North Harmony Partnering With Watershed Management Alliance For Ball Creek Study
NORTH HARMONY — The town of North Harmony has recently partnered with the Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance to complete an engineering design report for a problematic section of Ball Creek.
The study is being done to help with the health of Chautauqua Lake, which is noted to be an invaluable asset to the county and municipalities that border it, but has also been designated an impaired water body and its health and usability are threatened. The study of Ball Creek will help for future restoration efforts for the lake.
The town was recently awarded a Round Three Nonpoint Source Planning Grant from the Department of Environmental Conservation for the Town of North Harmony Ball Creek Stabilization Engineering Study Phase One. The town has since been looking for and has found a qualified engineer to help with the study, JM Davidson Engineering DPC.
“I just had another meeting with them today,” Town Supervisor Robert Yates said. “The study is being done from 394 to the bridge and is an evaluation plan to take on some of the core issues that we have been working on over the last few years.”
The town is inviting as many people as they can to help work on this project and continue the usage of shared services in the town. Yates said it is helping them to learn to work together and forming a strong partnership between the town, the Alliance, and everyone else that is helping them with the study.
The bigger plan, Yates said, is to work on the stream banks so they are not sending tons of sediment and nutrients into the lake.
“This is a piece of the puzzle in working towards a healthier lake, and we are working on it diligently,” Yates said.