2010 Watershed Management Plan
2019 Watershed Management Plan Addendum
What is a Watershed Plan?
The Schroon Lake Watershed Management Plan was created with a Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP) grant from the New York State Department of State (NYSDOS) awarded to the Town of Chester. Completed and published in 2010, the Schroon Lake Watershed Management Plan is a comprehensive review of the state of Schroon Lake and its immediate watershed. The overarching goal of the plan is to identify issues affecting the water quality and ecology of Schroon Lake and to set forth specific recommendations to protect the lake for the future. Recommendations of the 2010 plan included stormwater runoff mitigation, invasive species management and prevention, highway maintenance, and homeowner outreach and education. Over the past 9 years, the Towns of Chester, Horicon and Schroon, the Schroon Lake Association (SLA), the East Shore Schroon Lake Association (ESSLA), and numerous other partners have been working diligently to implement the recommendations of the plan. Through these efforts several stormwater infrastructure projects have been implemented within the Towns of Horicon and Schroon. Additionally, programming such as aquatic invasive species identification, management and surveillance, lakeshore homeowners septic pump-out days, and several other educational initiatives have been implemented since the publication of the plan. Nearly a decade after the completion of the Schroon Lake Watershed Management Plan, this Addendum seeks to continue evaluating and expanding upon the good work that has been and is being done in the Schroon Lake Watershed. In addition to the four main objectives of the 2010 plan, this Addendum identifies three new priority issues; terrestrial invasive species management, lake water level monitoring, and fisheries management. In recognition of the intrinsic tie that waterbodies have with one another, the study area for this Addendum has been expanded beyond the boundaries of Schroon Lake itself to include the upper and lower Schroon River and Paradox Lake. The purpose of the expanded study area is to encompass a greater portion of the Schroon Lake watershed and the activities that take place within it. This addendum is funded by the Lake Champlain – Lake George Regional Planning Board through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation with funding from Section 604(b) of the Clean Water Act.