It has been a long time coming, but recently financing has been achieved so that public sewers around Chautauqua Lake can be completed.

Right now work is underway to complete the sewer lines up the west side of the lake. It is expected that most if not all remaining septic systems in the sewer district between Stow and Prendergast point will be replaced by public sewers this year.

The final piece around the lake that had been missing was the area on the east side of the lake from Point Chautauqua down to Midway State Park. Recently, however, the county received a grant commitment of $18 million from the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation to complete that section.

Hurray, I would say! Congratulations to the county and to all who have been involved in the effort to complete sewers around the lake.

Now that the financing is in place, the usual spadework has to be done to create a sewer district extension in this area. Detailed engineering drawings must be completed, and all of the other details put in place so that construction bidding can take place and the work begun. Commencement of work on this last phase of sewer construction is estimated to begin in 2027.

The grant commitment recently received from New York State is a significant achievement. Without this funding, such a project would have been unaffordable for local residents.

We have come a long way in cleaning up Chautauqua Lake. I can still remember the days when pipes when directly from toilets into the lake. Improved septic systems have helped. Yet, it is nearly impossible to have effective septic systems when you have homes built on 100 ft. lots located right next to each other along the lake shore.

Of course, sewers around the lake are just one piece of the ongoing challenge of managing Chautauqua Lake. When it is all done, we will still have a relatively shallow, eutrophic lake which heats up in the summertime. This means that weeds and algae blooms will continue to be a part of our life.

Fortunately, research being led by the Jefferson Project and the Army Corps of Engineers is continuing so that future actions relative to the lake will be based more on science and less on guess work.

We live on a highly used lake, and it doesn’t stop with the end of summer. Now, in winter, you see dozens of ice fishing tents, snow mobiles and cross-country skiers out on the ice.

It is no wonder that close to 40% of the property valuation in the county comes from the five townships that border the lake.

So, congratulations to the county and to all who worked on finding the funding for this last section to complete sewers around the lake. It is a major achievement and all who live around or near the lake will benefit from it for years to come.

Rolland Kidder is a Stow resident.