The Owasco Lake Watershed Inspection Program assessed more than 100 town and county roadside ditches in the watershed totaling just under 10 miles. More than five miles, the program determined, are high priority to be stabilized.
Ditches, especially when not properly maintained, are one of the culprits for transporting sediment and nutrients into water bodies. Kathryn Vellone, an assistant watershed inspector, spent most of June and early July to conduct the survey of 110 sites in the towns of Fleming, Scipio, Venice, Sennett, Owasco, Niles, Moravia, Sempronius, Locke and Skaneateles. State roads were not included, and roads outside the Owasco Lake watershed were not included.
Vellone and Watershed Specialist Andrew Snell presented the program’s findings to the Owasco Lake Watershed Management Council Tuesday morning.
