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Home My WebLink About03-21-16 WRC Minutes 1 March 21, 2016 2 Meeting Minutes 3 4 Members Attending: 5 Name Representation Lynn Leopold P Municipal Jim McGarry P EMC Liaison Jon Negley E Soil & Water Frank Proto P At-Large Elaine Quaroni P At-Large Marjorie Rinaldo-Lee P Environment Michael Thorne P At-Large Michelle Henry A Associate Member Roxy Johnston P Associate Member Jose Lozano P Associate Member John Mawdsley P Associate Member Todd Miller E Associate Member Steve Penningroth P Associate Member Tom Vawter E Associate Member Linda Wagenet P Associate Member Jennifer Turner P TC Planning 7 Guests: George Fowler, P.E., Woidt Engineering 8 9 Chairperson Darby Kiley opened the meeting at approximately 4:17 PM. 10 11 Agenda Review and Approval of Minutes –Moved by Frank Proto, seconded by Joan Jurkowich, to approve the 12 minutes from February 22, 2016 meeting minutes were approved by unanimous vote. Final WRC minutes are 13 posted on the webpage: http://tompkinscountyny.gov/planning under Advisory Boards. 14 15 Cayuga Lake Watershed Issues List – Darby Kiley reported on the collaborative work between the Cayuga 16 Lake Watershed Intermunicipal Organization, and the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network in updating the 17 watersheds issues list. She went on to report on the 15 issues from that list she compiled that were also on the list 18 of issues to be addressed in the recently updated Water Quality Strategy. The proposed 15 issues are as follows: 19 20 1. Drinking Water 21 2. Development (including urban/rural sprawl, shoreline and streamside development) 22 3. Loss of natural areas (including loss of open space, diminishing natural habitat) 23 4. Loss of streamside buffers 24 5. Sediment loading (including siltation and streambank/roadbank erosion) 25 6. Excessive Nutrients (from wastewater of fertilizer) 26 7. Landfills, dumps and hazardous spills and materials 27 8. Agricultural contamination (i.e. pesticides, fertilizer, and manure spreading) 28 9. Industrial or Commercial contamination (including heavy metals, toxics, material stockpiles, mines) 29 Name Representation Sharon Anderson P Cooperative Extension John Andersson P At-Large Fay Benson E Agriculture James Balyszak P At-Large Chris Bordlemay P Water Purveyor Cynthia Brock P Recreation Ed Bugliosi P USGS ex officio Liz Cameron P T C Environmental Health Sarah Dwyer P At-Large Bill George P Municipal Barry Goodrich P Watershed Organization Joan Jurkowich P TC Planning Dooley Kiefer P Legislature Liaison Darby Kiley P Municipal TOMPKINS COUNTY WATER RESOURCES COUNCIL 2 10. Municipal road maintenance (including ditching practices and road deicing 30 11. Residential contamination (including pharmaceuticals microplastics, household hazardous waste 31 12. Stormwater runoff 32 13. Invasive species (including plants, animals, aquatics and terrestrial) 33 14. Flooding and storm damage 34 15. Development and spread of energy infrastructure (including pipelines, compressor stations) 35 36 Members discussed setting priorities within the proposed 15 Cayuga Lake Watershed Issues. A vote was taken. 37 Darby Kiley moved to recommend the 15 proposed priorities that coincide with the issues within the Water 38 Quality Strategy as submitted in the agenda, seconded by John Andersson. Vote: Yes 12; No: 4 39 40 Hydrilla Update – James Balyszak provided a brief report on Hydrilla attached below. 41 42 Committee Reports – Cayuga Lake Monitoring Partnership – Roxy Johnston reported on the March 9th 43 presentation by Liz Moran on the Cayuga Lake Modeling Project that included information on the modeling and 44 monitoring that has occurred within the lake. From the presentation it was noted that 80-90% of the phosphorus is 45 flowing from the tributaries from storm run-off. She went on to report that the Department of Environmental 46 Conservation has confirmed that the TMDL will move forward and will include point sources. The TMDL is 47 likely to include watershed action, with key focuses on minimal set-backs on streams from barnyard