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Home> Water Resources
 Water Resources
Tompkins County is blessed with abundant water resources that provide for the domestic, commercial, and recreational needs of the community, and are necessary for the survival of many plants and animals locally and regionally. Tompkins County is a major contributor to the Cayuga Lake watershed, with about 80 percent of Tompkins County’s water draining north into the Finger Lakes and eventually into Lake Ontario, and 20 percent draining south to the Susquehanna River and eventually into the Chesapeake Bay.
The Tompkins County Planning Department is currently actively involved in several projects addressing water resources.
Flood Hazard Mitigation Program
Since 1983, the Tompkins County Legislature has periodically funded the Tompkins County Flood Hazard Mitigation Program to help residents and municipalities minimize property damages associated with future flood events. In 2002, program monies were used to complete a programmatic evaluation of the Flood Hazard Mitigation Program and to complete flood mitigation needs assessments for the Six Mile Creek, Fall Creek, Salmon Creek, and Cayuga Inlet watersheds [Watershed Assessments]. Assessments of the remaining watersheds of Tompkins County are planned, pending funding availability.
The intent of this evaluation effort was three-fold, to: (1) develop a better understanding of the complexity of and inter-relationships between factors that influence flooding and erosion in the respective watersheds of Tompkins County, (2) develop a list of priority flood-related projects (including those related to erosion and sedimentation), and (3) evaluate and make recommendations for restructuring the Flood Hazard Mitigation Program.
The County developed a list of priority flood-related projects and restructured the Flood Hazard Mitigation Program based on the findings of the completed watershed assessments and additional input from organizations and agencies. For more information about this program, contact the Tompkins County Planning Department at (607) 274-5560 or the Tompkins County Soil and Water Conservation District at (607) 257-2340.
Stream Buffers
Riparian areas are areas immediately adjacent to surface waters such as streams, lakes, shorelines, and wetlands. Though they generally comprise a small proportion of the landscape, they provide a disproportionate amount of benefits, including protecting water quality, stabilizing streams, minimizing flood damages, and enhancing ecological diversity.
 2mb “Enhancing Water Resources in Tompkins County: Benefits of Riparian Areas and Stream Buffers” developed by the Tompkins County Planning Department is designed to facilitate a greater understanding of these benefits and the buffer widths needed to sustain these benefits.
NYS Local Waterfront Revitalization Program: Cayuga Lake Waterfront Plan
The Cayuga Lake Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP) is a joint effort of the six waterfront municipalities in Tompkins County (City of Ithaca; Villages of Cayuga Heights and Lansing; and Towns of Ithaca, Lansing, and Ulysses) to develop community consensus regarding the future of the waterfront. It is a land and water use plan and strategy for the waterfront that addresses critical issues and serves to coordinate state, federal and local actions needed to achieve the communities’ vision. The City of Ithaca, on behalf of all waterfront communities, received a grant from the Department of State in 1998 to complete the LWRP. A consultant team consisting of Trowbridge & Wolf Landscape Architects and Planning and Environmental Research Consultants was hired, along with the Tompkins County Planning Department, to staff the project. It is anticipated that the Plan will have been adopted by all six of the municipalities in the first half of 2007.
Stormwater Management
Pollutants carried in stormwater runoff contribute significantly to the degradation of water quality throughout the United States. In the 1990s, the United States Environmental Protection agency promulgated stormwater regulations to address this issue. Phase 2 of the stormwater regulations requires that ten local governments in Tompkins County, including Tompkins County government, obtain a State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit to discharge stormwater to the waters of the United States. To maintain coverage under this permit, regulated entities must prepare and implement a stormwater management program that includes six minimum control measures: 1) conduct outreach and education about polluted stormwater runoff, 2) provide opportunities for residents to be involved in conversations and activities related to stormwater management, 3) detect and eliminate illicit discharges (such as an unpermitted discharge dumping directly into a stream), 4) control construction site runoff, 5) control post-construction runoff, and 6) perform "municipal housekeeping" by taking steps to prevent runoff from municipal grounds and activities.
More information about the Phase 2 stormwater regulations is available from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The County’s stormwater management program and annual reports detailing the County’s progress in achieving the objectives of the program are available in hard copy by contacting the Tompkins County Planning Department.
Tompkins County Aquifer Program
In partnership with the United States Geological Survey, Tompkins County initiated an aquifer study program to help protect Tompkins County’s groundwater resources and drinking water supplies. County funds from this program leverage Federal funds to conduct consecutive studies of individual aquifers in the County. Participating municipalities also provide a portion of the necessary funding. The products of the studies are unique to each aquifer and generally include investigation of surface water and groundwater interaction, groundwater movement, and vulnerability of the respective groundwater resources. For more information about this program, contact the Tompkins County Planning Department at (607) 274-5560 or E-mail us.
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