New Stormwater Management Regulations

The following changes to the Stormwater Management and Stream Corridor regulations are effective April 1st, 2021.

Stormwater Regulations

One of the largest threats to Lake George’s pristine water quality is pollution from stormwater runoff. When it rains, runoff flowing across the ground picks up sand, silt, metals, phosphorus, nitrogen and other nutrients that can degrade water quality and clarity when it reaches Lake George. Generally, the more developed an area is, the more stormwater runoff is generated if it is not managed properly. To help address this, the Commission has had stormwater management regulations in place since 1990 to help offset impacts from land development in the Lake George Park. While these regulations have been seen as successful in helping to address these issues, stormwater runoff from developed properties continues to be a threat to the lake’s water quality. The Commission has been working with our local municipalities and partners around the Lake George Park to discuss these issues and ultimately update the stormwater regulations in a reasonable way, with the intention of hindering the slow decline in the lake’s water quality.

In the summer of 2018, the Commission held several public information meetings to get feedback on the proposed regulations. Since that time, the Commission has worked to advance these ideas into draft regulations for final consideration by the public. These draft regulations are now posted on the Commission website for public review.

In summary, the changes mirror what was discussed in 2018. These changes include:

1. Timber harvesting notification requirements and conservation/erosion control plans

2. Fertilizer application prohibitions within 50 feet of all waterbodies and wetlands in the Lake George Park

3. Existing property stormwater retrofit requirements for all new development projects that require LGPC stormwater permits.

View the Stormwater Regulations documents.

Stream Corridor Regulations

Through the review process in Albany, the Commission was required to separate out its stream corridor/buffer protection standards into a separate regulatory package. This was necessary to meet the intent of NYS ECL Article 43 (the Lake George Law). The benefits of stream buffers and the science behind these protections were discussed at length during the stormwater regulatory process, prior to these regulations being separated out from the stormwater regulations.

The Commission’s stream corridor protection regulations are now available to the public on the LGPC website homepage.

In summary, the Commission’s stream corridor protections also mirror our previously discussed standards as follows:

1. 35 foot stream buffer protection/clearing standards, applying to DEC regulated streams

2. Standards for stream crossings/culverts that mirror existing updated DEC permit conditions

View the Stream Corridor Regulations documents.

View the scientific literature used to help inform these updates.

A public hearing on these regulations was held at 4pm on Tuesday, January 12^th via Zoom. Visit the meetings page for meeting information.