Fall Creek Watershed Committee Minutes
October 4, 2001

Present: Joyce Gerbasi, Phil Koons, Rob, Sharon Anderson, Yvette deBoer, Dave Bouldin, Roxy Johnston

Fall Creek Watershed Committee Brochure

Mary is busy with graduate school and is seeking help on creating a brochure. Joyce volunteered to work with Mary. Sharon suggested hiring a professional layout/graphic person to do the finishing work.

Mission

Sharon will work on

Water Monitoring

1. Virgil Creek Update - the Tompkins County Water Resources Council has allocated approximate $5000. Samples will need to be collected by volunteers. Pat Reidy of Cortland Soil and Water Conservation District is waiting for Tompkins County to comment on the protocol. Kate Hackett is working on and would appreciate assistance from the Fall Creek Watershed Committee. Dave Bouldin will assist.

2. Hydro Lab - Roxy is willing to train people on the use of this monitoring tool that can be used in the lake, or possibly deeper pools in a creek. Essentially, it is a tube with probes attached to a read out, which stabiles in 1min. There are 2, a larger and smaller more mobile version. Between the 2, one can measure pH, DO, conductivity, TDS, chlorophyll a, nitrate, ammonia, and turbidity. The day of use it needs to be calibrated using solutions, an easy process.

   Roxy invited 1 or 2 people out on the boat October 19 to use the Hydro Lab. Tentatively 8:30 (Joyce), and November 17 would be the next boat monitoring (Yvette, Dave)

   Roxy will use the list serve to announce the day for a training to be followed by a field session in Six Mile Creek.

3. City of Ithaca Environmental Labs: can't currently assist with testing water samples because of being short staffed. Might be able on an occasion be able to do sediments and phosphorus tests. Roxy will ask about ecoli tests. A limited number of people might be able to be trained to do lab work.

4. Hach has new test kits for total phosphates where reagents are prepared.

5. Regular monitoring along Fall Creek - the suggested system is to have a "bucket brigade." 2-3 traveling kits would be used to have one person/team sample and then passes the testing kits to the next person. Monitoring data would then be all from the same day and easier to compare.

6. Dave Bouldin's data is now digitized. The next step is to get the GPS locations. He'll get data into Excel in the next 2-3 weeks for sharing with the committee. It can be correlated with the USGS flow data taken at Forest Home. In the future the publications (out of print, but Sharon has a copy of "Erosion And Sediment Inventory for New York") and data will be on a web site.

7. Water monitoring training - Steve would prefer 6:30 to 9:30 pm, October 25 (Thursday) or back up October 29.

Suggested Programs

• County - Flood Control application, do program in advance of short presentation
• Art Bloom - was suggested for guest speaker/tour leader for the spring. He is a geologist and professor emeritus.
• Craig- ask he give updates on EQIP and work in Fall Creek/Virgil as appropriate.
• Sharon received funding from the TC Department of Health for a series of 3 Well education and testing programs. Funds need to be spend by March
• Announcement - On October 15, WRC will have presentations on 4 or so creek projects.

November Agenda

• Report on training / monitoring with Hydro Lab
• Review of Budget
• Brochure
• Mission
• Planning for Future Programs:
  • Well education and Testing
  • Stream Clean Up - Funding, Possible Trout Unlimited funds
  • Water Week - May

Next meeting will be Nov. 1, 5:30-7:30 at the Dryden Town Hall. Pizza will be served.