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Two CWC-Facilitated Conservation Projects Awarded $425,576!

Two CWC-Facilitated Conservation Projects Have Been Awarded $425,576!

The Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy is pleased to announce New York State Water Quality Improvement Program (NYS WQIP) grant awards on two projects that the CWC has been facilitating which will result in considerably less sediment and nutrients reaching Chautauqua Lake!

The Village of Lakewood was awarded a NYS WQIP grant in the amount of $250,064 for the construction of a wetland pond system to be located above the Save-A-Lot plaza in Lakewood to capture stormwater from the Grandview development and settle out nutrients and sediments before that water is slowly discharged to the stormwater system passing under the railroad and Fairmount Avenue and on to Chautauqua Lake. Future flooding of Fairmount Avenue under the railroad bridge should become extremely rare upon completion of this project. This project was conceived by the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy in collaboration with the Village of Lakewood and Town of Busti, with engineering provided by Ecostrategies and with grants and WQIP grant drafting services from the Chautauqua Lake & Watershed Management Alliance (CLWMA).

The Town of North Harmony was awarded $175,512 for bank stabilization and planting at two severely eroding sites consisting of a total of 440 linear feet of Ball Creek at Stow. CWC assisted the Town of North Harmony with engineering technical assistance provided by Ecostrategies, field assessment and proposal writing assistance. The Chautauqua Lake & Watershed Management Alliance is providing grant funding and prepared the successful WQIP grant application for this project. The CWC, Town, CLWMA, County and County Soil & Watershed Management District have collaborated to complete two prior erosion control projects on nearby Ball Creek segments over the last five years. These projects are intended to decrease lake sedimentation in the Ball Creek-Hadley Bay area and reduce nutrient loading, fueling excessive lake plant and algae growth.

Other Chautauqua Lake communities receiving NYSWQIP grants were the Town of Chautauqua for the Chautauqua Roadside Swales Stabilization Project: $213,057 and Chautauqua County/N. Chautauqua Lake Sewer District for a North Chautauqua Lake Inflow and Infiltration Study: $30,000. More details on all of these projects can be found in the CLWMA press release at: http://www.chautauquaalliance.org/news/press-release-alliance-members-awarded-nearly-670000-for-four-new-york-state-consolidated-funding-application-grants-to-improve-water-quality/

The CWC will continue to provide technical assistance on the implementation of these important projects and encourages municipal leaders and property owners to contact CWC regarding exploring potential opportunities to capture excessive stormwater runoff and pollutants to enhance streams and lakes of the Chautauqua region. Large expanses of turf, rooftops, roads and parking lots commonly generate excessive amounts of stormwater runoff, soil erosion and pollution, which enhances lake conditions for abundant aquatic plant and algae growth.

CWC seeks to develop more pro-active projects with its partners to reduce the pollution fueling problems in our lakes. You can help support the work which creates impactful projects such as these by making a gift to CWC. You can:

  1. Donate online at https://chautauquawatershed.org/donation

  2. Mail a check to: CWC, PO Box 45, Lakewood, NY 14750

  3. Send a payment via Venmo:

  4. Open the Venmo app and search at the top for @ChautauquaWatershedConservancy

  5. Under the “People” tab, look for our kingfisher logo and select “Caitlin Gustafson @ChautauquaWatershershedConservancy

  6. Select “Pay or Request” to donate any amount!

To donate via a donor advised fund or to make a stock gift, call Whitney Gleason, CWC Development Director, at 716-664-2166 x1006.

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