Lake Agawam's Health Focus Of Village, Town Efforts

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — Both Southampton village and town officials took steps this week to protect the health of Lake Agawam

On Friday, the Lake Agawam Conservancy installed a real-time water quality buoy at the northern end of the lake; the buoy will monitor the lake’s water quality on a real-time basis, including providing data on the levels of blue-green algae, other algae, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and nitrate, a release from Southampton Village Mayor Jesse Warren said.

Results will be reported in real-time on the Conservancy’s website.

The buoy project is spearheaded by the Gobler Laboratory at Stony Brook University’s School of Marine & Atmospheric Sciences.

“Lake Agawam is one of the most polluted lakes in our State,” said Dr. Christopher Gobler, the Conservancy’s science advisor. “This buoy will allow us to monitor and report, in real-time, changes in the ecological parameters of the lake. The detection of rapid changes in the levels of blue-green algae or dissolved oxygen will be used to initiate intense monitoring or mitigation approaches.”

The Conservancy is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization that founded in August, 2019 by concerned residents of Southampton Village; the group is funding the cost of installing and maintaining the buoy through funds raised to help remediate Lake Agawam.

Over the past 10 months, the Conservancy has been working in partnership with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who visited the lake last fall, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and Southampton village and town officials to develop a comprehensive plan to remediate Lake Agawam, the release said.

In addition to installing the water quality monitoring buoy, the Conservancy has held programs for local landscapers and homeowners on environmentally friendly landscaping practices and begun thinning out the water lilies, which create high levels of toxins around the lake.

During the next few months, the Conservancy has planned a number of projects to improve the lake’s water quality in the short-term, including installing more than 40 aerators around the lake and funding the installation of a bioswale along the southern end.

“This buoy is an important first step in the process of remediating the Lake. The public can now monitor daily changes in the health of Lake Agawam," said Meghan Nadosy Magyar, a member of the Conservancy’s board. "We are so fortunate that Dr. Gobler, the expert on Lake Agawam, is providing the science to support our efforts.”

The mayor also applauded the initiative.

“We are pleased to partner with the Lake Agawam Conservancy to use private funds to invest in technology to help monitor our water ecosystems,” Warren said. “This is an important step forward in the process of remediating our lake.”

Funds to protect property near Lake Agawam

Also on Friday, Southampton town officials announced the purchase of nearly three acres of undeveloped property at 111 Pond Lane, near Lake Agawam in Southampton Village.

The $10 million price tag was funded through use of Community Preservation Funds, a release from Schneiderman's office said.

Schneiderman said he and the town board recognized the importance of protecting the land for open space as the East End's resources become scarce. The property, town officials said, contains successional southern hardwood trees and is located within the Lake Agawam watershed; it is also recognized as lying within a New York State archeologically sensitive area.

"There is very little open space in the Village of Southampton, yet they are a major contributor toward CPF revenues. This parcel will preserve a wooded area in the heart of the village and help protect Lake Agawam, an impaired water body, from further degradation," Schneiderman said.

The purchase" is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to preserve such a large property on Lake Agawam, said Southampton Village Trustee Kimberly Allan. “It’s a big win for the village and it’s another step toward improving our Lake Agawam's water quality, and maintaining our vistas. When we started down this path three years ago it was a dream, but thanks to the support of Supervisor Schneiderman and the town council, we are getting closer to realize that dream.”

Gil Flanagan, attorney for the Wyman family, former owners of the property, said the Wyman family was pleased to work with the town and village in order "to advance the community goals of preserving open space in the village and providing a buffer for Lake Agawam, to help improve its water quality."