Watershed sale legislation submitted

By Daily Record Staff
Posted: 4:52 pm Fri, March 12, 2010

Rochester Mayor Robert J. Duffy last week submitted legislation to City Council seeking approval to sell 6,832 acres of city-owned land in the Hemlock and Canadice Lake watersheds to the state Department of Environmental Conservation for about $13.7 million.

Located within the Livingston County towns of Livonia, Conesus and Springwater and Canadice and Richmond in Ontario County, the lands will remain undeveloped.

The proposal would authorize an agreement with DEC for the transfer and maintenance of the properties, as well as amend  existing payments in lieu of tax agreements between the city and the towns. The legislation provides for an agreement with the DEC to assume and continue payment of any remaining portions of the PILOT agreements.

About $6.8 million will be appropriated for a marina and other improvements at the Port of Rochester while the balance would go toward the City Water Fund for planned capital improvements and to moderate future water rate increases.

The city will retain use of the lakes as its public water supply. Two parcels of land will be retained by the city for lake access easements — 177 acres at the site of the Hemlock Operations Center filtration plant, a storage area and a park as well as 13 acres within the town of Canadice.

The city’s primary water supply is drawn from the two Finger Lakes and is distributed along a system that includes reservoirs in Rush and at Highland and Cobbs Hill parks. Hemlock first supplied water to the city in 1876. Canadice was incorporated into the system in 1919. The city acquired all of the property surrounding the two lakes through the years as a means to protect the public water source.

Hemlock and Canadice lakes are the only Finger Lakes with no shoreline development.