Two steps taken last week by the Chautauqua County Legislature could benefit Chautauqua Lake for years to come.

Approval of ARPA funding to study sewers around the east side of Chautauqua Lake. Studies have shown that a majority of the phosphorus that enters Chautauqua Lake is from internal loading, groundwater sources and point sources, but septic systems are a significant contributor to phosphorus loading in Chautauqua Lake. That’s particularly true on the lake’s north basin.

Even more important, however, is approval of $600,000 from the county’s reserve fund to pay the first year of the county’s share of a study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Scientific study like the work being done by the Jefferson Project, North Carolina State University, Bowling Green University and other agencies is important. We need to understand as much about the root causes of harmful algal blooms as possible.

But the Army Corps of Engineers work is different. A lot of the work that has been done is preparatory for the Army Corps of Engineers, who will come to Chautauqua Lake looking at solutions rather than causes. For those who have grown weary of studies, the Army Corps of Engineers will help sort through the science with an eye toward solutions.

It’s taken a lot of work to get to this point, and no one should be under any illusion that county officials didn’t think long and hard about spending the $600,000 from the county surplus and $1.5 million over three years to pay the county’s local share required to bring the Army Corps of Engineers’ expertise here.

It’s hard to understate how important Chautauqua Lake is to Chautauqua County’s economic structure. Viewed through that lens, the county’s investments are wise ones.