Managing the Water Resources of the Oswego River Basin in Central New

USGS science for a changing world FL-LOWPA Managing the Water Resources of the Finger Lakes - Lake Ontario Oswego River Basin in Central New York Watershed Protection Alliance INTRODUCTION PHYSIOGRAPHY OF THE geographic area that plays a vital OSWEGO RIVER BASIN role in the flow regime of the Basin The Oswego River Basin in is the Clyde/Seneca River-Oneida The Oswego River Basin has an Lake Trough, a belt of lowlands central New York State contains a area of 5,100 square miles and running west-to east through which diverse system of streams, lakes, encompasses three physiographic the Barge Canal flows. The trough and canals. Water flows from upland provinces the Appalachian Plateau, is key to understanding the Oswego streams to the Finger Lakes, then the Tug Hill Plateau, and the Lake River Basin flow system its natural Ontario Plain (fig. 2). One additional and human-altered "plumbing". to low-gradient rivers, which are part of the New York State Barge 76° Canal, and ultimately to Lake Ontario (fig. 1). Although natural LAKE ONTARIO and man-made components of this hydrologic system are known, how the system functions and how the OneitiB Lake ,OME components interact are not completely understood. This Fact 43C - Sheet is a result of a shared interest /"" pCp6si Skaneateles Conesus '-, Carantagua £84. .CS2&3 ' Lake Otisco Lake r on the part of U.S. Geological Honeoye : Lake \ Seneca \ Survey (USGS) and Finger Lake " _ Hemlock Owasco Lakes-Lake Ontario Watershed Keuka Protection Alliance (FL-LOWPA) in OSWEGO f. ,, Lake - ITHACA RIVER facilitating public understanding » ^WATKINS kS BASIN GLEN .'I / and discussion of the complex Oswego River Basin and its water- EXPLANATION resource-management issues. New York State Barge Canal > Direction of flow 130 Barge Canal lock and number Figure 1. Location of major lakes and 25 Eg rivers, New York State Barge Canal, 42° 0 25 KILOMETERS and major cities within the Oswego Base from U.S. Geological Survey digital data, 1:2,000,000, 1972. Albers Equal-Area Conic projection River Basin in Central New York Standard parallels 29 30' and 45 30', central meridian -96 00'. U.S. Department of the Interior Fact Sheet FS 180-99 U.S. Geological Survey March 2000 77° 76° Clyde/Seneca River-Oneida Lake 44C Trough The trough is a product of regional 500 geology and glaciation. During and after the last Ice Age (ending about LAKE ONTARIO 14,000 years ago), glaciers carved-out erodible shales that lie between the Lockport Dolomite bedrock "ridge" to the north of the trough and Onondaga Limestone bedrock "ridge" 500 that forms the northern edge of the Appalachian Plateau to the south. The 43C trough was subsequently filled with mixtures of clay, silt, sand, and gravel from the receding glacier. The result was a flat, low-lying area with many square miles of wetlands, some of which are now farmed as muckland. The New York State Barge Canal was constructed within the trough because the gradient is exceptionally low. The Canal's surface elevation drops only 23 feet in 60 miles along EXPLANATION the main stem between Locks 27 New York State Barge Canal ° and 24. Before construction of the Line of equal elevation Barge Canal Lock canal in the early 1800's, the gradient 42C averaged about 0.4 feet per mile; with Base from U.S. Geological Survey digital data, 1:2,000,000, 1972. the canal, the water-surface elevation Standard parallels 29 30' and 45 30', central meridian -96 00'. changes in steps at each of the locks. The low gradient poses a challenge to Figure 2. Physiographic provinces of the Oswego River Basin and generalized land- surface elevation water-resources management because the natural and man-made gradient inhibits the rapid movement of large volumes of water. feet. During some major storm-runoff from the surrounding watershed, and periods, the water-surface elevation the additive contribution of these in the Barge Canal near Montezuma lake outflows to the Barge Canal Effect of the Trough on Basin (just downstream from the Cayuga results in a "bottleneck" at Three Drainage Lake outlet) has exceeded the water- Rivers junction (the confluence of the surface elevation in Cayuga Lake; and Seneca, Oneida, and Oswego Rivers). Surface water and ground water if the Mudlock gates had been open, This junction receives water from 96 in the Oswego River Basin flows water would have flowed from the percent of the Oswego River Basin from upland watersheds to rivers Barge Canal into Cayuga Lake. but is within the flattest, slowest- and lakes and then to the trough The area near Montezuma receives moving reach of the Barge Canal and containing the main stem of the about 48 percent of the runoff from the Oswego River Basin. At times, New York State Barge Canal. As the Oswego River