Chautauqua County Legislature Chair Pierre Chagnon, County Executive PJ Wendel, Congressman Nick Langworthy, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District Commander Col. Nicholas Melin celebrate signing the agreement for the the Chautauqua Lake Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study (October 7, 2024)
Federal and local officials gathered in Mayville Monday to sign a partnership agreement to do the Chautauqua Lake Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study.
The study is designed to address aquatic impairments of the lake’s ecosystem. While initially authorized in 2018, the study recently received $500,000 in federal appropriations.
Through a partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District, the study will examine potential measures to restore aquatic ecosystems and riparian habitats, and improve recreational opportunities while decreasing flood and public-health risks.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District Commander Col. Nicholas Melin said the study will allow everyone to move forward to develop a solution to keep “Chautauqua Lake beautiful and usable for decades to come,” “We’re very, very excited about this study. We’re very, very excited about what this will allow us to be deliver for the region. And we’re honored to be able to serve, here in this place, the American people. And really, if you look at what the Corps of Engineers does, our motto is ‘Let us try.’ And, so, with our great partners we will move forward to not just try, but deliver.”
The multi-year, $3 million effort will engage the public and key stakeholders in seeking solutions to the lake’s most pressing environmental challenges, including the detrimental impacts of invasive aquatic plants and harmful algal blooms. The feasibility study’s findings will be shared with the public afterwards with an opportunity for review and comment.
The Pittsburgh District will provide an overview of the study’s objectives and highlight the foundational research conducted by leading institutions such as the Jefferson Project, State University of New York at Fredonia, SUNY ESF, North Carolina State University, and Bowling Green University. The Pittsburgh District, in collaboration with these partners, will conduct scoping activities in the initial phase, followed by detailed evaluation and analysis of management measures starting in January 2025.
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