and grazing 48 areas. Upcoming meetings were suggested in the watersheds and municipalities. Members discussed inviting the 49 representatives from the Department of Environmental Conservation to an upcoming meeting. Soil Health – 50 Sarah Dwyer reported for Fay Benson who has agreed to Chair their committee for the next three months. She 51 went on to report that her committee met March 11, and discussed goals. Their committee meets every 3rd 52 Thursday at 5:15 at the Center for Nutrition. Education and Outreach – Lynn Leopold reported that their 53 committee will meet every third Monday, at Cornell Cooperative Extension in the 4H room. She went on to report 54 that their committee will be working on revising the clean boating brochure. Potential Pollutants – Jose Lozano 55 provided a written report, attached below. Watershed Issues – Joan Jurkowich reported that their committee had 56 an organizational meeting on March 16 and will meet the third Thursday of the month at 3:30 PM, and that John 57 Andersson will serve as Chair of their committee. Watershed Rules and Regulations – Chris Bordlemay reported 58 that the committee met on March 3rd, and discussed goals related to the gathering of information primarily related 59 to existing watershed regulations. A shared site to store data was discussed, and it was decided that information 60 will located on the Water Resources Council website. Nominating – Elaine Quaroni, moved to appoint Brad 61 DeFrees as an associate membership, seconded by Lynn Leopold. The application was approved by unanimous 62 vote. Grants – Frank Proto reported that their committee met on March 11 at Public Works, and will continue to 63 meet there periodically. The next meeting will be April 19, at 5:00PM. Frank went on to report that a list of 64 available grants will be made available to members for potential committee work, and asked Chair’s to submit 65 information related to needs for funding. High Hazard Pipeline – Dooley Kiefer reported that their committee will 66 meet in May when updates are available. 67 68 Announcements – Jennifer Turner announced her resignation from the Planning Department. Members discussed 69 printing the paddling brochure. Ed Bugliosi reported that Newfield’s aquifer study is near completion and are in 70 the process of assembling a report. 71 72 Adjournment -- The meeting adjourned at 5:45 PM. 73 74 Respectfully submitted, 75 Jennifer Turner, Administrative Assistant 76 Tompkins County Planning Department 77 Approved by Council on April 18, 2016 78 79 80 3 81 WRC March 2016 Meeting 82 Hydrilla Task Force Updates 83 By James Balyszak 84 85 Management Updates: 86  The Local Task Force conducted annual peer review process. Received input on 2016 management options 87 from national peer reviewers and Project consultants. Conducted local Management Committee meetings to 88 determine final treatment strategies for 2016. Extensive plant community monitoring/sampling will form the 89 basis for 2016 management protocols and in-field decisions: 90 o CAYUGA INLET: Primary treatment for 2016 will consist of Sonar treatments (low-dose, 91 systemic herbicide). One (1) injection unit (at NYSDEC fish ladder, southern inlet) and Sonar 92 Pellet treatment areas (Cornell Boathouse bay, Cascadilla Creek, and Linderman Creek. Possible 93 pellet treatments to inlet branch behind Puddle Dockers flowing north towards IC Crew House). 94 A secondary (contingency plan) will be in place for Aquathol-K spot-treatments (contact 95 herbicide) if/when hydrilla growth is discovered that is not killed by Sonar treatments OR cannot 96 be addressed through physical removal/benthic barriers. 97 o FALL CREEK: Primary treatment for 2016 will involve Aquathol-K (contact herbicide) 98 injection treatment (to main channel) and spot-treatment in backwater areas (golf course lagoon, 99 cove, Stewart Park pond, and DEC wetland). Hydrilla germination/growth in shallow, backwater 100 areas will determine treatment timing. Follow-up Sonar H4C (low-dose, systemic herbicide 101 pellets) will be applied to Fall Creek backwater areas for duration of season (approx. 