The Clean Water Act requires states to report to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the quality of their waters, every two years. An impaired water body is a lake, river, or stream that has been contaminated by pollutants and no longer meets water quality standards.

There are three impaired waterbodies in the Town of Cortlandt: Lake Meahagh, Wallace Pond, and the New Croton Reservoir. All three have high levels of phosphorus. In Cortlandt’s case, phosphorus is the pollutant of concern (POC) which is a pollutant causing the impairment of an impaired water segment with an approved TMDL, including phosphorus, silt/sediment, pathogens, nitrogen, and floatables. A TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) is the calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant allowed to enter a waterbody so that the waterbody will meet and continue to meet water quality standards for that particular pollutant.

Click here to view an example educational flyer the watershed.  

The Town of Cortlandt has made strides to assess the current health of both Lake Meahagh and Wallace Pond. Projects include the following:

• 2019 – Lake Meahagh Plant Survey
• 2020 – Lake Meahagh Invasive Species Management Project
• 2024 – Wallace Pond Water Quality Assessment

For more information about these projects, feel free to call the Engineering Department at 914-734-1060.

Resources:

1. NYSDEC Hudson Valley Natural Resource Mapper website to help determine if your project is located in the East of Hudson Watershed.
2. Overview of Total Maximum Daily Loads website - EPA