Construction work continues on the south parcel of the West Brook Conservation Initiative project in Lake George. Culverts and rough grading are underway on the site where Charley’s Saloon once stood. The new stormwater treatment complex and environmental park will treat millions of gallons of stormwater each year.
J. Buckley Bryan Jr., recent past president of the Lake George Association, has given a gift of $45,000 to the West Brook Conservation Initiative (WBCI) in Lake George. This gift brings Bryan’s investment in the project to $107,000, making him the second largest individual donor.
Currently under construction on the south parcel of the former Gaslight Village property, WBCI is the largest environmental project in the Lake’s history. The stormwater treatment complex and environmental park will redirect stormwater from Route 9 into settling ponds, marshlands, and a gravel wetland.
“After all our hard work it was gratifying to see physical work begin on the project this past December,” said the LGA’s Buck Bryan. “The demolition of Charley’s Saloon on the south side is complete, and now rough grading is underway,” he said.
“The inlet and outlet culverts have been installed by Kubricky Construction (working for the NYS Department of Transportation), and the land is being graded to the proper elevations for the park’s various components,” said Walt Lender, LGA executive director. “Stormwater from Route 9 will enter the first settling pond via the inlet culvert,” he said. “From there it will travel through shallow marsh wetlands where pollutants in the runoff will be naturally treated through uptake by the plants. Finally, the water will be diverted into either a deep water marsh a gravel wetland, where dense root mats, crushed stones and a microbe rich environment will improve the quality of the water before it returns to West Brook via the outlet culvert.”
Three environmental groups – the Lake George Association (LGA), the Fund for Lake George, and the Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) – have worked together to develop the project under the terms of a conservation easement they jointly hold with the village of Lake George and Warren County. Jointly, the groups need to raise an additional $1.56 million to secure ownership of the easement.
The LGLC needs to raise $2.3 million toward the purchase of the 1,436-acre Berry Pond tract, to protect West Brook’s headwaters. The final payment on principal for Berry Pond is due January 17, 2012. “This winter, snowmobilers are already enjoying the wide trails on the Berry Pond tract, that we have approved for use,” said Nancy Williams, director of the Lake George Land Conservancy.
“This project will cleanse millions of gallons of stormwater every year and provide a much needed environmental boost to Lake George, which we all know is our region’s most important environmental as well as economic asset. We salute those who have generously given back to the lake,” said Peter Bauer, executive director of the Fund for Lake George.
The NYS Department of State awarded $152,000 in grants from the Environmental Projection Fund to design the project and $1.2 million for project construction. The West Brook Conservation Initiative partners, including the LGA, the Fund for Lake George, the Lake George Land Conservancy, the village of Lake George, the NYS Department of State and the NYS Department of Transportation are members of the Lake George Watershed Coalition. Formed in 2001 under the direction of the NY Secretary of State, the coalition provides a forum for members to coordinate the complex issues affecting Lake George’s water quality. The nine municipalities and three counties around the Lake, as well as five state agencies and nine nonprofit organizations are members of the coalition.