OCWA conducts a watershed inspection and monitoring program to assist with maintaining the water quality of Otisco Lake. Typically, we have five college students who go door to door in the watershed and ask each resident a series of questions about your property, your water and sewage disposal system and environmental practices. For properties along the lake we conduct dye testing of the septic systems. The COVID-19 pandemic and the social distancing guidelines has caused us to change our program. We are trying to limit our direct face to face interaction with residents. We have implemented an online form that residents can complete at their own availability. The form can be accessed on the OCWA website at ocwa.org. We will also be making phone calls to those residents who we have phone numbers for. Our summer inspectors will then be making visits to each property in the watershed to verify information and check for obvious issues with septic systems. Dye packets will be made available for those residents that are willing to voluntarily test their septic system. Our inspectors will not be making contact with residents before they complete the inspections, but they will be wearing OCWA logo’ d attire and driving white vehicles labeled with OCWA logos. This is definitely a different process this year, but we know that you will agree that protecting the watershed and the water quality of the lake are important and completion of the program is an important aspect.
Thank you for your assistance, we will get through this different year and continue our practices of protecting the lake water quality.
Geoffrey G. Miller
Deputy Executive Director