Category: The Environment

Dean Moore, (pictured at left), and Josh Davis, both from the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District, conduct a bathymetric survey of the delta at Hague Brook. Standing more than 150 feet from shore, Josh is measuring water depth (here about three feet) while Dean notes the GPS location. This survey produces a map of the depth of the water at various points on the delta, and helps the LGA access the volume of sediment that would potentially need to be removed, in this case about 27,000 cubic yards (over 5,000 dump trucks full!)

The Lake George Association is moving forward with a long-term effort to remove several deltas on the Lake. The LGA is examining alternative methods for dredging deltas located at the mouths of three major brooks on the west side of the Lake: Finkle brook in Bolton, Hague brook in Hague and Indian brook in Bolton. The LGA has spent years examining these watersheds and working on upland projects on these brooks.

“With any project of this magnitude a number of partners and steps are required,” said Walt Lender, executive director of the Lake George Association. “This week we completed the public comment period for the development of the scope of a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. Essentially, this is the first round of opportunity for public input on the general scope of the proposal. Next we will complete a draft detailing exactly how and what we propose to do, and the public will have a longer period to comment on that – usually a minimum of 30 days,” he added.

The Department of Environmental Conservation, in accordance with the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) requires impact statements to be prepared and presented to the public for comment before a project like this can be implemented. The original environmental impact statement, covering all deltas on the lake, was approved back in 2004 by the Lake George Park Commission. In this statement only two methods of removing the sediment in the deltas were discussed: 1. conventional mechanical removal from a barge, and 2. hydraulic removal. Preparation of a supplemental impact statement to this original statement became necessary because now the LGA would like to examine alternative methods for dredging. The supplemental statement will also address the environmental impact of these other methods. The particular methods detailed in the supplemental statement are:

1. Mechanical dredging from access pads. The access pads would be constructed from dredged material;
2. In-water mechanical dredging; and
3. Suction dredging.

“We want to arrive at a definitive solution for removal of these deltas: one that we all can live with and one that is vetted through an open public process,” said Randy Rath, LGA’s project manager. “The deltas are certainly a result of damage caused by human interaction with the watershed, and it is up to us to reverse this damage. We just need to agree on what the best, most environmentally appropriate method will be,” he added.

The LGA has successfully completed similar dredging projects on Lake George, most recently the 2009 project at Foster Brook in Huletts Landing. This project greatly improved navigation, removed 1500 cubic yards of sediment, and largely restored the lake bottom. The fishery has greatly benefited, as the smelt started running again in the brook in 2010, after years of not running. Working behind a double set of turbidity curtains, the contractor completed the work in less than two weeks.

“We are very sensitive to the environmental risks that are inherent in these projects, and we painstakingly apply numerous measures to protect the sensitive ecosystem and maintain water quality,” said Walt Lender, LGA Executive Director. “On projects where the LGA has been involved, we have witnessed remarkable contrasts between the water in the project area and the water in the main lake on the outside of the turbidity curtains. We keep the water in the main lake clear and contain the stirred up water within a series of carefully installed and maintained rows of sediment curtain. Before removing the curtains, we give the water in the project area sufficient time to settle out. Once it’s clear we remove the curtains,” he said.

At Finkle Brook (Bolton), the LGA, and its project partners, expect to remove approximately 8,000 cubic yards of sediment over a roughly three-acre area. At Hague Brook, plans call for removing approximately 27,000 cubic yards of material from an approximately ten-acre area. And at Indian Brook (Bolton), removing approximately 25,000 cubic yards of sediment over an approximately eight-acre area is proposed.

On each one of these delta dredging projects, the LGA has asked the municipalities to certify that identified upstream problem areas are remediated, and the municipalities have passed resolutions in support of the projects. On Hague Brook, two sediment retention ponds were created, through the joint efforts of the LGA, the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District and the town of Hague. By slowing down the velocity of the water in the streams, these sediment ponds allow the sediment to drop out, preventing it from going into the Lake and adding to the deltas. Creating and maintaining sediment ponds is much easier, much less expensive, and much less complex than removing deltas.

This map created using data from the bathymetric survey of the Hague Delta shows water depths at one-foot intervals (green lines), and their distance from the shoreline. The project proposes to dredge this delta up to a four-foot depth (the blue line). (This image was created by the LGA from a map supplied by the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District.)

The Lake George Association is seeking volunteers with boats to aid in the annual stocking of landlocked salmon on Lake George. Stocking will take place on Monday, June 6 at the Green Island Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) dock at 10 am, and on Tuesday, June 7 at the Hague public dock at 10 am. Four volunteer boats are needed for each day. Upon arrival at the dock, each volunteer will receive a big trash can to fill with lake water onboard their boat. Volunteers will then transfer salmon into the trash can from the DEC’s stocking truck. Next, volunteers will drive out into deeper water to release the salmon.

