LA Group PC)
(2010, Warren County SWCD et al)
State of the Lake Report and Management Plan (2018, Patrick Goodwin, SUNY Oneonta)
(2017, Christian Fletcher Jenne, SUNY Oneonta)
– State of the Lake and Management Plan (2016, Jenna Leskovec, SUNY Oneonta)