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Flow Control

Chautauqua Implements Stormwater Management Projects

Nick and Sandi Stupiansky incorporated a bioswale into their Mayville property. The trench-like fixture uses stone weirs that acts as barriers to the rushing flow of stormwater runoff. This decreases the levels of nutrients and sediment that trickle into Chautauqua Lake. A bioswale is one example of how lakefront property owners can practice stormwater management to help solve the issues of weed growth and blue-green algae in the lake. P-J photo by Eric Zavinski

CHAUTAUQUA — A stormwater management initiative has continued to materialize over the years with various projects dotting the grounds of Chautauqua Institution in an effort to manage runoff entering Chautauqua Lake.

A “comprehensive approach” is often mentioned when lakefront groups and property owners talk about ways to mitigate levels of sediment and nutrients, including phosphorous and nitrogen, infiltrating the lake to solve the issues of excessive weed growth and blue-green algae, and stormwater management projects are preventive measures compared to other lake treatments including herbicides and dredging.

Touring Chautauqua Institution’s grounds, residents and visitors will be able to find various stormwater management projects. Rain gardens, semi-pervious surfaces, artificial wetlands and stabilized creeks all help to reduce stormwater runoff.

“I think they have been the leader on Chautauqua Lake as far as investing in projects,” said John Jablonski III, executive director of the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy.

Jablonski said that Chautauqua Institution has been partnering with the CWC and working on their stormwater initiative for approximately 20 years. More projects are added to the grounds every year. John Shedd, vice president of campus planning and operations at Chautauqua Institution, agrees with Jablonski that the institution community can be a model for other municipalities in Chautauqua County to follow in terms of implementing stormwater management projects.

The ground around the Fletcher Music Hall at Chautauqua Institution is a porous surface, which allows rainwater to trickle through the ground instead of run toward the Chautauqua Lake shore. P-J photo by Eric Zavinski

“We’re taking it on as the right thing to do,” Shedd said.

New York state provides grants to municipalities for water quality improvement plans and green infrastructure programs to help pay for capital costs. However, maintaining projects usually becomes the responsibility of local governments. Chautauqua Institution is able to differentiate itself with its number of projects due to the donations and support from multiple benefactors and residents interested in safeguarding the environment.

Shedd and Jablonski also agreed these projects are necessary for the health of the lake since permanent stormwater management projects provide long-term solutions for the lake. Wetlands and rain gardens are projects Jablonski has said have worked well on Chautauqua Institution grounds.

The area of the watershed owned by Chautauqua Institution is separated into 14 drainage areas, with areas of management beginning at the uphill portion of their area of the watershed in the Chautauqua Golf Club. A large wetland soaks up stormwater while some of it drains into further rain gardens closer to shore.

Rain gardens are segments of indigenous plants engineered to soak up and filtrate runoff. Water flows from one garden to the next, keeping sediment and nutrients from polluting the lake. Streams are also stabilized with rock borders and stone weirs that block the rushing flow that carries sediment and phosphorous.

These projects prevent soil from going into the sides of these small water bodies too.

Getting results from these projects has required time in some cases. When a golf club wetland was first introduced about five years ago, it took a few years to blossom and perform its role effectively. Now, Shedd said it’s a huge cleaner of runoff and contributes greatly to Chautauqua Institution’s intiative.

“This has been drastic in the amount of phosphorous we’ve reduced in the lake,” Shedd said.

Semi-pervious and porous surfaces also play a role in stormwater management. Brick walkways in which the bricks are spaced far enough apart to let water seep into the ground are considered semi-pervious, and porous surfaces are made of a special material like the kind outside the Fletcher Music Hall. In that example, water drains into the material itself.

Erosion control methods have been enacted along the shoreline as well. Planting indigenous perennials along the shore helps mitigate rushing runoff; no mow zones can have a similar effect because the grass remains long enough to impede runoff flow. Artificial pools at some spots along the shoreline are made with rocks the encircle small areas of the lake. In these, the rocks don’t prevent water from moving into the lake, but the pools do inhibit potential rushing flows that can carry sediment and nutrients into the lake. As in rain gardens and other preventive measures, sediment and nutrients are more likely to settle to the bottom as clean water rushes out into the lake, which is also the source for Chautauqua Institution’s drinking water.

The concept of stone weirs also works along these lines. Weirs are rock barriers that stop the amount of water flowing through a stream, and when storms make the projects overflow, clean water rushes over top the weirs while sediment settles at the bottom of the barrier.

This kind of project has also encouraged lakefront property owners that aren’t Chautauqua Institution residents to become more environmentally conscious. Mayville residents Nick and Sandi Stupiansky had a bioswale constructed near their home about two years ago, and it works in a similar way to the stone weir system, with barriers separating runoff flow into eight catch basins before water trickles into the lake.

As master gardeners, the couple became interested in doing what they could to better the environment. On top of composting and growing their own vegetables, they decided to plant willow trees to soak up water. The bioswale became the next step in their plan.

“It really wasn’t that hard to do,” Sandi Stupiansky said.

Instead of heavy rains washing out their driveway, they said the rain collects in small ponds in their catch basins before going into the lake. Beds of flowers and plants border the bioswale to keep the water contained.

For Chautauqua Institution, stormwater management plans went into motion with the help of the CWC, former Director of Operations Doug Conroe, who originally initiated the concept of the projects, and Foit-Albert Associates, a group that conducted a drainage management plan in 2010. Projects ranging from the large rock rain garden behind the amphitheater and semi-pervious walkways in Odland Plaza to the vegetation-filled Ryan Kiblin Memorial Stormwater Park and Miller Park populated with rain gardens all have their roots in the original management plan.

With more projects to come, Chautauqua Institution staff members aren’t finished deciding how to handle all potential runoff. Shedd thanks the philanthropic efforts of community members who have made the implementation of so many projects successful.

“It couldn’t happen without the commitment of the community,” Shedd said.

Residents of Chautauqua Institution help improve the positive environmental impact. Regulations for home owners allow only a small amount of impervious surfaces and require tree plantings, both in attempts to avoid extra runoff and absorb water. One resident has even had more trees than required planted, blocking the view of the lake but cutting off runoff at the same time. Jordan Steves, director of strategic communications and community relations at Chautauqua Institution, said that residents often feel obligated to put in extra effort in terms of stormwater management because of a desire to replicate Chautauqua Institution’s practices.

Jablonski said he would like to see municipalities follow suit and adopt erosion control laws, including regulations for when new businesses and homes are constructed. In other parts of the country, stormwater management projects are encouraged even more since incoporating management practices into one’s propery reduces a fee that has to be paid for funding of public infrastructure for stormwater management.

“(Stormwater management) is the comprehensive part of the plan,” Shedd said.

He noted that Chautauqua Institution’s scientific counsel has said these projects are how stormwater runoff is cleaned most effectively. While Shedd said he isn’t opposed to necessary herbicide treatments, he thinks these projects are the way Chautauqua Lake will be preserved for years to come.

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