Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Oak Orchard Creek Orleans County, New York, Joseph C. Makarewicz, Matthew J. Nowak

Joseph C Makarewicz

Oak Orchard Creek is a major tributary of Lake Ontario, with a watershed straddling Orleans and Genesee counties. Surrounding land use is a mix of residential, small commercial businesses, and agriculture. The Elba and Oakfield sewage treatment plants are located along Oak Orchard Creek, as are three hydroelectric dams located in Oak Orchard, Glenwood, and Waterport (Zollweg et al. 2005). The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation lists fishing in Oak Orchard as threatened. There have been high measures of DDT, DDE, DDD, PAHs, and arsenic identified near Lyndonville, NY, at one of these sites (Makarewicz 2000). Nuisance algae, …

Genesee River Monroe County, New York, Joseph Makarewicz, Matthew Nowak

Joseph C Makarewicz

Originating in Potter County, Pennsylvania, the Genesee River travels 157 miles northward before emptying into the Rochester Embayment at the Port of Rochester on Lake Ontario. The 2,500-mi watershed of the Genesee River is predominately in agriculture and forest until it reaches the suburban urban environment of the City of Rochester, New York. Several wastewater plants, including Eastman Kodak’s industrial waste plant (King’s Landing) and Scottsville, and Honeoye Falls sewage treatment plants, discharge into the river. Just west and east of the outfall of the Genesee River into Lake Ontario are Charlotte and Durand Eastman Beaches that are periodically closed …

Twelvemile Creek Niagara County, New York, Joseph Makarewicz, Matthew Nowak

Joseph C Makarewicz

The east branch of Twelvemile Creek (69 mi2) flows through northern Niagara County to its mouth at Lake Ontario 12 miles east of the Niagara River, near the village of Wilson, New York. From fall through spring, good runs of steelhead and brown trout with the occasional Chinook and Coho salmon occur into the creek. Agriculture, especially row crop farming, is predominant within the watershed, though natural protected land is also plentiful. The Wilson-Tuscarora State Park provides a buffer between the creek and agriculture immediately around the mouth of the creek, while upstream farms directly line the creek. Nuisance algae, …

Niagara River Niagara County, New York, Joseph Makarewicz, Matthew Nowak

Joseph C Makarewicz

The Niagara River carries water from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario and is the major source of Lake Ontario’s water volume. Famous for the immense Niagara Falls, the 36-mile river is used by over 1 million people in the United States and Canada for functions including drinking water, recreation, and hydropower (Niagara Parks 2009). The Niagara River drains the entire upper Great Lake system into the final lake, Lake Ontario, and due to this huge volume of water has a large potential to change Lake Ontario’s water quality. Nuisance algae, bacterial abundance, and algal mat development along the southern shoreline …

Port Bay Wayne County, New York, Joseph Makarewicz, Matthew Nowak

Joseph C Makarewicz

Located midway between Rochester and Oswego, New York, Port Bay is one of southern Lake Ontario’s larger but relatively shallow (<25 feet) embayments. The perimeter of the bay is primarily residential, but portions of the shoreline and watershed are part of the Lake Shores Marshes Wildlife Area. Wolcott Creek is the major tributary of Port Bay and drains ~27 mi² of land that is mostly in agriculture. The bay receives treated effluent from the Village of Wolcott Sewage Treatment Plant. Port Bay suffers from cultural eutrophication and is on the New York State 303d list of Impaired Waters due to an overabundance of phosphorus. Benthic anoxia is a major effect of this eutrophication. Port Bay is impacted by nuisance algae, and harmful algal blooms have been observed (Makarewicz et al. 2009). This short report provides a synopsis of …

Irondequoit Bay Monroe County, New York, Joseph C. Makarewicz, Matthew J. Nowak

Joseph C Makarewicz

Irondequoit Bay is approximately 4.2 miles long and 0.6 miles wide and is separated from Lake Ontario by a small barrier beach. Irondequoit Bay had been historically considered hypereutrophic when several sewage plants discharged directly into the bay; however, aggressive restoration by Monroe County has improved the eutrophic state of the bay. Restoration efforts included sealing the bottom sediments with alum, reducing both point and non-point sources of phosphorus, and the pumping of air into the hypolimnion to reduce phosphorus movement from the sediments into the water. Currently no direct sewage plant discharge is received, and phosphorus levels are approaching …

