As the Chautauqua Lake Partnership continues to find ways to work on lake projects, CLP Treasurer Mike LaTone said a clarification is necessary.

The clarification is regarding recent information provided and reported regarding the Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance action relative to the long term plan for water quality management adoption.

Previously, LaTone said, the CLP reached out to the alliance to provide funding to secure an independent, third party, science-based lake management plan. The effort to secure the plan was encouraged by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

“To this end CLP discussed the possible plan development with Dr. Rob Richardson from North Carolina State University,” LaTone said in an email to The Post-Journal.

LaTone added that the plan currently under consideration was developed entirely and facilitated by the NCSU lake water management department utilizing its experience studying and working on Chautauqua Lake since 2020.

NC State’s Aquatic Plant Management Program has completed full lake surveys of Chautauqua Lake each year since 2020 that include collecting and analyze hydroacoustic and point intercept data annually at up to 1,000 sites throughout the lake and documenting the presence and extent of aquatic plant species during the fall and spring seasons.

“This plan was funded and supported by the Alliance and CLP. The Chautauqua Lake Property Owners Association was not involved in this process as erroneously reported. The CLPOA has, however, endorsed the adoption of the plan by the alliance,” LaTone noted.

NC State’s Aquatic Plant Management Program officials propose a staged plan that deals with the entire lake rather than the 2017 Chautauqua Lake Macrophyte Management Strategy’s approach that divides the lake into subsections based off of shoreline use and the need to balance human interaction with environmental considerations.

University officials said the approach is good for small areas but shifts lake management strategies away from a focus on plant ecology to meet the county’s goals in managing vegetation in the lake.

“Unfortunately, some local representatives of other lake organizations have recently spoken out against the plan and NCSU. Regardless of the outstanding scientific qualifications of NCSU, they have demanded public hearings and review by local lake organizations. Many of these individuals in opposition are ‘self proclaimed’ lake science experts with little or no credentials to support their claims,” LaTone added.

The town of Ellery, the CLP, the CLPOA, and the Village of Bemus Point have adopted NC State’s plan. Other towns and villages as well as Chautauqua County, and The Alliance have not adopted the plan.

Richardson, LaTone said, has developed the plan as a starting point, not a “be all” to managing lake water quality.

Input by anyone truly interested in implementation of a science-based plan to benefit lake water quality would be encouraged and welcomed, LaTone added.

“Modifications and improvements to this plan could be made on an ongoing basis,” LaTone said. “When you employ a nationally recognized University to develop an initial plan that welcomes input, public hearings become redundant and unwarranted.”

One major feature of the plan and a critical factor to move lake water quality forward is the appointment of an independent lake manager, LaTone said.

There is a request for proposal (RFP) from the Alliance for a lake manager.

“We should all support and encourage this appointment,” LaTone said.