Southampton Accepts Grant for Lake Agawam Dredging Study

The Village of Southampton is moving forward with its Lake Agawam Dredging Feasibility Study.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation recently approved the feasibility study in the amount of $68,000, with an award of $30,000 from the Non-Agricultural Nonpoint Source Planning Grant Program and the remaining $38,000 from the Village Trustees Special Projects account. The grant agreement requires that the Village of Southampton outlay the project cost and submit for reimbursement from the DEC, at which point the special projects account will be replenished.

Trustee Andrew Pilaro motioned to resolve the agreement, and Trustee Mark Parash seconded the motion. The Board of Trustees vote was unanimously in favor of the agreement.

The total cost of the feasibility study comprises $35,000 for analysis of sediment samples, $15,000 for bathymetry (measurement of the lake’s depth), $14,000 for lake sampling and $4,000 for dredge sampling. The project is intended to provide a plan for dredging as a Best Management Practice for in-waterbody control of nutrients in Lake Agawam and, ultimately, help improve the water quality of the lake and reduce the occurrence of harmful algal blooms.

“We’re making a big effort for Lake Agawam, which is one of the most polluted bodies of water in the state, and we’ve done a lot of good projects already,” says Southampton Village Mayor Jesse Warren, alluding to the crucial steps taken by the village and the Lake Agawam Conservancy thus far. One recent project is the installation a monitoring buoy that began streaming data on the lake’s blue-green algae levels, temperature and other factors to lakeagawam.org in May.

The Lake Agawam Dredging Feasibility Study is expected to be completed by December 18, 2021.