Pristine Waters to Groundbreaking Research: How Lake George is Preserving its World Renowned Quality



View of Lake GeorgefFrom Tounge Mountain looking south (Carl Heilman)

During his Northern Tour of 1791, Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter to his daughter; “Lake George is without comparison, the most beautiful water I ever saw; formed by a contour of mountains into a basin, finely interspersed with islands, its water limpid as crystal, and the mountain sides covered with rich groves of forest down to the water’s edge”. Today though, the crystal clear water Jefferson eloquently describes is in drastic decline. While still considered to be one of the world’s healthiest lakes regarding water qu
ality, high impact residential development and storm water runoff are polluting the lake at extremely harmful levels and at ever increasing rates. However, with the help of non-profit organizations, the local government, the state government, IBM, Rensselear Polytechnic Institute, and property owners who enjoy and understand the water quality they pay for, Lake George’s water quality is receiving the attention it deserves. While the ultimate goal of many projects in the Lake George Watershed is to restore the lakes clarity and overall quality, Lake George could soon also be referenced as the “world’s smartest lake”.






Watershed Topo Map(GIS)

“The Queen of American Lakes” or better known as Lake George, is a mere puddle in the Adirondack Mountains receiving devotion in the form of millions of state, local, and private, dollars. Like any natural resource on this planet struggling to cope with the demands of modern civilization, Lake George’s water quality has drastically declined in the past 30 years. “Scientists from Rensselaer have been studying the lake for 30 years and have noted the emergence of environmental stressors that include rising levels of chlorophyll that threatens water quality and a threefold increase in salt levels primarily due to road salt applications in the watershed”(Mullaney, Rowinski, Siy; 2013). With a Class AA-Special rating as a result overall quality and usage, Lake George creates an enormous $450million in revenue for Warren County and roughly $1billion for other surrounding communities combined (NYS DEC; 2013). When questioning fellow residents, government officials, county employees, and seasonal vacationers, why they chose Lake George to live, work, vacation, etc., the answers were all very similar and centered on water quality. Whether it be the locals who prefer to drink directly from the lake after ice out, vacationers who have never seen such blue lake water, or myself who enjoys snorkeling over a highly visible a ship wreck from the War of 1812 in 15-20 feet of water, the clarity and cleanliness is what matters most.

Westbrook Delta (LGA) Lake George Village is the most densely populated area of the lake and receives more tourist traffic than anywhere else in the watershed. Being that two major streams feeding the lake are located there as well, there is a direct correlation with the surplus of pollution in the southern basin of the lake. As a result, the town of Lake George, State of New York, Lake George Park Commission(LGPC), Warren County Soil and Science Dept., and the non-profit lake steward organization Lake George Association(LGA), recently teamed up to reclaim a very important land parcel at the headwaters of the lake. At a cost of roughly $15 million, The Westbrook Conservation Initiative has transformed an area that in the 1950’s was turned into an amusement park, back to its natural state as a storm water filtration system. When asked what this project meant to Town Supervisor Dennis Dickinson who has lived in Lake George his whole life said, “it was a milestone to see the plot restored to a natural state, so wetlands can again work as they did before the intrusion of man.” While the Westbrook initiative has been a success thus far, the area is situated between two major traffic corridors through the village which each create an enormous amount of concentrated storm water. However, with 21stcentury innovation, both of these roads will be reconstructed using specially formulated porous pavement. 



Location of Porous Pavement Project 1(The FUND)

One of the biggest experiments in the northeast U.S. in storm water management is up and running at the south end of Lake George. Last June, Warren County completed a reconstruction project on a .75 mile stretch Beach Road utilizing a porous pavement system. This was a major upgrade of that road system, with a special effort to vastly improve storm water management. Enhanced storm water management and control systems are badly needed if we are to stem the inexorable downward trend in water quality of Lake George. It’s long been understood that water quality at the south end of the lake is measurably different from water quality at the north end. The south end functions much as a mesotropic lake, one with medium range water quality, whereas the north end functions more like an oligotrophic lake, with some very high water quality (Fund For LG, 2013). When asked about the project, Bruce Young, Chairman of the LGPC said; "Storm water runoff from the large developed complex and system of paved roadways at the southern end of Lake George has long been a concern for the water quality of Lake George, . "The environmentally sound repaving project when coupled with the West Brook Project will go a long way toward alleviating this source of pollution. LGPC is greatly indebted to DEC, the State of New York, local governments and environmental groups for making this possible"(NYS DEC, 2013).

