Cayuga County Water Quality Management Agency

09/09/2026

The Cayuga County Department of Planning and Economic Development is excited to announce our first Cayuga County StormWater Smart Workshop!
Date: Saturday, October 10, 2026
Time: 10:00 AM
Location: Island Shelter on Deauville Island, Emerson Park
Participants will learn practical ways to reduce food waste at home, understand carbon footprints, and get started with composting. Registered participants will receive a free compost bin (Cayuga County residents only, one per household) along with other great giveaways.
Register here:
https://www.cayugacounty.gov/Activities/Activity/Detail/Cayuga-County-StormwaterSmart-Workshops-701
A flyer is available here: https://www.cayugacounty.gov/DocumentCenter/View/34562/Cayuga-County-StormWater-Smart-Workshop

08/11/2026

August is National Water Quality Month, a time to raise awareness about the vital importance of clean water. Visit the “Know Your NY Water” website at https://water.ny.gov to learn more about the quality of New York’s public drinking water and our rivers, lakes and streams.

08/10/2026

Come join us on Friday, August 21st in Seneca Falls to talk about shoreline resilience, native plants, and how to create a lawn that thrives with you!
Register today at www.cayugalake.org

08/10/2026

08/04/2026

Learn more about what you can do to protect our water quality at https://cayugacountywater.org/take-action/.

07/24/2026

Help Keep Our Water Clean: Pick Up After Your Dog https://cayugacountywater.org/help-keep-our-water-clean-pick-up-after-your-dog/

07/23/2026

We will be heading to Owasco Lake next week (week of 7/27) so please make sure that any waterlines are marked so that they do not get damaged. If you do not want your area cut, please contact us and let us know in advance.

07/20/2026

🏝️Why has Cayuga Lake been so colorful?

If you've been on or near Cayuga Lake over the last week or so, you may have noticed an almost Caribbean-blue color (especially on sunny days that were not affected by wildfire smoke). Observations from around the lake suggest much of what we're seeing is actually consistent with a natural phenomenon called a whiting event, in addition to harmful algal blooms (HABs), which have been reported along the shorelines.

A whiting event occurs when tiny crystals of calcium carbonate (the same mineral found in limestone) form and become suspended in the water, scattering sunlight and creating a brilliant turquoise or milky blue appearance. The Finger Lakes are naturally rich in dissolved calcium because of the region's limestone geology, making these events possible under the right conditions. Unlike HABs, Whiting events aren't toxic.

Check out this week's HABs newsletter to learn more!
👉https://mailchi.mp/cayugalake/2026_habs_4

Have you seen the lake's unusual color this week? Share your photos in the comments!

📷 This Sentinel-2 satellite image from July 11 shows the remarkable lake-wide extent of the turquoise water, consistent with a suspected whiting event.

07/16/2026