Water Source Protection Plan Committee (WSPPC)

9/26/23 Presentation at Ulysses Town Board mtg.

Ulysses residents and businesses rely on differing sources for their drinking water supply, including individual groundwater wells, direct withdrawal from Cayuga Lake, and municipal water via Bolton Point or the Village of Trumansburg. To help proactively plan for the protection of our drinking water resources and to plan for future needs and funding opportunities, the Town has organized a Water Source Protection Plan Committee (WSPPC). 
 
This committee is working with a technical specialist from New York Rural Water Association (NYRWA) to develop a Drinking Water Source Protection Plan (DWSP2) for the Town (outside of the Village), using the framework provided by the NYSDEC under their DWSP2 initiative. The WSPPC is advisory to the Town Board, who will make the final decision on adopting a Drinking Water Source Protection Plan.
 
The plan will define the water supply resources for the Town and identify existing and potential issues with quality and quantity and include draft recommendations for measures to provide for future protection of those resources. This project dovetails with the current ongoing review and update of the Town of Ulysses Comprehensive Plan. Water resources are a critical consideration for land use planning and sustainability into the future, particularly as our area experiences and must adapt to increasing impacts of climate change on ground- and surface waters.
 
The DWSP2 will:
·        Develop an Overview of the Water System
·        Prepare a Drinking Water Source Protection Map
·        Create a Potential Contaminant Source Inventory
·        Identify Protection and Management Methods
·        Develop an Implementation Timeline
 
In order to ensure that the plan best reflects the needs and desires of our community, the WSPPC will hold meetings and provide regular postings to the project webpage and the Town e-newsletter (sign up here) as the project progresses.
As a key initial step, the committee is currently working to develop and deliver a survey to town residents that is designed to collect important information on the current condition of Ulysses water resources and how they are used. The projected date for the survey distribution is late September 2023--watch for it in your mailbox or in the e-newsletter.
 
Public engagement is a key piece of this project, and the WSPPC looks forward to working with all in our community interested in protecting our water resources and planning for them into the future! Please join the Ulysses Town Board meeting on 9/26 for an overview of the project and survey goals. Future plans include an informational forum coming in early November in collaboration with NYRWA.
Affiliated organizations WSPPC and the Town are working with on this project:
The New York Rural Water Association (NYRWA) is a statewide membership organization that assists smaller communities and systems to comply with complex regulations and to protect the public health and environment by offering technical assistance and specialized trainings. Their federally-funded source water protection program provides free technical assistance to communities across New York with the development and implementation of local drinking water source protection plans. 
RCAP Solutions is a network of regional nonprofit organizations that that provide technical assistance and training to help small, rural communities throughout the Northeast to address their drinking water, wastewater, and community development needs and build capacity. The Town of Ulysses and the WSPPC are working with RCAP on the drinking water survey, as well as other potential projects in the future.
VISION:
The Town of Ulysses commits to protecting the quantity and quality of drinking water resources used by its residents, businesses, and landowners by identifying and
implementing effective protection measures, engaging community support, and pursuing resources to ensure access to adequate and safe potable water.

GOALS:
• Inventory drinking water quality and quantity resources.
• Assess water resource quality and quantity issues and possible solutions to protect public health and wellbeing.
• Evaluate current and future land use and how it affects drinking water resources.
• Identify and encourage practices that reduce surface water runoff and promote groundwater recharge.
• Coordinate with municipal partners and community stakeholders to create or strengthen lasting partnerships to ensure implementation of this plan.
• Increase public awareness of threats to water quality and the need for protection of source water as a shared community resource.
• Identify areas of potential threat to surface and groundwater, and adopt strategies to appropriately monitor and protect these resources.
• Improve access to clean, safe, potable drinking water for present and future
 
 COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
 

name	title	contact
Linda Liddle	(Chair) Member	liddlela@verizon.net
Roxanne Marino	(Vice Chair) Member	roxanne.m.marino@gmail.com
Liz Thomas	Member	liz.graeper.thomas@gmail.com
Tim Martinson	Member	martinvitisgen2@gmail.com
Amy Panek	Member	amy.panek@gmail.com
Rebecca Schneider	Member	rls11@cornell.edu
Stephen Morreale	Member	sjm11@cornell.edu
Michael Boggs	Town Board liaison

MEETINGS:
The WSPP Committee meets on the second and fourth Monday of each month at 4:30 p.m. at the Village of Trumansburg Hall, 56 E. Main St. Trumansburg, NY. The public is invited to attend the meetings in person or via Zoom. Please check with the Committee chair, Linda Liddle (liddlela@verizon.net) to make sure the meeting is being held as scheduled and to obtain Zoom information.

LINKS:
NYRA WSPP Framework  https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/water_pdf/what.is.dwsp2.pdf