Lake Ontario Coastal Initiative Action Agenda, Joseph Makarewicz, Betsy Landre, Stephen Lewandowski, John Terninko, Elizabeth Thorndike

Joseph C Makarewicz

The mission of the Lake Ontario Coastal Initiative (LOCI), encompassing all New York State North Coast stakeholders from the Niagara River to the St. Lawrence River, is to enlist and retain broad public commitment for remediation, restoration, protection, conservation and sustainable use of the coastal region. This mission will be accomplished by securing funds and resources to achieve scientific understanding, educate citizens, and implement locally supported priorities, programs and projects as identified through this Initiative.

Sodus Bay Wayne County, New York, Joseph Makarewicz, Matthew Nowak

Joseph C Makarewicz

Sodus Bay is one of Lake Ontario’s major embayments separated from the lake by a 7,500-foot long barrier beach. The bay is located in Wayne County, New York, and is 4.4 miles in length and 2.4 miles across. This major point of access to Lake Ontario contains 12 marinas, 13 waterfront restaurants, 2 public access sites, a public beach, and a sailing school. The 46-mi² Sodus Bay watershed is composed of land that is 30% agriculture, 4% developed land, 61% forest, and 4% wetlands. First Creek, Second Creek, Third Creek, Sodus Creek West, Sodus Creek East (Glenmark Creek), and …

Sandy Creek Monroe/Orleans Counties, New York, Joseph C. Makarewicz, Matthew J. Nowak

Joseph C Makarewicz

Sandy Creek is located in Monroe and Orleans Counties in New York State and drains 89 mi2 of land. Surrounding land use is predominantly agriculture, though there are also residential influences. The Orleans County Soil and Water Conservation District through the Water Quality Coordinating Committee (WQCC) has monitored nutrient loss from the watershed through continuous automated monitoring and event sampling. Sandy Creek was identified as moderately polluted, not as pristine as forested watersheds but not as polluted as streams receiving partially treated sewage. Soil loss was highest (75% of total) during precipitation events suggesting that agricultural runoff may play a …

Little Sodus Bay Cayuga County, New York, Joseph C. Makarewicz, Matthew J. Nowak

Joseph C Makarewicz

Little Sodus Bay is a 728-acre embayment on the southern Lake Ontario shoreline, located in the Town of Fair Haven, New York. The bay has a mean depth of 22 feet, a maximum depth of 37 feet, and is not fed by any major tributaries. Little Sodus Bay connects to Lake Ontario through a narrow channel located in the northwest corner of the bay. The watershed surrounding the bay is composed of land roughly 20% agricultural, 18% developed land (mostly limited development), 61% forest, 1% wetlands, and 0.1% quarry (The Camdus Group 2007). Little Sodus Bay has nuisance algae and …

Water Quality Of The Coastal Zone Of Lake Ontario- Loci Revisited, Joseph Makarewicz

Joseph C Makarewicz

No abstract provided.

Chemical Analysis Of Water From Buttonwood, Larkin, Round Pond And Northrup Creeks, Lake Ontario Basin West: May 1987 - May 1988, Joseph C. Makarewicz

Joseph C Makarewicz

As the local contribution to the Rochester Embayment Remedial Action Plan, the Monroe County Health Department contracted with SUNY Brockport to extend the ongoing sampling program in order to obtain one full year of data. The general objectives of this study of Buttonwood, Larkin, Northrup and Round Pond Creeks were: 1. To compare the water quality of stream water from watersheds having different land-use patterns; 2. To compare the water quality of stream water above and below the Spencerport Sewage Treatment Plant; 3. To obtain time trend data on chemical and physical characteristics of runoff water of these creeks; 4. …

Eighteenmile Creek Niagara County, New York, Joseph C. Makarewicz, Matthew J. Nowak

Joseph C Makarewicz

Eighteenmile Creek drains 93 mi² of land as it travels 26 miles before emptying into Lake Ontario. Topography is generally flat and comprised primarily of agricultural and rural residential development, with most of the industrial influences concentrated in the City of Lockport. The creek is a Great Lakes Area of Concern and has a Remedial Action Plan currently headed by the Niagara County Soil and Water Conservation District. PCBs, specifically, represent the area of stress that receives the most attention. In addition to a history of industrial waste exposure, the Lockport Sewage Treatment Plant diverts treated sewage to the …

