Photo from Rob Fischer
Welcome to Arcady Bay
See below to learn about the characteristics of your bay and what they mean for your water quality.
Arcady Bay PROFILE
Located in the Town of Hague in Warren County, the Arcady Bay watershed flows into the Rogers Rock sub-basin of Lake George. This sub-basin is named for the famous 400’ rockface that Captain Robert Rogers of the British Army was said to have used to escape capture during the French and Indian War.
The Critical Environmental Area (CEA), a band of land extending back 500 feet from the shoreline and considered the most influential land to the lake's water quality, makes up 19% of the watershed (58 acres).
- Properties: Nearly all (96%) of the properties in the watershed are within the CEA (87 of 91).
- Streams: There are no DEC regulated AA-Special streams in the watershed. There are almost 2.2 miles of intermittent streams that only flow during portions of the year (Spring runoff or rain events) or run year-round and are unregulated by DEC at this time.
- Roads: 2.6 miles of roads: including 1.9 miles of Town roads and 0.7 miles of State roads. There are no roads within 100 feet of the shoreline, which is good since they run a greater risk for introducing salt and other runoff to the lake.
Impervious Surface Is Impacting Water Quality
16% of the land in the CEA is covered by impervious surfaces such as roads, roofs, or driveways. Impervious surfaces covering more than 10% of the CEA will have an impact on water quality. You can improve your water quality by avoiding further impervious surface development, capturing any stormwater runoff between these surfaces and streams or the lake shore, and converting existing surfaces into something that water can sink into, like permeable pavers. Consider planting a shoreline buffer as a protective cushion for the lake.
Septic Systems
91% of the properties (83) in the Arcady Bay area are on private septic systems as part of the community owned system. Improperly treated wastewater from aging, failing or inadequately designed septic systems is impacting Lake George water quality, threatening human health with organic matter, bacterial and viral pathogens, and feeding algae growth with excess nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus, that can potentially lead to harmful algal blooms (HABs). If you’re a septic system owner, Lake George needs you to contribute to water quality protection by taking the actions outlined in the link below to ensure your septic system is operating properly.
Areas to Protect From Development and Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) is slowly spreading around the Lake, threatening the health of our Hemlock forests. Approximately 25% of the tree cover is Conifer (evergreen) trees, some of which are Hemlocks. Hemlock stands within your watershed have the potential to become infested without proper monitoring and management. The closest confirmed infestation is 2.7 miles from your watershed. HWA often spreads via birds and will likely arrive around Arcady Bay soon.