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Owasco Lake

East Shore of Owasco Lake

Photo by: Deb Snelson

Residents and tourists flock to Owasco’s shores for summer swimming, boating, and fishing. Located in central Cayuga County, New York, Owasco Lake begins directly South of Auburn. Owasco Lake provides drinking water for over 70% of the people in Cayuga County, including the city of Auburn. At one mile wide and 11 miles long, Owasco is one of the smallest and shallowest of the Finger Lakes but has the 3rd largest watershed, at 205 square miles, of all the Finger Lakes. Water flowing from the Owasco Inlet accounts for 55% of all the surface water entering the lake. The primary tributary of the Lake is the Owasco Inlet. The water in the Inlet flows from Northern Tompkins County up to the Southern end of the Lake in Cayuga County.

Challenges to Owasco Lake Water Quality
Beach closures, algal blooms, and excessive plant growth are all telltale signs that high levels of nutrients, like phosphorus and nitrogen, from polluted runoff are taking their toll on this cherished water body. Sewage discharges, leaky septic systems, and agriculture runoff have degraded this source of public drinking water and local recreational opportunity. Due to its shallow waters and high levels of nutrients, Owasco Lake is particularly susceptible to this pollution.

Owasco Lake Watershed

Photo couresy of Cayuganet.org

Improve Water Quality by Reducing Pollution
Owasco Lake is a precious natural resource, and it needs to be protected. Meeting the challenges of Owasco’s water quality has been the subject of many studies, and stakeholders have come together with a watershed approach to improve water quality. Agricultural and urban polluted runoff contributes to degraded water quality; however, aging and failing public and private wastewater treatment systems is a concern of watershed residents. The Owasco Lake watershed management plan addresses key areas of concern across the watershed, and reducing human impact on the lake is a priority. Reducing nutrient loading, especially from phosphorus, is a top watershed management plan goal.

Groton Sewage Treatment Upgrade
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Village of Groton recently signed a Consent Order to reduce pollution from the Groton Waste Water Treatment Facility (WWTF). The Groton WWTF currently discharges .35 MGD (millions of gallons per day) of effluent into the Owasco Inlet, the primary tributary for Owasco Lake. To protect Owasco Lake and the Owasco Inlet from further degradation, CCE is advocating that the Groton WWTF comply with the same standards as neighboring treatment facilities, which will help improve the quality of Owasco Lake for everyone. The DEC is expected to issue the draft permit soon.

For more information:

State of Owasco Lake Watershed

Owasco Lake Watershed Management Plan