The Muckland Demonstration Project : Agricultural Non-Point Source Pollution Control, Joseph Makarewicz, Theodore Lewis

Joseph C Makarewicz

The many muck fields in agriculture that exist in Oswego County offer an opportunity to demonstrate the feasibility of using artificially constructed wetlands to reduce nutrient levels in water draining from these highly fertilized, productive agricultural systems. An artificial wetland was constructed adjacent to a large muckland farm raising onions and sorghum. Water draining from the muck fields was pumped into the constructed wetland and allowed to flow naturally out of the wetland after a retention period determined by the flow regime. The question being asked was can nutrients and sediments be effectively removed from muckland drainage water by an …

The Occurrence Of Cyanotoxins In The Nearshore And Coastal Embayments Of Lake Ontario, Joseph Makarewicz, Gregory Boyer, William Guenther, Mary Arnold, Theodore Lewis

Joseph C Makarewicz

Cyanotoxins are an emerging issue that Great Lakes’ scientists are conducting research on to determine occurrence, spatial and seasonal distribution, monitoring strategies and potential causes in Lake Ontario. Conditions necessary for blooms of Cyanobacteria exist along the shoreline of Lake Ontario. This is especially true in some embayments and rivers as levels of the nutrient phosphorus that stimulates the growth of Cyanobacteria is above New York State Department’s of Environmental Conservation guidelines. Monitoring in 2004 demonstrated that abundance of Cyanobacteria are indeed high in streams, embayments and the nearshore compared to offshore waters of southern Lake Ontario. Initial research suggests …

Phytoplankton And Zooplankton: In Lakes Erie, Lake Huron And Lake Michigan: 1984, Joseph Makarewicz

Joseph C Makarewicz

With the acknowledgement that biological monitoring was fundamental to charting ecosystem health (Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement 1978), EPA's program was developed for Lakes Erie, Huron and Michigan to: 1) monitor seasonal patterns, ranges of abundance and, in general, structure of the phytoplankton and zooplankton communities; 2) relate the biological components to variations in the physical, nutrient and biological environment; and 3) assess the annual variance to allow better long-term assessments of trophic structure and state. Several offshore stations (9-11) on several cruises (9-11) during the spring, summer and autumn of 1984 and winter of 1985 were sampled. By examining …

Water Quality Of Long, Cranberry, Buck And Round Ponds 1993 -1994, Joseph Makarewicz, Gregory Lampman

Joseph C Makarewicz

Long, Buck and Cranberry Ponds have very high concentrations of total phosphorus and chlorophyll .a; that is, they have high levels of a nutrient that stimulates the growth of microscopic and macroscopic plants. This results in an overabundance of microscopic plant life as indicated by the exceedingly high chlorophyll levels observed. Long Pond appears to be the most productive followed by Buck Pond and then Cranberry Pond. Round Pond has relatively low chlorophyll and phosphorus levels compared to the other ponds. R.ound Pond does not appear to be impacted by cultural eutrophication. Compared to nearby Lake Ontario, Lake Erie and …

Pultneyville, Salmon Creek Wayne County, New York, Joseph Makarewicz, Matthew Nowak

Joseph C Makarewicz

Pultneyville is located between Irondequoit Bay and Sodus Bay, approximately 14 miles east of Irondequoit Bay and 12 miles west of Sodus Bay. Salmon Creek drains into Lake Ontario at Pultneyville where it forms Pultneyville Harbor that boasts a 100-boat marina as well as a yacht club. Agriculture, specifically fruit orchards, dominates the harbor watershed. Little background information is available for this location. Here we report on water quality data collected monthly (May through September) in 2007 and 2009 at Pultneyville Harbor and at lakeside location east of the harbor in Lake Ontario.