“It is a lot of fun to stock the fish around the Lake. Hard work, but a lot of fun seeing those thousands of 5″ – 7″ salmon with brilliant colors swim away from the boat after being put in the Lake,” says John Schaninger, past president and current member of the Lake George Fishing Alliance.

If you can help with this year’s salmon stocking effort, please contact Emily DeBolt at the Lake George Association at 518-668-3558. For more information about the stocking effort, please visit the Lake George Fishing Alliance website at www.lgfa.org.

I received this today and thought people would enjoy it. The Lake George Association has applied for a grant from the Boat US Foundation. They award grants based on a voting system. The voting opened about a week ago and goes for a few more weeks. The more votes Lake George gets, the better the chance the LGA gets the grant for their Clean Boater Program. As of today, the LGA program was in the lead, BUT YOUR HELP IS NEEDED.

Please follow the link below, click “vote now” and then choose the LGA Clean Boat Program:

http://www.boatus.com/foundation/Grants/vote.asp

LGA Lake Steward Monika LaPlante holds samples of three invasive species Eurasian watermilfoil, curly-leaf pondweed and zebra mussels. These were pulled off a boat at Norowal Marina during her first day on the job for 2010.

The 2011 Lake Steward Program on Lake George will significantly expand over last year’s level, thanks to new funding provided by the Lake George Park Commission (LGPC).

Lake stewards, posted at several Lake George boat launches throughout the summer, inspect incoming boats for invasive species, remove suspicious specimens, and educate boaters about the threats of invasive species and how to prevent their spread. The Commission’s marine patrol is contacted whenever stewards encounter a boat being launched that has obvious signs of invasive species and is unwilling to be inspected.

Since 2008, the Lake George Association (LGA) has managed training, hiring, supervision and reporting for the Lake Steward Program.

The additional funding provided this year will provide maximum coverage for peak periods and for the launches that receive the highest traffic. The estimated program costs for 2011 are $67,000. $25,000 will be funded through the Lake Champlain Basin program, $35,000 will be provided by the Lake George Park Commission, and the LGA will provide the remaining funds from its Helen V. Froehlich Foundation grant awards.

In 2010, Lake stewards were posted at four launches around Lake George: Norowal Marina, Mossy Point, Hague Town Beach and Rogers Rock. In 2011, two additional launches will be added. Days and hours of coverage will also increase; the goal is to provide seven-day-a-week coverage during the busiest times of the season. Twelve-hour-a-day coverage is the goal for Mossy Point and Norowal, while other sites will receive eight hours per day. Mossy Point and Norowal were chosen for increased coverage due to the high volume of their traffic.

“The Lake George Lake Steward Program is critical to protecting the water quality of Lake George,” said Bruce Young, chair of the Lake George Park Commission. “By visually inspecting boats and trailers, and removing suspicious samples, the LGA stewards help stop the introduction and transport of invasive species between waterbodies throughout the Lake Champlain Basin and the Northeast,” he said.

“While dozens of different aquatic invasive species reside nearby, only four are currently found in Lake George. We aim to keep it that way,” said Emily DeBolt, LGA education director and manager of the Lake Steward Program on Lake George.

In addition to inspection, lake stewards will collect data about lake users and invasive species spread: the species found, number of boats launched, the type of boat, number of people in the boat, the last body of water the boat was in, and the presence of a LGPC decal. This information sheds light on the pathways of invasive species, and helps to identify target areas for early detection and control. A report for the public is prepared at the end of the season.

The program is closely coordinated with similar programs. Lake George, Lake Champlain, and the Adirondack Watershed Institute collaborate on training, printed materials, and data collection as members of a regional partnership, the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP).

While Lake Stewards primarily cover boat launch sites, they also assist at special events such as the Adirondack Park Invasive Species Awareness Week, and inventory terrestrial invasive species on state-owned islands.

In 2010, Lake Stewards inspected a total of 2,538 boats, and educated boaters about the threats of Eurasian watermilfoil, zebra mussels, curly-leaf pondweed, and the Lake’s most recent invader, the Asian clam. Thirty-six samples of Eurasian watermilfoil were removed during the season. Nine samples of curly-leaf pondweed were found, three samples of zebra mussels, and five of water chestnut, an invasive that is not currently found in Lake George.

The 2010 Lake Steward Program was funded by the Bolton Local Development Corporation, the town of Hague, the town of Ticonderoga, the Lake George Park Commission, the Helen V. Froehlich Foundation, and the NYS Department of State with funds provided under Title 11 of the Environmental Protection Fund. The program was originally conceived by the Invasive Species Task Force of the Lake George Watershed Coalition.