Regulations
Land use regulations such as zoning, subdivision, site plan review, building codes, stormwater and floodplain management, onsite wastewater and are just a few ways municipalities can ensure development and human activity minimally impact the lake. These regulations are particularly important for reducing non-point source pollution. The municipalities have primary land use control in New York State. The Watershed Council provides assistance to the municipalities in developing regulations and technical assistance in implementing regulations.
Draft Uniform Docking and Mooring Law Updates
Canandaigua Lake benefits from a Uniform Docking and Mooring Law (UDML) for its shoreline communities. The current law was approved in 2012 for all of the six shoreline municipalities. Since then, the shoreline communities have been working together to develop draft updates to address ongoing issues. The draft updated law, an overview of the changes made to-date, and the original law are below. More information will be posted as work on the draft progresses.
Model Onsite Wastewater Treatment System Law
Final Draft December 2016
This model law was developed by the Joint Municipal Land Use Workgroup, which consists of Town and County Planning Board Members, Code Enforcement Officers, the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Council, the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Commission and the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Association. They began working on this law in October 2015 and went through a very thorough process to develop the law. They reviewed other similar laws in New York State, had multiple attorney reviews, and held two public information/comment meetings. The Watershed Council endorsed the final version of the law at their December 2016 meeting. The law was adopted by each municipality independently. Use the links below to review the model law and to find out more information on how the law was developed.
Timber Harvesting Law
The Canandaigua Lake Watershed Council and the Honeoye Lake Task Force worked with municipalities in the two watersheds to develop a model Timber Harvesting Law. The goal of the law was to control erosion of sensitive soils in areas of steep terrain. The efforts began with a Timber Harvesting Committee in 1998 and culminated with adoption of the law. Use the links below to learn about the process and the law development and to view the adopted laws.