Water Quality Of Seneca Lake 1991-1998, Joseph Makarewicz, Roger Ward, Theodore Lewis

Joseph C Makarewicz

The water quality of Seneca Lake has been studied since the early 1900's when secchi disk readings were first taken. At that time, the trophic state of Seneca Lake was classified as oligotrophic; that is, nutrient concentrations and primary production were low and transparency high. Water clarity remained approximately the same up through the early 1930s. In general, by the late 1970s water clarity had decreased, indicating the lake’s trophic status was mesotrophic. Total phosphorus concentrations from the 1970s were into the mesotrophic range. Chlolophyll-a concentrations also illustrate the trend toward more productive waters in Seneca Lake in the early …

Lake Ontario Coastal Initiative Action Agenda 2004, Betsy Landre, Stephen Lewandowski, Joseph Makarewicz, John Terninko, Elizabeth Thorndike

Joseph C Makarewicz

The mission of the Lake Ontario Coastal Initiative (LOCI), encompassing all New York State North Coast stakeholders from the Niagara River to the St. Lawrence River, is to enlist and retain broad public commitment for remediation, restoration, protection, conservation and sustainable use of the coastal region. This mission will be accomplished by securing funds and resources to achieve scientific understanding, educate citizens, and implement locally supported priorities, programs and projects as identified through this Initiative.

Oswego River Oswego County, New York, Joseph Makarewicz, Matthew Nowak

Joseph C Makarewicz

The Oswego River is the second largest river flowing into Lake Ontario, draining 5,100 square miles of land. The watershed includes all of Seneca County, most of Onondaga, Cayuga, Tompkins, Schuyler, Yates and Ontario Counties, and large portions of Oswego, Oneida, Madison and Wayne Counties in New York State. Most of the New York Finger Lakes are in the drainage basin of the Oswego River, and land use ranges from heavy agriculture in the Finger Lakes region to urban development in Oswego. The Oswego River Harbor is the largest Oswego County embayment and is vital to the shipping industry due …

Long Pond Monroe County, New York, Joseph Makarewicz, Matthew Nowak

Joseph C Makarewicz

Long Pond, located on Lake Ontario near Rochester, New York, is surrounded by a mix of residential development, state park, and protected wildlife areas. Land use within the watershed is a mix of suburbia, including the Village of Spencerport, and agriculture. The waters of Long Pond are considered hypereutrophic, meaning it is very productive due to high nutrient loading. This productivity is likely due to nonpoint sources and the point source represented by the Spencerport Sewage Treatment Plant which releases advanced secondary sewage effluent into a tributary of Long Pond (Makarewicz 2000). Nuisance algae, bacterial abundance, and algal mat development …

Water Quality Of Cayuga Lake 1991-1998, Joseph C. Makarewicz, Roger W. Ward Jr., Theodore W. Lewis

Joseph C Makarewicz

Cayuga and Seneca Lakes represent a major water resource of central New York State of considerable economic, recreational and aesthetic value. Maintenance of water quality, prevention of further deterioration of water quality and restoration of a lake’s health are major concerns of the public. Monitoring the water quality of Cayuga Lake has continued periodically from the early 1900's to the present. This report reviews data collected by the Seneca County Soil and Water Conservation District during the 1991- 1998 period from the north end of Cayuga Lake. The water quality data presented are the result of a new strategy to …

Oak Orchard Creek Watershed : The Location Of Sources Of Pollution, Annual Loss Of Nutrients And Soil To Lake Ontario, And A Test Of Effectiveness Of Zone Tillage As A Best Management Practice, Joseph Makarewicz, Theodore Lewis

Joseph C Makarewicz

Oak Orchard Creek watershed : the location of sources of pollution, annual loss of nutrients and soil to Lake Ontario, and a test of effectiveness of zone tillage as a best management practice. May 2009

A report to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Orleans County Soil and Water Conservation District.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 53-56).

Braddock Bay Monroe County, New York, Joseph Makarewicz, Matthew Nowak

Joseph C Makarewicz

Braddock Bay, located just west of Rochester, NY, is one of Lake Ontario’s larger embayments. The bay is open to wave action from Lake Ontario, differentiating it from several other embayments such as Port and Sodus Bays. Braddock Bay is located in the 2,500-acre Braddock Bay Fish and Wildlife Management Area; is a major waterfowl and migratory bird nesting, resting, and feeding habitat; has 541 boat slips; and is a major access point to the lake from the southern shore. The Braddock Bay watershed contains a mix of residential development, state park, and protected wildlife areas. Nuisance algae, bacterial abundance, …