WATER QUALITY ANALYSIS IN THE SENECA LAKE WATERSHED, NY

Recent analyses of Seneca Lake, the largest and deepest of the 11 Finger Lakes and source of drinking water for over 100,000 people, reveal a degradation in water quality that is of deep concern. Water samples were periodically collected primarily from seven streams over the past nine years from late spring to early fall and annually from 16 streams in the Seneca Lake Watershed to identify possible non-point sources of pollution. Using standard limnological methods, the samples were analyzed for nutrients (phosphates, nitrates, and silica), conductivity and total suspended solids. In addition, analysis of total phosphates was introduced in 2006. Stream data was then compared to data from our ongoing monitoring of Seneca Lake. Results show that dissolved phosphate concentrations were consistently highest in Big Stream, Reeder, Wilson and Kendig Creeks compared to the other streams. This is likely due to wastewater treatment effluent into Big Stream, hog farm wastes entering Reeder Creek and fertilizer runoff to both Wilson and Kendig Creeks. Total Phosphate concentrations were also highest in Reeder, Wilson and Kendig. As phosphate concentrations increased in the tributaries, one would expect that phosphates would also increase in Seneca Lake over time. However, phosphate concentrations in Seneca Lake have stayed relatively constant over time, indicating that the phosphates are probably being taken up by algae and nearshore microphytes, being incorporated in the total biomass and causing the lake to become more productive overtime. Further research into changes in the weather and the introduction of zebra and quagga mussels over the last decade needs to be done in order to differentiate the effects they have on nutrient levels from the nutrient loading from the streams.