Governor Hochul Announces $42 Million to Protect the Eastern Finger Lakes Watershed

 

New Funding Delivers on Governor’s 2024 State of the State Commitment to Enhance Water Quality and Combat Harmful Algae Blooms

Builds on Record Investments Helping to Reduce the Frequency of Harmful Algal Blooms, Prevent Runoff, Protect Drinking Water, and Support Local Farmers

Governor Kathy Hochul announced $42 million to protect and enhance water quality in the eastern Finger Lakes region. This investment fulfills the Governor’s 2024 State of the State commitment to develop on-the-ground actions necessary to address the root causes of harmful algal blooms (HABs) and significantly reduce their prevalence while supporting projects that help prevent runoff into lakes and improve climate resiliency.

“Clean water is critical to sustaining the health of our communities, protecting our environment, and supporting local economies in the Finger Lakes,” Governor Hochul said. “New York continues to use every tool available as we build on local conservation efforts and assist our farmers and communities to improve resiliency, prevent pollution that can contribute to harmful algal blooms, and take great strides to achieving our climate goals.”

The Eastern Finger Lakes watershed covers more than 30 percent of the Lake Ontario drainage basin and contains seven of New York’s Finger Lakes and their watersheds: Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca, Cayuga, Owasco, Skaneateles, and Otisco lakes. The region recently reported a greater frequency of HABs, which threaten public health, recreation, and the local economy.

The State Departments of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Agriculture and Markets (AGM), the State Soil and Water Conservation Committee, and the 11 Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) in the Eastern Finger Lakes are working together to accelerate watershed protection and restoration measures to improve water quality and mitigate HABs. Last month, $1.2 million in funding was announced for the Eastern Finger Lakes Coalition to build professional capacity and accelerate agricultural and resiliency-related projects.

This new $42 million investment, supported by the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act and other capital resources, will accelerate water quality improvements, and combat harmful algal blooms in the region. Building on previous record-breaking water investments, this funding will directly support Coalition communities in designing and implementing innovative agricultural and resilience projects both on and off farms. Projects like these have been identified in clean water plans, local SWCD strategic plans and other pollution prevention plans to further drive down nutrient and sediment runoff in the Eastern Finger Lakes watersheds.

Key initiatives include:

• Expanding the Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM) program to help farmers reduce water pollution from agricultural activities.
• Enhancing flood resiliency by stabilizing and protecting vulnerable streams, reducing sediment erosion, and upgrading culverts to minimize runoff.
• Bolstering cover crop adoption to improve soil health and water quality.
• Supporting nutrient reduction strategies outlined in watershed-based plans.

This critical investment will not only safeguard the health of our lakes but also empower local farmers by providing additional resources to implement BMPs. These practices, such as erosion and sediment controls, nutrient management, and reduced runoff, will contribute to cleaner water and soil health throughout the region.

Since 2017, DEC worked with stakeholders in the Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca, Owasco, and Skaneateles lake watersheds to develop clean water plans to protect and improve water quality. In 2018, DEC convened four regional summits to examine the causes of HABs and develop sustainable solutions to reduce impacts. DEC worked with State and local partners to develop and implement HABs Action Plans for 12 high priority waterbodies, including several in the Eastern Finger Lakes. New York State supports the Eastern Finger Lakes Coalition as another action to aggressively lessen the impacts from HABs.

To date, New York State awarded more than $428 million in grants for projects statewide designed to reduce the frequency of algal blooms by targeting phosphorus and nitrogen pollution, factors that trigger HAB occurrences. Supporting SWCD programs aligns with recommendations from the Action Plans and with the regional protection/improvements priorities as described in the Finger Lakes and Great Lake Action Agendas, Lake Ontario Lakewide Area Management Plan, and other initiatives.

DEC also created the New York Harmful Algal Bloom System (NYHABS) page, which features an interactive map that provides active HAB locations. Members of the public should report suspected HABS so DEC experts can review and identify for accuracy. Because it is hard to tell a HAB from a non-harmful algal bloom, it is best to avoid swimming, boating, otherwise recreating in, or drinking water with a suspected bloom. DEC encourages people to “Know it, Avoid it, Report it!” all year round, especially during the summer. The summer months are the peak time for HABs – warmer weather, calmer conditions, and more sunlight will often contribute to the blooms.

Since 2014, Soil and Water Conservation Districts in the Eastern Finger Lakes watershed were awarded approximately $32 million to implement projects within the Eastern Finger Lakes watershed through the Climate Resilient Farming Grant program and the Agricultural Non-Point Source and Abatement Control program. These include erosion control practices, on-farm nutrient runoff control practices, riparian buffers, soil health practices, streambank stabilization practices, and nutrient management practices. Districts within the Eastern Finger Lakes watershed also received nearly $640,000 through two rounds of funding to plant more than 9,000 acres of cover crops.

Also since 2014, DEC awarded more than $55.7 million to 96 projects for water quality improvement planning and implementation within the Eastern Finger Lakes watershed through the Water Quality Improvement Project program and the Non-agricultural Nonpoint Source Planning and MS4 Mapping Grant. Projects funded prepare planning reports or directly improve water quality or habitat, promote flood risk reduction, restoration, and enhanced flood and climate resiliency, or protect a drinking water source. Awards within the Eastern Finger Lakes watershed included land acquisition for source water protection, streambank and road ditch stabilization, wastewater disinfection, sanitary sewer overflow improvements, sediment and erosion control, wetland restoration, riparian buffers, salt storage, and aquatic habitat restoration.

Other recent funding to help protect water quality includes more than $90 million in grants and low-interest financing to the City of Auburn announced by Governor Hochul and the State Environmental Facilities Corporation. This will support planning, design, and construction of wastewater treatment improvements. To help promote buffers that prevent runoff and other water quality impairments, DEC recently established the 287-acre Cayuga Shores Wildlife Management Area along Cayuga Lake and awarded $1.2 million to the Finger Lakes Land Trust for land acquisitions to protect Owasco Lake water quality.

New York's Commitment to Water Quality

New York State continues to increase its nation-leading investments in water infrastructure, including more than $2.2 billion in financial assistance from EFC for local water infrastructure projects in State Fiscal Year 2024 alone. With $500 million allocated for clean water infrastructure in the 2024-2025 enacted State Budget announced by Governor Hochul, New York will have invested a total of $5.5 billion in water infrastructure between 2017 and this year. In addition, the $4.2 billion Environmental Bond Act is helping State agencies, local governments, and partners access funding to protect water quality, help communities adapt to climate change, improve resiliency, and create green jobs. Bond Act funding will support new and expanded projects across the state to safeguard drinking water sources, reduce pollution, and protect communities and natural resources from climate change.

The Governor also expanded EFC’s Community Assistance Teams to help all communities access assistance, particularly small, rural, and disadvantaged communities so they may leverage this funding and address their clean water infrastructure needs. Any community that needs help with funding its water infrastructure is encouraged to contact EFC.