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Auburn officials say updated Owasco Lake watershed rules stalled by DOH; legal dispute cited
Summary
City of Auburn and Owasco Lake watershed officials told the Senate committee that the State Department of Health declined to approve updated watershed rules and regulations for Owasco Lake, prompting litigation and renewed calls for clearer pathways to protect drinking water sources.
Officials representing the Owasco Lake watershed told the Senate Committee on Environmental Conservation that recent court activity and a Department of Health decision have halted local efforts to update watershed rules aimed at limiting nutrient pollution.
Chuck Mason, city clerk for Auburn, presenting testimony on behalf of Mayor Michael Quill and the city council, described elevated microcystin detections in finished drinking water drawn from Owasco Lake in late September and February. "In late September and February elevated levels of the microcystin derived from harmful algal blooms were detected in treated finished drinking water drawn from Owasco Lake and supplied to the public," Mason said, noting the detections prompted…
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