Chautauqua County Soil and Water Conservation District

The grants are through the State Department of Environmental Conservation‘s Water Quality Improvement program and Non-Agricultural Nonpoint Source Planning and Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Mapping Grant program.

Chautauqua County Soil and Water Conservation District received $432,555 for streambank stabilization. This project will reduce erosion, sediment, and nutrients in the Chautauqua Lake Watershed.

A $105,000 grant will go toward implementing a county-wide roadside stabilization and hydroseeding program. This program will decrease roadside erosion to reduce the amount of sediment and nutrients in tributaries to Lake Erie.

The town of Chautauqua received a $30,000 grant to assess road and stream culvert crossings in the Chautauqua Lake watershed using the North American Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative framework and produce a culvert engineering design report for projects to address erosion caused by failing or inadequately sized culverts.

The Village of Lakewood received a $30,000 grant to complete a stormwater engineering study for the Chautauqua Mall Boulevard commercial corridor to reduce excessive stormwater runoff in the study area and to improve water quality entering Chautauqua Lake.

The town of North Harmony will receive a $30,000 grant to work with an engineer to develop a streambank stabilization engineering study of approximately 2,640 linear feet of stream corridor along Ball Creek. The engineering design report will identify areas of erosion and stream instability and identify potential management actions to reduce sediment and nutrient loading to Chautauqua Lake.

The town of Mina will receive a total of $90,000 for three projects. One will be to complete a stormwater retrofit engineering report to evaluate existing stormwater infrastructure and recommend stormwater retrofit practices. The project will reduce nutrient loading to Findley Lake.

They also will complete a comprehensive assessment of culverts in the Findley Lake watershed to identify any stream culverts that are undersized or failing. The project will reduce nutrients from erosion in tributaries to Findley Lake.

And the third project will be to complete an engineering study to assess the benefits of using in-waterbody controls for nutrients in Findley Lake. The report will evaluate existing nutrient loading conditions and recommend in-waterbody controls to reduce nutrient pollution.

The Water Chestnut Plant

MAYVILLE – Chautauqua County Executive Gregory Edwards says a new invasive aquatic plant has been discovered in Chautauqua Lake. This past weekend, two specimens the plant commonly known as a water chestnut (Trapa natans) were collected by EcoLogic LLC, the consultants contracted to complete the dredging feasibility project for Chautauqua Lake. After careful review, Chautauqua County Watershed Coordinator Jeff Diers confirmed and identified these specimens as water chestnut plants.

Diers said a fragment was collected near the mouth of Ball Creek close to the I-86 Veterans Memorial Bridge, and the second specimen was found completely intact near the mouth of Dutch Hollow Creek.

The water chestnut is native to Europe, Asia, and Africa and was first introduced to the United States in the 1800s. It is a rooted, annual aquatic plant that has submerged leaves that can reach 12 to 15 feet in length and a rosette of floating leaves, which are green, glossy, and triangular with toothed edges. Each plant can produce up to 15 nuts per a season, and within each nut can be hundreds of seeds. Water chestnut can form dense floating mats, severely limiting light – a critical element of aquatic ecosystems. Once established, it can reduce oxygen levels, increasing the potential of killing fish.

Edwards said the water chestnut could be devastating to the Lake’s ecosystem. Just one acre of water chestnut plants on Chautauqua Lake could produce seeds that could cover 100 acres of water with these plants the following year. Edwards said it is crucial that environment officials locate, contain, and eradicate the invasive species so it cannot further spread throughout Chautauqua Lake. He said efforts are currently underway to get support from local, state and federal agencies to help keep the plant from spreading. Any residents or boaters who come across the plant is asked to contact the County Executive’s office or the Chautauqua County Watershed Coordinator at 661-8915.