Watershed Committee

Watershed Committee Mission Statement​:
To advise the Town Board and educate the community on the protection and management of the quantity and quality of our water.

Caroline Watersheds:
Watersheds are ‘the area of land that that drains all the streams and rainfall to a common outlet such as the outflow of a reservoir, mouth of a bay, or any point along a stream channel’. For example, the outlet to the Six Mile Creek Watershed--in the larger Lake Ontario Watershed--is the Cayuga Lake Inlet. 

The Town of Caroline falls within two major watersheds. Most of the town is in the Lake Ontario Watershed, draining via Six Mile, Cascadilla, and Fall Creeks to Cayuga Lake and then northward to Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence. The southeast portion of the town drains southward via the West Branch of Owego Creek to the Susquehanna River and then to Chesapeake Bay.
6th Annual Town of Caroline Roadside Clean-up Week 
 April 24 – 29, 2023 
From Lucy Gagliardo and the Town of Caroline Watershed Committee 
  
Our goal is two-fold - to clean up the trash that washes into the waterways, and to help keep our Town looking good!
From Apil 24 - 29 You can pick up supplies from the front porch of 53 White Church Rd.  trash bags, disposable gloves, and borrow garbage grabbers and reflective vests.  Contact Lucy at LFG1@cornell.edu for more information 
 
The Caroline Roadside Clean Up coincides with the Highway Department’s Junk/Clean-up Week, April 24- 29: Roadside litter you collect during this time can be brought down to the Highway Department between April 24 – April 29, Mon – Thurs, 6 am – 4 pm, Friday, 6 am – 2 pm, Saturday 6 am – 12 noon. Please let the Highway Dept crew know that you are disposing roadside litter. If you find discarded large items (TV’s, furniture, etc.) please email (highway@townofcaroline.org) call (607-539-7610) the Highway Department at so they can assess.  
 
Some volunteers have been cleaning up the same sections of roads for years.  Thank you!   
 Roads that had regular maintainers in the past are: Bailor Rd, Bailor Rd ext, Bald Hill Rd, Banks Rd, Belle School Rd, Besemer Rd,  Buffalo Rd, lower part, and short part on top, Burns Rd, lower part, Canaan Rd, Chestnut Rd, Coddington Rd, parts, Creamery Rd, Landon Rd, Liddington Rd, Middaugh Rd, North Landon, Ogden Circle, Perkins Rd, Ridgeway Rd, Shindagin Hollow, Snyder Hill Rd, Speed Hill Rd, Thomas Rd,  Valley Rd, Yaple Rd,  Lounsbery, parts, Caroline Depot, Ellis Hollow.
 
 Check out the Town website under the office of Highway department for the list of Town roads. 
there are plenty of other roads that need cleaning.
 
Please contact Lucy at lfg1@cornell.edu  to claim a section of road before the event so we don’t have too many people cleaning the same area.  We can also assign a road section to you. 

Black trash bags will be available for pick up at 53 White Church Rd front porch. There are a limited number of garbage grabbers available also.  Please contact Lucy if you would like to borrow some.
 
For your safety and the safety of others, while cleaning up along the roads please dress in bright colors and walk facing traffic.  Don’t pick up anything that looks hazardous/dangerous.   If you find large pieces of trash please try to transport it to the Highway department at 852 Valley Rd.
 
April 25 – April 30 is also the week of the Town Highway Dept junk clean up. The Highway Dept will be open Mon - Thurs 6:30 am – 4 pm, Friday 7 am – 2 pm, and Saturday 7 am – noon.
You can bring the roadside trash you collected to the Highway Dept during these hours for disposal.
 
Please contact Lucy at lfg1@cornell.edu with questions or to sign up for a road to clean up!
Thanks so much!!!
​
Photo credit: Rebecca Reid, https://www.gazettenet.com/earth-matters-16923552) 
Mid-March to Mid-April: Amphibian Alert on Roadways!
Spring is coming (!) and Spotted Salamanders and other amphibians will be moving from their forest homes to wetland pools to breed when the snows melts and soil temperatures reach 42 F and the steady spring rains commence. Large numbers of salamanders cross Thomas Road in Dryden and Caroline each spring to reach the nearby wetland and many are killed by cars. This migration usually occurs in early April, but the exact timing varies from year to year. The Caroline Watershed Committee encourages you to watch for these conditions to enjoy this spring spectacle, and also to consider adjusting your driving behavior and commuting route to protect these creatures.

