Jefferson Project research on Chautauqua Lake (photo provided by Chautauqua Institution)
Chautauqua Institution is applauding the County Legislature‘s approval of funding for the Jefferson Project.
The approval of $1 million in American Rescue Plan funds to continue research in 2020 has received $4 million in funding from Chautauqua Institution.
Institution President Michael Hill said in a statement, “The work of The Jefferson Project is informing mitigation efforts that will eventually save Chautauqua Lake. Chautauqua Lake will not survive unless we make the right decisions now.”
The Jefferson Project is a collaboration between Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, IBM Research, and the Lake George Association that exists to collect and process massive amounts of data on freshwater bodies to create a new model for environmental monitoring and prediction.
The group is working on efforts to reverse negative environmental conditions, including Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) and invasive weed growth, include watershed conservation, weed harvesting and targeted herbicide applications.
According to a release by the Chautauqua Institution, The Jefferson Project researchers compile data using platform buoys, called vertical profilers, that are situated in selected locations in the lake to take measurements at increments from the surface of the water to the bottom of the lake. The funding from Chautauqua County will enable the expansion of this effort to tributaries that feed the lake. They said the next step is to create a “smart lake” to allow for real-time monitoring and analysis leading to short- and long-term solutions.
Researchers also are using boats to conduct water sampling every two weeks.
Chautauqua Lake was designated as impaired by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in the early 2000s because its phosphorus levels were, and continue to be, too high.
Hill said the Institution is still seeking additional financial support for lake work from private and public sources.
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