FIRST MEETING
Cayuga Lake Watershed Management Plan
Intermunicipal Organization
First Meeting, 10/20/98 7:00 - 9:00 PM
Cayuga Nature Center, Ithaca

Attendees: See attached sign-in sheet.

Welcoming Remarks, Meeting Purpose and Outcome: Attendees were welcomed to the 1^st meeting of the Cayuga Lake Watershed Management Plan Intermunicipal Organization and thanked for coming. The Intermunicipal Organization (IO) is critical to the planning process as the plan needs to be locally determined and accepted to be successfully implemented. A watershed plan will help protect and enhance the health and well-being of the watershed. All 43 municipalities in the watershed are being asked to participate on the IO, and will comprise the majority of it. Other key stakeholders in the watershed such as county water quality coordinating committees (WQCCs), agriculture, academic institutions, sportsmen, legislators, and tourism and economic development interests are also being asked to participate on the IO.

This watershed planning project is a three-year effort, for which NYS Department of State (DOS) Division of Coastal Resources has so far committed funding for 50% of 1^st and 2^nd year project costs through the NYS Environmental Protection Fund. The Town of Ledyard is the municipal sponsor for the NYS DOS grant and is to be commended for being willing to take the lead and get this watershed planning process underway. NYS DOS stressed the importance of true local involvement and buy-in. NYS DOS supports the effort and recognizes the large size of the watershed and the challenges that will bring. The significance of having an approved watershed management plan is for accessing water quality protection funds, in particular the Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act, which sets aside $25 million for the Finger Lakes.

The meeting purpose is: To familiarize everyone with the watershed management planning process, the Cayuga Lake Watershed Management Plan’s major components under the NYS DOS contract and their status, the staffing to the project, and the value and need of the project; to answer questions and facilitate dialogue about the project and IO; and to set up the next IO meeting. The desired outcome for the meeting is that participants better understand the project, its need and value; and that the next meeting is planned.

Introductions: Introductions were made of all attendees.

Cayuga Lake Watershed Management Planning Project: Overheads, also provided as handouts, were shown summarizing: 1) The Watershed Management Planning Process; 2) Major Components of the Cayuga Lake Watershed Management Planning Process as pertains to the NYS DOS/Town of Ledyard contract; 3) Current Staffing for the project. The status of the DOS contract components were summarized.

Cayuga Lake Watershed Management Plan Slide Show: The slide show presentation:

1. Defined "What is a watershed?" (all the land – above or below ground – draining to a common point such as a lake or river);
2. Identified project strengths (uses a watershed approach; funding is available for plan development and implementation – implementation being purpose of plan development; it’s a grassroots/multi-county effort; there are models to follow; there’s not a crisis situation for water quality so it’s a proactive effort);
3. Identified strengths that the project is building upon (existing and past projects and research, county WQCC efforts, municipal and citizen stewardship activities, and the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network);
4. Discussed the relationship of the management plan project to the Network (the relationship is still evolving but is viewed as a partnership – the Network supports the planning process and will work with it in terms of communication, coordination and information dissemination which is the critical foundation for both efforts);
5. Defined funding sources available and/or being pursued for the planning effort (NYS DOS, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), NYS Planning Grants);
6. Identified key benefits of a watershed plan (communication; coordination; identification of pollution problems and solutions to them – implementation activities; protection of citizen health; protection of the economy);
7. Identified the community value/benefits of a plan in terms of health (e.g., drinking water); economy (e.g., property values, industrial and commercial location, agriculture, tourism/recreation); and tourism/recreation (e.g., fishing, boating, winery tours, swimming);
8. Identified what the plan will focus on (local concerns – e.g., septic systems, aquatic vegetation, zebra mussels, streambank and roadbank erosion);
9. Defined the minimum role of the IO (project oversight and watershed-wide coordination) – but that the IO must define itself and its role in plan development and implementation.

