Proposal for Owasco Lake Water Steward |
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| Owasco Lake Intermunicipal MOU & Board of Directors | |
| 1.) | Members are representatives of watershed and user Towns, villages, county, OWLA. (Auburn, Owasco, Sennett, Niles, Moravia, Venice, Scipio, Fleming, Montezuma, Aurelius, Springport, Throop, Port Bryon, Weedsport) |
| 2.) | Legal and physical mandate derived from watershed rules as per Auburn & Owasco |
| 3.) | Day to day manager of Steward= designate a full time municipal employee as oversight |
| 4.) | Weekly & monthly reports to committee, annual report to all taxpayers. |
| Responsibilities: | ||
| 1.) | Inspections for improvements, performance and compliance: | |
| a. | Enforce existing watershed rules | |
| b. | Implement storm water control regulations | |
| c. | Building permit follow-up for environmental issues | |
| d. | Establish phosphorus loading protocols (ie before & after testing, basic modeling) to determine potential and existing development and land use impact on water quality to guide municipal decisions and developers plans | |
| 2.) | Enforcement contract to carry out municipal responsibilities as per law. | |
| a. | Notification of public health officials | |
| b. | Notification of DEC and Code Officer | |
| 3.) | Facilitate and teach best management practices | |
| a. | React to individual development proposals with each town to ensure phosphorus-friendly land use, storm water rules, local laws to enable inspections etc | |
| b. | Develop a full complement of resources for reference | |
| c. | Solicit and direct support from other agencies | |
| d. | Coordinate phosphorus reduction practices consistent throughout the watershed | |
| 4.) | Measure Progress | |
| a. | Operate a full GIS platform | |
| b. | Record issues, needs, data, visits, goals, timing for follow-up etc. and reviewed weekly and monthly on GIS and as per above | |
| Budget | |
| 1.) | Salary $40,000 plus benefits |
| 2.) | Transportation car etc. 15-20000 miles $8,000 |
| 3.) | Town, County, City office 2 months at each location=payment in kind |
| 4.) | Office technology laptop, software, cell phone $5000 |
| 5.) | Total first year estimated $75,000 |
Funding source = There are very close to 12,300 Owasco Lake water metered points and an additional 4500 landowners representing about 50000 people in the actual watershed in Cayuga County. As a responsibility of each municipality, each of these "units" would have a $4.50 annual responsibility or payment in kind.