WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, are calling on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to prioritize funding to protect the lake’s water quality from toxic algal blooms by including the Chautauqua Lake Feasibility Study in its 2020 work plan.

“Chautauqua Lake is a jewel of Western New York and a vital source of drinking water, recreation and economic activity for both residents and countless visitors alike, but it is threatened by harmful algal blooms that we must do more to reverse and prevent,” Schumer said. “That’s why today I’m calling on the Army Corps to include the Chautauqua Lake Feasibility Study in its Fiscal Year 2020 Work Plan, to carefully examine the destructive, repeated harmful algal blooms in Chautauqua Lake that have significantly diminished water quality. To successfully battle the blooms, Chautauqua Lake is going to need the Army Corps’ expertise and support.”

Chautauqua Lake and its surrounding communities suffer from continued environmental, public health, and economic damage caused by repeated harmful algal blooms, and the study would allow the Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate the excessive phosphorous runoff that causes the harmful algal blooms. Additionally, the Army Corps of Engineers would be able to study flood risk management measures, assess ecosystem restoration efforts, and address the accelerated erosion along the lake’s tributary streambanks. Erosion along Chautauqua Lake’s tributary streambanks have resulted in excessive sediment deposition, which also impairs the lake’s water quality.

“Chautauqua Lake is one of our state’s great natural treasures, and Congress should do everything it can to help stop the algal blooms that have plagued the lake’s water quality and harmed the local economy in Western New York,” Gillibrand said. “While I was proud to fight for the authorization of this Feasibility Study, the Army Corps now needs to allocate this funding and actually implement it. I will always work to ensure New York’s waterways are safe and clean.”

Schumer and Gillibrand successfully pushed to authorize the Chautauqua Lake Feasibility Study in the America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018. The Chautauqua Lake Feasibility Study would enable the local communities to better understand changing flood risks and provide tools to help guard against future environmental degradation and property damage. The study would inform best practices concerning excessive weed and harmful algae growth, as well as mitigation for sediments deposited at the mouths of the tributaries, to further minimize flood risks harming the environmental health and economic viability of Chautauqua Lake.