The Chautauqua Lake Watershed Management Plan

The Chautauqua Lake Watershed Management Plan is complete in draft form and ready for public review and comment. A long time in the making, the Chautauqua Lake Management Commission has finished drafting the document, which advocates a balanced approach to watershed management based on good science, broad community support and economic viability. Chautauqua Lake's watershed takes in 180 square miles of land and includes 14 municipalities, including portions of Lakewood, Celoron, Ellery, Chautauqua and North Harmony as well as Sherman, Stockton, Panama and Busti. After receiving public comment, the plan will be presented to local elected officials before being finalized. When finalized, the plan will inform decisions made about stormwater management, wastewater disposal, open space, and development. Today's edition of The Sunday Post-Journal features a commentary by Rick Constantino, watershed coordinator. In his editorial piece, Constantino makes the connection between how "going green" can help keep the lake blue. The plan recommends specific courses of action, many of them "green" solutions which address the root causes of impairments, not just the symptoms. The plan includes both immediate actions as well as long-range strategies which seek to remedy existing problems and to prevent future harm. The plan is available at local libraries around Chautauqua Lake and can be downloaded from The Post-Journal's website as well as http://www.planningchautauqua.com/. The Chautauqua Lake Management Commission will be hosting a free public meeting entitled "Be Green or Go Green - Green Solutions or Weeds and Algae" from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on June 10. The public meeting will be held at Chautauqua Institution's Fletcher Music Hall. An open house will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. before the public meeting from 7:30 to 9 p.m. During the meeting, the Chautauqua Lake Management Commission will highlight strategies and recommended actions steps from the Watershed Management Plan. In addition to the CLMC, county staff and the CLMC's consulting team will be available to answer questions and take down comments. There will be no fee for entering and parking at Chautauqua Intuition for the event. For more information, contact Rick Constantino by calling 661 or 8915 or e-mailing ConstanR@co.chautauqua.ny.us. Subscribe to Post-Journal For more information on Chautauqua Lake Real Estate & Living visit: http://www.chautauqualakehomes.com/