Oneida Lake and Watershed Protection Project

A major project under the Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board (CNY RPDB)'s Water Resources Program has been the Oneida Lake and Watershed Protection Project, which came to a close on 12/31/00. Since 1997, the CNY RPDB had been working on the development of an in-depth review of environmental, regulatory and land use issues in the southern watershed region, including portions of Onondaga, Madison and Oneida Counties. Utilizing funding provided by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), the Board's role in the project had been to lead and coordinate the effort and help secure long-term funding for the preparation of a full Oneida Lake Watershed Management Plan.

In 1998, the Board formed the Oneida Lake and Watershed Task Force, and since then, has worked with several of its committees on numerous executive, technical, education / outreach, and land use-related components of the project. This coordination of effort led to the following activities:

The Oneida Lake Book, a citizen's guide to lake and watershed protection;
A Legislative Luncheon and Congressional Boat Tour—an event aimed at enhancing the awareness of county, state and federal leaders about the project, water quality issues, and the funding needs for developing a full watershed management plan;
Educational workshops;
The Oneida Lake and Watershed Task Force Conference—an informational session that brought municipal and stakeholder representatives together to discuss common interests and the initial steps of a watershed management plan;
Water quality and biological monitoring;
Erosion inventories in streams, new construction sites, and road ditches;
Technical reports on nutrient and sediment loading;
GIS mapping; and
Agricultural assessments.

The many activities conducted throughout the Protection project were accomplished with critical assistance from the Board's water quality partners in Central New York. These collaborative efforts successfully led to the Board obtaining state and federal funding to work on the preparation of a full Oneida Lake Watershed Management Plan.

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