Visualization of the current corridor poised next to the proosed corridor(Post -Star)

After completion of the beach project and seeing that the porous pavement is doing exactly what it is intended to do, local officials have applied for grants to continue upgrading traffic corridors. Highlighted in the picture above, State Route 9 is a 5 lane paved highway that runs parallel with Interstate 87 (another major source of concentrated runoff) and ushers tens of thousands of cars, trucks, and busses, in and out of Lake George Village. Aimed to beautify the decaying infrastructure of Lake George Village while also replacing just over a mile of impervious asphalt with porous pavement, a total of $2.6 million in state aid from the DOT and the Green Innovation grant funds are a sign of just how important projects such as this are. When asked about receiving the funds which will contribute to the roughly $7million dollar cost of the project, Town Supervisor Dennis Dickinson said, he thinks the success in securing grants for the project stems from Lake George’s status as “an internationally recognized resort” community(Munks, 2014). The motivation to pursue such expensive and detrimental projects inside the watershed is a true testiment to what this lake really means to those who depend on it for year round drinking water, a livelihood, and a sense of pride in the place they call home.

To continue with the theme of innovation, Lake George is on track to become the "world's smartest lake". In conjunction with the non-profit Fund for Lake George, IBM, and the Darrin Freshwater Institute (a branch of Rennselaer Polytechnic institute), a monumental study is taking place beneath the surface of Lake George's 32 mile long expanse. 'The Jefferson Project', named in honor of Thomas Jefferson is "a three-year, multi-million dollar collaboration with the goal of understanding and managing complex factors—including road salt, storm water runoff and invasive species—threatening one of the world’s most pristine natural ecosystems and an economic cornerstone of the New York tourism industry. The collaboration partners expect that this world-class scientific and technology facility at Lake George will create a new model for predictive preservation and remediation of critical natural systems on Lake George, in New York, and ultimately around the world" (IBM,2013).While the total cost is unknown, it is believed that the majority of funding will be provided by IBM and their senior vice president and director of IBM research John E. Kelly III, who is a year round resident on the northern shores of the lake. While Kelly could not be reached for an interview, he is quoted in the projects release article stating; "Through the Jefferson Project, Rensselaer the FUND for Lake George, and IBM will help advance the state of science and the practice of water management to create a more precise, actionable and sustainable model that will give us a path forward"(Mullaney, Rowinski, Siy; 2013).

 



Topographic layout of Lake George and
Surrounding forests (DEC)



Finally, it is the abundance of natural forested landscape that continues to grow year by year which is also an attribute to keeping Lake George as healthy as possible. With approximately 95 percent of the surrounding watershed covered by stands of white pine, cedars, maples, oaks, and a wide array native flowers and plant species, these highly effective forms of filtering storm water must continue to thrive. Of that 95 percent, 46 percent is state owned forest preserve classified as "Forever Wild" (NYS DEC, 2014). The term forever wild ensures that no logging, development, or any form of unnatural development can occur within these boundaries. The Lake George Land Conservancy is another non-profit advocating to protect the lake by securing funds to buy tracts of forest that can only be used for recreational purposes such as hiking. Often these funds are provided by the state and are another perfect example of how much the natural state of this area of New York means to its citizens and economy.

Through various interviews and great deal of research, the most common themes that come to mind when Lake George is mentioned are clean water, curbing human induced degradation to the lake, future health, and a willingness to work together. With the help of 5 nonprofit organizations, 3 local municipalities, 5 state municipalities, 1 world renowned engineering institute, and 1 world renowned corporation known for innovation, Lake George is receiving help from every angle possible. Together with these organizations, the residents of Lake George and its surrounding communities must recognize the direct threats to this one of a kind ecosystem and avoid them at all cost. While it is impossible to return the lake to its entire state of nature, 21st century innovation must be combined with native landscapes to make this possible. The money is there, the motivation is there, and the proof is there; keep Lake George clean and it will forever be the same lake Thomas Jefferson so eloquently described over 200 years ago.

Lake George Village Looking North (Carl Heilman)

Bibliography

Anderson, J. (2013, June 27, 2014). To understand 'the future of the lake'
officials outline massive study of lake george's threats, characteristics. The Times Union doi:January 2014

DEC, N. (2014). Stormwater management. Retrieved 3/2014, 2014, from http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8468.html

The FUND for lake george. (2014). Retrieved 3/2014, 2014, from http://fundforlakegeorge.org/

Hill, M. (2013, June 27, 2013). Making NY's lake george the world's 'smartest'. The AP, pp. 1-4. doi:January 2014

LGA, T. (2014). What is stormwater runoff? Retrieved 2/1, 2014, from http://www.lakegeorgeassociation.org/What-We-Do/Lake-friendly-Living/Stormwater-Runoff-is-the-Biggest-Threat-to-Lake-George.htm

Munks, J. (2014, January, 20,2014). $1.1 million from state to aid route 9 project in lake george
improvements, projected to begin in 2016, to include sidewalks, grassy medians, additional lighting. The Post-Star doi:1/20/2014

Park Commission, L. G. (2014). Lake george park commission: Stormwater management. Retrieved 2/1, 2014, from http://www.lgpc.state.ny.us/stormwater.html

Rowinski, M., Mullaney, M., & Siy, E. (IBM 2013, June 27.2013). New project aims to make new York’s lake george the “Smartest lake” in the world. Message posted to http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/41387.wss#release;