Local officials and lawmakers are calling on the state to strengthen water protection laws.
State Sen. Rachel May (D-Syracuse) was joined by State Senator Pete Harckham (D. NY-40) and city of Auburn officials on the shores of Owasco Lake to call on Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state to increase protections in water sources. Factors like harmful algal blooms, elevated levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, and pollutants have made some freshwater sources in central New York dangerous in the past.
Harckham, who also chairs the Senate Environmental Committee, said the state desperately needs a plan to prevent this.
“We should have a comprehensive plan just like we do for WIIA funding or any other infrastructure-based or environmental grant program,” Harckham said.
Auburn City Councilor Jimmy Giannettino said the city is at a tipping point when it comes to being able to continue to keep the lake clean for residents without state support. He called on Hochul to come to Auburn and meet with officials face-to-face about environmental protection policies that need to be put in place.
“She needs to be brought up to speed on what’s going on,” Giannettino said. “I believe her agencies have not only failed the state of New York but they are failing her as well.”
While water remains safe for residents to drink now, the officials warned that without the state helping to develop proactive safety measures, that may not remain the case.
May said safe water should not ever be a concern for residents.
“This is a really critical landscape that we need to be protecting,” May said.
She added that the issues go beyond Owasco Lake and that all New York lakes need more protections.