Resources:
Our monthly meeting is currently the 2nd Tuesday at 4 pm by Zoom: 
Direct: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7142580644
Meeting ID: 714 258 0644
One tap mobile: +19292056099, 7142580644#
Dial by phone: +1 929 205 6099
Committee Members:
Barry Goodrich
Jackie Cassaniti
Kristen Hychka
Lucy Gagliardo
Becky Dewitt
Bob Spencer
Angel Hinickle
Roxy Johnston
Mark Witmer, Chair (supervisor@townofcaroline.org)
Watershed Committee Minutes:
2022
January

​
Key Documents:

Stormwater Management

What is Stormwater?  

Stormwater is water from rain or melting snow that doesn’t soak into the ground but runs off into waterways. It flows from rooftops, over paved areas and bare soil, and through sloped lawns while picking up a variety of materials on its way. As it flows, stormwater runoff collects and transports soil, animal waste, salt, pesticides, fertilizers, oil and grease, debris and other potential pollutants. The quality of runoff is affected by a variety of factors and depends on the season, local geography and  activities which lie in the path of the flow.

Why should I care?

Did you know that  half of the impaired waterways in the country are directly linked to stormwater runoff from urban/suburban areas and construction site activities?
Stormwater gathers a variety of pollutants that are mobilized during runoff events. Polluted runoff degrades our lakes, rivers, wetland and other waterways runoff. Transported soil clouds the waterway and interferes with the habitat of fish and plant life.
Consider for a moment the impacts that pollutants generated from everyday life have on our local water resources.
  • Fertilizers high in nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen can promote the overgrowth of algae.  When algae die, they sink to the bottom and decompose in a process that removes oxygen from the water. Fish and other aquatic organisms can’t exist in water with low dissolved oxygen levels.
  • Toxic chemicals from automobiles can lead to an increase in heavy metals, oils and greases.
  • Poorly managed construction sites have been blamed for erosion and sediment migration, property damage, and destruction of local habitat.  Sediment from construction sites can cloud the water and clog fish’s gills so they can’t breathe and make it difficult or impossible for aquatic plants to grow.
  • Bacteria from animal wastes and poorly maintained septic systems can make nearby lakes unsafe for swimming.
  • And even roadside litter -plastic bags, six-pack rings, bottles, and cigarette butts— can find its way into our treasured watershed, where it can choke, suffocate, or disable aquatic life like ducks, fish, turtles, and birds.
  • Polluted stormwater often affects drinking water sources. This, in turn, can affect human health and increase drinking water treatment costs.


CONTACT US IF YOU SUSPECT A STORMWATER PROBLEM
All calls are confidential and callers will remain anonymous.
Please call the Town Code Officer 539-6400 x 3 to report any of the following.
  • Actual or suspected illegal discharges to roadside ditches
  • Unusual colors or cloudiness in a waterway
  • Spills
  • Trash or debris in a drainage system or waterway
  • A leaking automobile
  • Wash-water being dumped on the street
  • Oily residue or foul smell in roadside ditches
State Mandates, Local ResponsibilitiesTo address these concerns, federal stormwater regulations commonly known as “Stormwater Phase II”, required municipalities like the Town of Caroline to develop a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) management program.  The Town has developed laws related to our stormwater management, and each year the Town files a report with the State DEC that documents our efforts to protect our watershed from stormwater impacts, as well as reviews and revises its Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP)

LOCAL LAWS -  ANNUAL MS4 REPORTS - STORMWATER MGT PLANS
2012-13 MS4 Annual Report 2013-14 
Law Regulating Discharges to Stormwater Systems of 20082011-12 MS4 Annual Report2011 
Flood Damage Prevention Law of 20112010-11 MS4 Annual Report

Partnerships: The Town of Caroline partners with the following entities to monitor and manage our water resources:
Smart Steps for Clean Water
Rain Gardens: how to guide
Stream Buffer Planting Guide
A Homeowner’s Guide to Septic Systems
Maintaining Your Septic System – A Guide for Homeowners
Builders  Developing Your Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan
Stormwater Permit for Construction Activity
Construction Stormwater Toolbox
New York State Stormwater Management Design Manual (August, 2010)


Public information about stormwater management may be found in a variety of locations: and from time to time information may be provided via events or articles from the following media sources: Links to Other Stormwater Related Agencies and Organizations:
DEC Stormwater Homepage
US EPA Stormwater Homepage