Lake Septic
Tests by the Lake George Association have found measurable levels of caffeine and Splenda in the lake.
When a body of water starts taking on characteristics of a morning cup of coffee, it’s a telltale sign human waste is finding its way into Lake George’s supposedly pristine waters. The apparent culprit is most likely leaking septic systems. And it isn’t the only sign: Recent algal blooms in some parts of the lake — the first anyone can recall seeing — point to the same culprit and suggest a significant problem.
But as Ry Rivard of the Adirondack Explorer wrote for the Times Union, the roughly 6,000 septic systems along the lake are not tested or monitored by the state. Environmental advocates and many homeowners would like that to change, and rightly so.
The push for more monitoring is hardly new or revolutionary. In fact, state lawmakers beefed up the Lake George Park Commission way back in the 1980s and tasked it with monitoring to keep sewage from the lake. Yet today, the commission doesn’t have a single person charged with regulating wastewater. And it’s not as if the com why mission isn’t aware of this duty. As Queensbury Supervisor John Strough pointed out in a recent commentary , it even has a page on its web site for “wastewater regulations.” The page, however, is blank.
That’s inexcusable, as is the state’s apparent reluctance to take action — despite algal blooms that could potentially pose risks for human health. To be clear: No state agency ensures that Lake George septic systems are functioning correctly.
The town of Queensbury has, to its credit, stepped into this void by requiring the inspection of septic systems when properties are sold. The results are telling: Roughly 80 percent of inspected systems are found to require some level of repair, proving the need for lake-wide monitoring and showing the state’s inaction is so confounding.
Routine septic inspections are mandatory on Keuka, Otsego and Cayuga lakes, to name just a few examples from around the state. To protect its water supply, New York City even provides financial assistance to help property owners in the Catskills upgrade septic systems. And yet somehow, no similar protection exists for Lake George. That must change.
Objections to septic monitoring usually center on the costs involved, particularly for homeowners whose systems are found to be failing. The concern is understandable, given that new systems can cost around $30,000.
But the cost of fixing problems can’t be a reason to ignore them. Not when the cost of inaction is so great — to the property values of those who maintain their septic systems and those who don’t, to tourism, and to the North Country economy. And, most significantly, to the health of the lake — and all the people who live on, swim in, and draw drinking water from it.
Lake George is, after all, a public resource, and private landowners along its shores have a special obligation to protect its water for everyone. The state of New York does, too.