A Management Strategy for Oneida Lake and its ... - CNY RPDB Home

Reducing Soil Erosion and Sedimentation
Program Goal
Minimize the impacts of soil erosion and sedimentation in the Oneida Lake
watershed without significantly impacting economic conditions
Problem Identification
Accelerated erosion and the delivery of
sediment and sediment-absorbed pollutants
are issues of concern in the Oneida Lake
watershed. Sediment from erosion and
overland runoff is a major pollutant that
transports organic compounds including
pesticides, nutrients from fertilizers or animal
waste, heavy metals, and microbiological
inputs. Erosion is of particular concern on
agricultural land, in urban areas, on construction
sites, along roadways, and along the lake
shoreline and tributary streambanks. Water is
the principle driving force of erosion in the
Oneida Lake watershed, but land use, soil
type, slope, land cover, and conservation
practices also influence erosion rates. Shoreline
and streambank erosion is particularly
affected by wave action, exposure from
drawdown, lack of vegetation buffers, and a
lack of bank stabilization.
Results from the Oneida Lake Tributary
Monitoring Program (2002-2003) indicate that
Chittenango, Cowaselon, Oneida, Limestone,
and Fish Creek subwatersheds consistently
delivered greater amounts of suspended matter
(a measure of soil erosion) compared to the
other subwatersheds. Soil erosion was positively
correlated with total phosphorus and
total kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) loss in all of the
tributaries sampled (additional monitoring
information is provided below).
Erosion and sedimentation resulting from
agricultural activities is a concern primarily in
the southern and eastern portions of the
watershed. To address those issues, there are
numerous agricultural programs that encourage
farmers to incorporate soil conservation
practices into the management of their operations
in an effort to reduce soil erosion rates.
Urban activities, such as construction, also
cause soil erosion and downstream problems
with sedimentation. Erosion on construction
sites may affect a relatively small acreage of
land in the watershed, but development sites
can contribute to erosion at rates 100 times
greater than from agricultural land. 1 Also,
development that results from certain construction
activities increases the amount of
impervious surfaces thus increasing runoff to
the lake. This heightened flow rate may result
in erosion and sedimentation problems downstream.
As development increases, highway drainage
systems can be subjected to increased flows
that result in erosion and sedimentation.
Erosion around bridge structures, road pavements
and drainage ditches can damage and
weaken these structures. During the winter
season, sanding practices may leave substantial
concentrations of these particles on the
road surface. Runoff from highways and
other roads can contain large amounts of
sediment, not to mention other pollutants such
as heavy metals, pesticides, oil and grease,
road salts and other debris. Road ditch
1 Brady, N.C., and R.R. Weil. 1999. The Nature and
Properties of Soils. 12 th ed. Prentice Hall. Upper Saddle
River, NJ.
Chapter 3: Priority Areas page 29