Paul Szmal: If you're a regular listener of FLX Morning, you know that once a month we check in with the folks from the Seneca Lake Pier Waters Association and the Awaska Lake Watershed Management Council. There's also a similar organization for Cayuga Lake, the Cayuga Lake Association, and its president Robert Dintra joins us on FLX Morning. Robert, first time guest, welcome. Appreciate having you here today.
Robert Dintruff: Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here.
Paul Szmal: Let's start by talking about when the Cayuga Lake Association was formed, how long it's been around, and what the organization does.
Robert Dintruff: Well, it started as the Shore Property Owners Association back in the late 1950s. It has evolved since then quite extensively and has really become more of a watershed association because what we're seeking to do is preserve and protect the lake. It so happens that we have one of the cleanest lakes among the Finger Lakes, and for that matter, in the entire state of New York, and there are lots of lakes in New York. But we are more than just a lake. Our focus includes the watershed. Any land from which rain or lately snow will ultimately flow into the lake is of concern to us.
Paul Szmal: And what does the association do for protection for the lake and the watershed? Do you collect data like the other organizations do and have observers measuring things?
Robert Dintruff: We certainly do. Let me start by saying that Cayuga Lake is really an engine for the local economy, the tourism, the farms, the businesses. There are wineries, restaurants, realtors, breweries, shops, marinas, Seneca Farms ice cream all depend on a really clean and scenic lake in order to thrive. So we test that to see just how clean the lake is. We test the water. We're looking for some nutrients, notably phosphorus and nitrates, things like that. And then we also test the streams that come into the lake. We're looking for coliform or E. coli bacteria that can be harmful.
And what we've seen over the years is a gradual reduction in nutrients, particularly phosphorus, where we've had a decline primarily because a lot of phosphorus has come out of soaps and things like that, but also related to some farming practices. Those are a couple of big areas of concern. So we test for those nutrients as well. But what's interesting about it is that it's something that's really hard to change because the concentrations are so low. The nutrients that come into the lake get diluted very thoroughly because we have a rather deep lake. So even minor changes, though, can impact the food chain. So it's important to get the balance right in the lake.
And that's really what we seek to do. Too much phosphorus is bad, but zero phosphorus would be worse. It feeds the phytoplankton and the zooplankton that feeds the baitfish and feed the game fish. So that's our food chain. So it is about testing, but it's also about making sure that we've got the right balance.
Paul Szmal: And you broadcast those findings, if you will, through a variety of outlets, including the website. I want to mention that is KeukaLakeAssociation.org, which has got a ton of resource information on it.
Robert Dintruff: Oh, it's a great resource for us. And we're actually going through some changes to that website to make it even more navigable and to improve its utility for our members and anybody generally who comes into the area. So we're looking at being a source for events that are happening around the lake and things of that nature that will attract people. But we also want to provide information about what's happening in the area from the standpoint of having some weather stations that provide us with some data. We carefully monitor the water temperature and the lake level and things of that sort. So there is quite a bit that gets done through that website. And I encourage people to go there. There's even a photo contest we're having. So if you've got some great pictures of Keuka Lake, you might even think about sending those in and you could end up in the calendar.
Paul Szmal: Yeah, I'm looking at the top right corner of the page right now, the level of Keuka Lake is showing 712 and a half feet and the temperature a brisk 35 and a half degrees. That's what happens when we get ice.
Robert Dintruff: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And this is year-round work that happens. And Robert, this wouldn't be possible without some great volunteer help.
Paul Szmal: Oh, no question about that. We have, first of all, a very dedicated board that a board and officers, you know, they sit on these various committees, whether it's a communications committee or a lake level committee or navigation or recreation or water quality, because there's so much to be done. We deal with invasive species that are potentially harmful to the lake. We want to make sure that we're testing the lake and the streams to be sure that they are staying clean. And as I said, balanced in that process. And we can't do this alone. Our membership and a core of volunteers help by doing a variety of things, including shoreline monitors and people that help out just in the office with things that we have to do there administratively. And people get out in boats with us and do some of that water sampling that's required. And we work with a lot of other organizations along the way.
For example, there's the New York State Federation of Lake Associations. We're involved with them. There's another thing called CSLAP, the Citizens Statewide Lake Assessment Program. They do some further testing. We help them by providing the samples that they need. So we have a need for a lot of volunteers and a lot of people to help us out through this process all year round, and particularly in the summer. In the winter, we tend to do some more strategic things where we look at where we stand with the lake testing, where we stand with the stream testing, how things are going in other areas. For example, we'll work with the Finger Lakes Institute that is providing some assistance to us in the form of some expertise. And they'll tell us things about what's going on with the food chain and the fisheries and that sort of thing as well. So we get a lot of help from those folks as well.
Paul Szmal: Yeah, it's one thing to talk about environmental conservation advocacy and those things. It's a different matter entirely when you are doing things in a data-driven world, which is what the Keuka Lake Association does, Robert, because as you've explained here over the past couple of minutes, there's many different levels to the organization. There's different committees focused on different elements. There's research that's being done by volunteers that's being brought in from other agencies. That's a lot of organization, a lot of moving parts to help preserve, protect Keuka Lake and the watershed area.
Robert Dintruff: Oh, no question about it. But we don't do this alone. We get help from all kinds of other entities around the area, even amongst the townships. There's an organization called QUIC, the Keuka Watershed Improvement Cooperative, that was started decades ago at the behest of the KLA to inspect septic systems around the lake. And we meet with them on a monthly or every other month basis to be sure that we're up to speed with the inspections that need to be done. And in a similar way, an organization known as CLOC, the Keuka Lake Outlet Compact, keeps an eye on what's happening with the lake level. And we don't really run that, but what we do is advise and offer our input on what should be done with regard to the lake level. And that's becoming a bigger problem these days as we see what happens with major rain events and, for that matter, the drought that we had in the September time frame. It's a real challenge to keep the lake level where we want it and kind of between the guidelines.
Paul Szmal: I want to mention that if you want to get started volunteering with the Keuka Lake Association, if you go to the website, you can read about the seventh annual golf tournament. This is coming up later in the year in July, but it's in the planning stages now. I bring this up because they thought of being on a nice warm summery day in the Finger Lakes on a golf course is a lot better than standing outside where the temperatures may feel like 15 below zero.
Robert Dintruff: Well, that's absolutely right. There's a lot that goes into pulling off a good golf tournament, and it's hard for us to do that right at the summer time frame when we're having our annual meeting and we've got so much testing going on and that sort of thing. So that's an area where we are really dependent upon some volunteers. This year in particular, we're going to need some people to step up because there are so many other things that are happening at the Association right now. It's really been a transformative time. So if you want to help out or find out more about what we've been talking about, you can also make a donation, get your membership to the Keuka Lake Association. You can do all of that at the website. It's KeukaLakeAssociation.org. K-E-U-K-A LakeAssociation.org.
Paul Szmal: Robert, thanks so much for filling us in this morning.
Robert Dintruff: Well, thank you for having me. I appreciate it.