60-days). 102 o SOUTHERN CAYUGA LAKE: Isolated hydrilla patch discovered in late 2015 (adjacent to 103 Cornell Sailing Club in 3 – 3.5 meters of water) will be directly addressed though physical 104 removal/benthic barrier installation. A contingency plan will be in place for Aquathol-K (contact 105 herbicide) spot-treatments if/when hydrilla patches are discovered that warrant spot-treatment. 106  Currently working with TCSWCD to finalize/advertise 2016 hydrilla treatment RFP. Will review treatment 107 proposals, and District will approve selected proposal at April Board meeting (4/11/16). From there, contracts 108 will be finalized between TCSWCD and selected Bidder(s). 109  Final 2015 Plant Community Report (compiled by Bob Johnson) is now available! This report summarized 110 ALL plant community and hydrilla tuber data collected in 2015. Full report will be made available on 111 Stophydrilla.org website. 112  NYSDEC Permit applications will be finalize and submitted for 2016 treatment season. TCSWCD will take 113 the lead on compiling and submitting permit applications. 114  Fish & Wildlife Service ANS FY16 RFP: The Local Task Force submitted proposal for 2017/2018 hydrilla 115 management activities. NYSDEC and FLLOWPA review committees determined that Hydrilla Project was a 116 priority and approved it for further funding. LTF/TCSWCD updated the proposed budget ($260,000), and 117 submitted to NYSDEC/FLLOWPA. FLLOWPA will submit FWS ANS FY16 proposals to FWS. 118  TCSWCD and LTF are working with Tompkins County and City of Ithaca to secure local funding support for 119 2016 season. County and City will provide local funding support, which will allow LTF to cover up-front 120 management costs and then request full reimbursement from NYSDEC grant. Reimbursements will be sent 121 directly back to County and City. County funding contract is in place. Currently working with City to finalize 122 funding resolution and contract. 123 124 Education & Outreach: 125  HTF Outreach Committee is working on updating primary Stophydrilla Project brochure for the 2016 season. 126 HTF Outreach Committee is working to edit/finalize updated Hydrilla Project video (with assistance from NYS 127 Parks). Hope to have Project video finalized for distribution prior to 2016 treatment se 128 129 130 4 131 132 Water Resources Council 133 Emerging pollutants committee 134 Meets 2nd Tuesdays of the month. 135 136 Members: 137 Elizabeth Cameron lcameron@tompkins-co.org 138 Sharon Anderson ska2@cornell.edu 139 Steve Penningroth spenningroth@communityscience.org 140 Sara Johnson sljohnson35@gmail.com 141 Fay Benson afb3@cornell.ed; 142 Christopher L. Bordlemay clb83@cornell.edu 143 Jose Luis Lozano jll13@cornell.edu 144 145 WRC Emerging Pollutants Inaugural Meeting March 14, 2016. 146 The committee held its first meeting and nominated J.Lozano as Chair. 147 148 The committee will work on compiling information on emerging pollutants of concern, starting with 149 the data on local drinking water supplies, endocrine disruptors/pe rsistent organics, and microplastics. 150 151 Todd Walter, the Director of the Water Resources Institute, WRI submitted a request for a statewide 152 CONTAMINATED DRINKING WATER: DEVELOPING A RAPID RESPONSE PROGRAM. The request for proposal came 153 directly from the NYS assembly and senate to WRI. 154 155 This program will include the Tompkins County Water Resources Council committee on emerging contaminants 156 and their partners in this working group given that Tompkins County has been chosen as a demonstration 157 county. Also, Cornell Cooperative Extension (lead: Deb Grantham), who is well connected with statewide 158 Department of Health offices. 159 160 If there is interest, we’ll ask Todd Walter to update the WRC on this program. 161 162 We plan to host Damian Helbling and Jose Lozano to present their Endocrine Disruptors/Emerging pollutants 163 results at the next WRC Meeting. 164 165 166 J. Lozano 167 EPC-WRC Chair 168 03.20.2016 169 170 171 Next meeting: April 12, 2016, noon at the IAWWTF Conference Room 172 173 174 175