The Community Foundation provided the Finger Lakes Land Trust with a Community Grant to purchase 98 acres of land to help conserve the quality of the drinking water in the city of Syracuse.
Written by: Andy Zepp, executive director, finger lakes land trust
The City of Syracuse’s drinking water is one of only two major systems in New York State with water clean enough to qualify for a filtration avoidance waiver, meaning it does not require conventional filtration. The quality of Skaneateles Lake water depends on the health of the land within the watershed. As development pressures increase in Skaneateles and its adjacent communities, there is growing concern that Syracuse’s drinking water supply could be degraded.
To address this issue, the Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) partnered with the City of Syracuse, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the Skaneateles Lake Association and others to secure lands that are vital to the lake’s health. Friends, supporters, and partners of the Finger Lakes Land Trust share the importance of the organization’s new Shotwell Brook Conservation Project. The FLLT has secured 101 adjacent to the Village of Skaneateles to become a nature preserve for the protection of water quality and community enjoyment of the outdoors.
