Water Conservation & Quality

The day-to-day choices of residents and visitors help determine if precious water resources will be here for the enjoyment of current and future generations.  Gardeners and property owners along lakes and streams have a special role to play, see Landscaping for Water Quality in the Finger Lakes, and Enhancing Water Resources in Tompkins County: Benefits of Riparian Areas and Stream Buffers.

Water is critical to life. It provides food, beverages, forests, the means to manufacture goods and much more. Something as simple as water running off the land into local waterways is one of the biggest threats. Human activity on the land pollutes the water that reaches the creeks, Cayuga Lake and far-away Chesapeake Bay when rain water and snow melt pick up soil, tiny bits of metal, pesticides, automotive fluids and nutrients such as phosphorus. 

Reducing surfaces impervious to water -- roads, sidewalks, parking lots -- can protect and restore water resources. Connecticut Extension has step-by-step guidance for communities who want to take action.

Read chapters of Diet for a Small Lake to learn about lake ecology, protecting our waters, aquatic plants and algae. Much of the information is relevant to ponds and even a large lake like Cayuga.

Last updated May 30, 2023