Courtesy FUND for Lake George
Lake George Waterkeeper Chris Navitsky, PE, was selected as the recipient of a statewide award for his work using the study of algae near the shore of the lake to identify and prioritize potential sources of pollutants.
The Lake George Waterkeeper is a program of The FUND for Lake George.
Navitsky was presented with the Linn H. Enslow Memorial Award from the nonprofit New York Water Environment Association (NYWEA), a statewide organization of leaders in water quality management, at the association’s annual meeting on Feb. 6, in New York City.
The Enslow award recognizes an individual outside of the NYWEA membership for an outstanding technical paper presented at an Association conference and/or published in a professionally recognized trade journal.
Navitsky was honored for his presentation titled, “Algal Biomonitoring Documenting Water Quality Impacts on Lake George,” which was presented at NYWEA’s 2018 spring meeting.
“The Lake George region has a tremendous resource in Chris Navitsky,” said Eric Siy, executive director of The FUND for Lake George. “The work Chris does on a daily basis to identify and address the risks to the Lake’s water quality are making a real difference today and for future generations. To have Chris recognized by his peers from across the state attests to the importance of this work.”
As Lake George Waterkeeper, an integral program of The FUND for Lake George, Navitsky develops and implements programs that use an engineering- and science-based approach to protect the natural resources of the lake and its surrounding basin for the benefit of the watershed and the community.
“Sources of organic pollution are contributing excessive nutrients to ground water and surface waters resulting in impacts to water quality, decreased clarity and increased algal growth, with the potential for toxic conditions,” Navitsky said.
His award-winning presentation documents how the types of algae found in near-shore areas can help elected officials and residents understand the impacts of nutrients in the lake and develop prioritized management plans.
This type of biomonitoring has been applied on Lake George in two major water quality initiatives: measuring improvements from the addition of an onsite wastewater treatment system and septic system replacement program at Dunham’s Bay in the town of Queensbury; and as part of the creation of a GIS-based algorithm to develop a prioritization map identifying those areas of the Town of Lake George in need of remedial action to protect the lake from septic system contamination.
Navitsky was named Lake George Waterkeeper by The FUND in 2002, and is one of more than 300 members of the Waterkeeper Alliance worldwide.