Many factors impact lakes

What do the water levels of Keuka and Seneca Lakes have to do with electricity in Waterloo and Seneca Falls?
Plenty.

Seneca Falls Power Corporation (SFPC) relies on water released from Seneca Lake to generate power through two hydropower plants located on the Seneca - Cayuga Canal in Waterloo and Seneca Falls.
But because Seneca Lake’s water level has been low, the power plants have not been generating power since July 28, according to a letter sent by the company to Bill Weber, chairman of the Keuka Lake Outlet Compact (KLOC).

KLOC, which monitors and maintains the Keuka Lake water level, owns the six  gates at the Main Street bridge in Penn Yan which control the water flow from Keuka to Seneca Lake through the Keuka Lake Outlet. How those gates are managed, and how the water flow impacts the level of Seneca Lake naturally has an affect on Keuka Lake.

Weber says KLOC is more than happy to send excess water to Seneca Lake and to time it so it will benefit SFPC, but the Keuka Lake water level hasn’t been sufficient for releases. Property owners around Keuka don’t want the water level to get too low to enjoy their boats and lakefront.

According to a graph maintained by the Keuka Lake Assocation that shows the Keuka Lake Water level, the level on Aug. 29 was 713.950 feet above sea level. According to the graph, the desired level for Keuka Lake is between 713.75 and 714.25 feet above sea level. At that time, only one of the six gates was open six inches.
Ron Kilmartin advised Weber in the letter from SFPC that the SFPC stopped passing water downstream on July 28 because Seneca Lake’s elevation was at 445.9. But he also noted the lake level on Aug. 20 was 445.7 at 8:41 a.m. and then 445.66 at 11:20 a.m.

Kilmartin explains the water flowed from Seneca Lake so the New York State Canal Corp. could operate locks allowing boats to pass through the canal. “There has been no other water consumer,” he wrote.
SFPC is required by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to maintain Seneca Lake’s water level within 0.1 foot of target eleveation of 446 feet Barge Canal Datum (BCD) during the summer and 445 feet BCD during the winter. The company is also required to maintain the level of Van Cleef Lake, the manmade lake in Seneca Falls, at 430.5 feet.

However, the Canal Corp. is not required to, notes Weber. Documents from SFPC indicate that the on-demand operation of the Canal’s locks can use up to 5 million gallons of water each time a boat passes through a lock.

Another group, the Finger Lakes Ecology Association (FLEA) has weighed in on concerns about Seneca Lake’s water level. FLEA was formed in 2008 out of concerns for Cayuga and Seneca Lake water levels. An article published in the winter 2009 Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association (SLPWA) newsletter says SFPC was fined for noncompliance with FERC regulations.

On Aug. 20 SFPC released a statement about the decision to cease generation operations at theSeneca Falls powerhouse in order to safeguard water levels in Seneca Lake.

“Despite our actions, due to dry conditions the Seneca Lake water levels have declined and as of this morning we are now at 445.7. It is anticipated that due to dry conditions beyond your and our control, the Seneca Lake elevations will fall below the Rule Curve this weekend. Other than praying for rain, there is nothing else we can do,” the statement said.

Since then, rain did fall and the Seneca Lake level increased somewhat to about 446 feet. On Monday, Aug. 30, the Seneca Lake level was 445.93 feet. With Keuka Lake’s level at 713.90 feet, it doesn’t look like Seneca’s will increase until more rain falls, perhaps this weekend, if hurricane Earl pushes up the east coast.

So, while businesses and organizations might point at one another for over-using the water, the only remedy is through nature, not manmade efforts.

“The real culprit is mother nature,” said Weber.