Basin's 5,100 inflow to the trough exceeds the illustrated in figure 3, water flows square miles. Further downstream (to channel capacity and causes flooding from the outlet of Keuka Lake the east), the canal receives additional within Seneca, Cayuga, and Oneida to Seneca Lake, with a change in water from the Owasco, Skaneateles, Lakes and along the Seneca and elevation of about 270 feet, and from and Otisco Lake watersheds, which, Oneida Rivers. The gradient in the Seneca Lake to Cayuga Lake with like Canandaigua Lake to the west, Oswego River, downstream of Fulton, an elevation change of about 60 feet, are at higher elevations and drain increases markedly to 118 feet in 29 then from Cayuga Lake to the Barge readily to the trough. Similarly, the miles (4 feet per mile), and allows Canal through the Mudlock gate- uplands around Oneida Lake drain the water to flow more readily toward structure where the fall is only 9 to the eastern end of the trough Lake Ontario. NOT A FLOODPLAIN PROBLEM, BUT A WATERSHED CONSIDERATION The amount of water that enters Most water-resource problems one, allowing more water to move any Finger Lake from a storm within the Oswego River Basin (or through more quickly. This in turn depends on local watershed any other basin) tend to be looked could erode denuded road banks, and conditions. For example, when soils upon as local water-level issues, carry enlarged sediment loads to a are saturated or frozen in the Cayuga property issues, water-quality issues river or lake where the sediment Lake watershed, for every inch of or single-use issues. The first is deposited as an alluvial fan that water that falls on the watershed and responsibility and challenge to clogs the mouth of the stream and runs off to the lake, the lake level water-resource managers and users may cause flooding of nearby increases by one foot within 1 to 2 is to view all issues within the property. The town then excavates days, but once in the lake, this amount context of basin-wide management. this sediment and removes more than of water can take a week or more Only when the focus is on the entire was deposited to avoid the need to to fully drain to the Barge Canal system will the basin residents be reexcavate in the near future. This because the lake level can be lowered able to define reasonable goals and over excavation can begin a process by only a tenth of a foot per day work toward them. of stream erosion that may spread due to the low gradient of the Seneca Thus, water level, water-quantity, upstream into the watershed, causing River/Barge Canal and the difference or water-quality problems within the further erosion of streambed and in elevation between the River and Basin need to be considered on the streambanks. In this hypothetical Cayuga Lake. The natural drainage a watershed basis, rather than as example, each individual action within this basin, with its cumulative, isolated problems along a particular benefits the local situation, but the rapidly flowing upland discharges stretch of river or lake. As an cumulative effect alters stream and a slowly draining outflow, poses example, an upland farmer might conditions in the watershed, and can difficulties for water-level install drain tile to remove water cause a natural process of erosion management. The New York State from his fields so that he can work and(or) deposition, which may be Barge Canal Corporation uses the fields earlier in the season. This viewed in a detrimental way from "control points" within the Oswego common practice can cause more some perspectives. Whenever a Basin to monitor and manage water water to flow into a nearby roadside stream is disturbed locally, it needs levels. The management strategies of ditch, and prompt the town highway time to restore its gradient and this system have been controversial department to deepen the ditch. The streambank conditions, and if the for nearly a century because the increased flow from the ditch now disturbance (natural or man-made) is users desire differing water- could increase erosion and possibly large enough, the watershed can be level-management results. Reaching cause a downstream culvert to clog affected well beyond the initially- resolution is not simple, nor is any and cause localized flooding. The affected area, and can take a decade decision favorable to all. town replaces the culvert with a larger or more to reach a new equilibrium. LIMITATIONS IN WEATHER FORECASTING AND UNDERSTANDING CLIMATE VARIABILITY Today's forecasting "skill" or as the Oswego River Basin, is generally calm, cyclic pattern between accuracy in predicting a precipitation difficult with only a 2-day lead time 1890 and 1960, with relatively few amount is accurate to only about 2 for specific weather information.

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