Question/Answer and Discussion: Discussion points included:

• The IO – the Board of Directors for plan development and even implementation – must define itself (e.g., charge, mission, bylaws, officers, office location and staff, committees, meeting logistics) and all future agendas. An organizational committee should be set up to work out the agenda for future meetings.
• Those present need more information about the project and the IO’s charge before participants can commit to it.
• There is concern about threats to the agriculture community from having to deal with nonpoint source pollution.
• There is concern that activities have been done before the IO was created. It was clarified that the project is just getting underway since August, and that only basic, preliminary work (e.g., compiling water quality information, watershed boundary delineation, public information materials about the project to get the word out and interest in) is underway.
• Ledyard, as municipal sponsor, should call/lead IO meetings, using staff resources as needed.
• This is the first "IO" being created – there is no model preceding it. It is a creature of the DOS contract, but a great way to build local involvement and ownership. There are other watershed planning efforts underway, such as in the Seneca Lake watershed, where there is a stewardship group (Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association) in existence (from well before the planning process started), as well as the Seneca Lake Area Partners (SLAP-5) that is closely affiliated with Pure Waters, but which was created specifically for plan development.
• Having an approved plan gives access to future funding. Having the IO and municipal buy-in is important to DEC. A formal structure is recommended for plan development. An "approved plan" is a plan that is accepted by the Secretary of State, Commissioner of DEC, or the Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets.
• The key reason Ledyard sponsored the project is because it is locally rooted and driven. Ledyard isn’t interested in advancing the effort if it’s not locally driven. It shouldn’t be a paper shuffling exercise.
• It’s significant, and rare, that these diverse players (federal, state, county and local government and other local interests) are present and talking. It will be awkward at first.
• This could be a model for use in other watersheds.
• Political and ecological/natural boundaries don’t coincide but crossing political boundaries to address environmental issues is critical. This project and group is a great start to operating from a hydrologically based perspective and breaking down barriers.
• This IO is the best way to manage the watershed. It will be challenging because of the diversity of interests. The IO will need to seek reasonable consensus of everyone in the watershed to devise acceptable recommendations. If successful, the IO will change the way government operates in the Finger Lakes.
• Fisheries experts should be involved. There is a lot of information out there, much of it that won’t be necessary to this effort. We need to look at water quality "from the lake out".
• It would be helpful to have other watershed plan representatives (e.g., Keuka and Canandaigua Lakes) come talk about what they’re doing.
• Flexibility is needed in executing the planning process. NYS DOS said that the most important thing is that it be a local approach. DOS will support whatever works best to achieve that.
• DOS has met with shoreline municipalities about the project and IO, but can meet with them again, as well as non-shoreline municipalities in the watershed. Some of the municipal representatives already committed to IO participation should accompany DOS.
• A Temporary Steering Committee was established to plan the next meeting agenda and accompany the DOS in municipal recruitment efforts. It will meet 10/26 at 3:00 in Ledyard. Committee consists of: Deb Grantham (Dryden), Dave Morehouse (Ledyard), Sylvia Hurlbut (Ledyard), Tom Vawter (Wells College), John Fessenden (Network).
• There is confusion between this planning effort and the Network. Effective communication is the critical element of both efforts.
• Someone should talk at the 2^nd meeting to give a broader explanation of why this group needs to be formed. Information is needed to identify the difference between what must be done (regulation-wise) and what would be nice to do.
• NYS DEC Region 7 said that there are regulations under both the federal Clean Water Act and NYS Environmental Conservation Law that deal with point and nonpoint source pollution. Right now, the only guide DEC has for making decisions about funding to address problems is the State’s Priority Waterbodies List, which DEC develops in conjunction with county water quality coordinating committees. Since NYS is a home rule state, if municipalities in a watershed develop a plan listing problems, issues and priorities, it becomes the regulatory/management tool for that watershed and gives the locals the authority to manage it. Otherwise, DEC determines what needs to be done and where money should be spent. The Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act includes funding for not only point and nonpoint (both agricultural and non-agricultural) source pollution reduction, but also for aquatic habitat restoration, open space and other categories.

• The next IO meeting is Monday, November 9, 1998 from 7:00-9:00 P.M. at the Ledyard Town Hall. Future meetings should not be scheduled for 1^st or 3^rd Mondays, 1^st or 3^rd Tuesdays (Tompkins Co. Bd. of Reps meets), or 2^nd Tuesdays. A regular meeting schedule will be discussed at the next meeting.

CLW IO 2000

CLW IO 2000