Conesus Lake Watershed Management Plan
"A Cooperative Effort for Watershed Protection"

Conesus Lake Watershed Management Plan

Click the link below to access the Conesus Lake Watershed Management Plan.

Lake Plan

Project Planning

The overall goal of the Conesus Lake Watershed Management Plan is to develop a framework for improving Lake water quality. Increasing development pressure, degradation of the water quality in the Lake, the continuing number of health advisories to residents, and more stringent federal and state standards for public drinking water supplies make it crucial that a comprehensive watershed management approach to conserving and protecting Conesus Lake be developed. This Plan will involve continued data collection and analysis, strengthened partnerships among regional stakeholders, consensus on priority lake and watershed issues, pooled funding and staff resources among project partners, and review and selection of management strategies and restoration projects for improved water quality. The Plan is designed to encourage community-based partners to look beyond municipal and agency boundaries as they work together to protect, preserve and restore Conesus Lake and its watershed.


Photo Courtesy of Lynn Airel
Project Components

The Conesus Lake Watershed Management Plan is made up of the following components:

• WATER QUALITY MONITORING
• EDUCATION AND OUTREACH
• LAND USE ANALYSIS
• BIOLOGICAL MONITORING
• RESTORATION PROJECTS
• MAPPING
• RESEARCH

Anticipated Benefits to the County

• Reduction of nonpoint source pollution to Conesus Lake and its tributaries.
• Protection of critical areas such as wetlands, fisheries and wildlife habitats.
• A healthy lake environment will attract business and recreation dollars to strengthen the local economy.
• Improved communication among watershed stakeholders.
• Cooperation among organizations, resulting in increased program efficiency.
• Improved knowledge of water quality through Lake and tributary monitoring.
• Educational programs to increase public awareness about the responsible care and protection of local water resources.
• Well-informed community leaders and watershed residents will be in a better position to make wise management decisions regarding future economic growth.
• Information about the natural environment and human influences will be summarized in one comprehensive document.

State of Conesus Lake: Watershed Characterization Report

The first step towards developing a Watershed Management Plan is to document the current conditions in the Lake and the Watershed. It is from this foundation of information that recommendations and implementation measures can be formed. Click the link below to access the State of Conesus Lake: Watershed Characterization Report.

Lake Report

What is a watershed?

A watershed is the total area of land that drains into a stream, river or lake. No matter where you live, city or country, next to a lake or far away on a hilltop, we all live in a watershed. Watersheds are the places we call home, where we drive, where we work, and where we play.

Non-point source pollution

In the past, most water quality problems were traced to the most obvious cause -- point source pollution. This means the problem can be traced to a specific location or disposal site.

However, water quality problems from non-point sources are more difficult to isolate. These sources are often hard to pinpoint and more complicated to measure because this type of pollution results from a wide variety of activities over a wide area. Lawn chemicals, septic systems, runoff from parking lots, animal wastes, and agricultural practices are a few examples of non-point source pollution.

Non-point source pollution also affects the quality of our groundwater. Rainwater or melted snow that does not flow over the land seeps into the ground and becomes groundwater. Even though we can’t see it, groundwater is connected to rivers, lakes, streams, and wetlands. Conesus Lake receives a significant amount of recharge water from groundwater.

Conesus Lake Impairments

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has identified Conesus Lake and its tributaries as having impairments to water supply, fishing, fish propagation and survival, aesthetics, boating and bathing.

Associated pollutants include nutrients, sediments/silt, oxygen demand, pesticides, thermal changes, water level/flow, pathogens and unknown toxicity.