New York Consolidated Laws, Environmental Conservation Law - ENV § 17-0305. Establishment of a program to monitor water quality by private citizens under the direction of the department

1. The commissioner shall establish a program which shall be known as the “citizens statewide lake assessment program”.  The purpose of this program is to establish a network of volunteers belonging to lake associations throughout the state to monitor the condition of their respective lakes under the guidance and direction of the department.  The volunteers, designated by the commission, will sample the assigned lakes on a weekly basis between May and September.  Water quality information will be obtained by measuring water transparency and taking samples for water chemistry.  Samples shall be processed by the volunteers and forwarded to a contract chemistry laboratory for analysis.

2. The commissioner shall establish and fill a new permanent position of program coordinator for the monitoring program within the division of water.

3. The commissioner shall establish a training program for the purpose of providing the volunteers with the skills necessary to accomplish their monitoring tasks.  Quality control checks will be carried out on a regular basis by the program coordinator, and through the lake classification and inventory survey.

4. The commissioner will provide the volunteers with all of the equipment and materials necessary to accomplish the monitoring.

5. Chemistry parameters shall include, but are not limited to, tests for total phosphorus, nitrate, color and chlorophyll.  Additional survey data shall include, but not be limited to, aquatic vegetation surveys, angler surveys and questionnaires/surveys for water users concerning problems, issues and use impairment.

6. The program coordinator shall prepare an annual report which will include a summary of the information collected on the monitored waters during the previous season.  This information shall be distributed to the program participants and other interested parties.