Cayuga Lake Watershed Plan—Priority Projects

The Town of Ithaca and the Cayuga Watershed Intermunicipal Organization (CWIO), with support from the New York State Department of State (DOS) and in cooperation with the Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board (CNY RPDB) and the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network (CLWN), are working to implement water quality projects in support of the 2017 Cayuga Lake Watershed Restoration and Protection Plan.

In 2019 and 2020, municipalities and stakeholder groups from across the watershed were asked for their ideas for water quality protection and restoration projects. Thirty-one project ideas were submitted, ranging from relatively small streambank restoration projects to countywide and watershed-wide measures. A map showing the locations and background information on these projects is available on the Cayuga Lake Watershed Intermunicipal Organization's website. (The Cayuga Lake Watershed Intermunicipal Organization's website was prepared with funding provided by the New York State Department of State under Title 11 of the Environmental Protection Fund.)

In Spring 2021, a project committee used 15 criteria to rank these projects.