SANDY CREEK, NY – The shifting sands of the Lake Ontario shoreline have created a recurring problem for recreational boaters, virtually blocking the outlet between North Sandy Pond and the open waters of the smallest Great Lake.
Despite recent dredging efforts, the channel is extremely difficult to navigate, creating a challenge to the economy in the area, as well as an alteration to some of the recreational traditions of Northern Oswego County.
“The channel is passable, but not marked for navigation,” said Cathleen Goodnough, President of the Sandy Pond Channel Maintenance Association. “The channel not being marked is confusing to the people who are not familiar with the area.”
New York State Marine Services, based in Albany, recently removed the buoys, and stated that the channel would not be marked until a permanent solution has been put into place. The state sees a liability issue with marking the channel in its current condition.
Goodnough said that there are some extremely bad areas of the channel that make it dangerous for large boats to attempt to pass through.
“The water has to be flat calm for a boat to be able to pass through, and that goes for outboard powered boats as well as inboard-outboard powered boats,” Goodnough said.
The Sandy Pond Channel Maintenance Association (SPCMA), a not -for -profit organization that numbers as many as 641 members, was formed in January 2003. The appearance of sand between Carl Island and the channel began to create a problem in 2001, with the outlet becoming blocked in 2002. The Association began to receive support from the Town of Sandy Creek in the form of assistance operating the Association’s hydraulic dredge, but mechanical dredging is far more effective in removing large quantities of sand quickly.
Goodnough said that over one million cubic yards of sand have accumulated since the channel moved to a position in front of Carl Island.
“Aerial photos show that the channel has steadily moved to the north, but once it aligned with the island, sand began to accumulate from the north and south,” Goodnough said.
The SPCMA has been in contact with Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, attempting to acquire a variance to allow dredging on the outside of the sandbar. A protected endangered species, the Piping Plover is nesting on the beach, further complicating the matter.
“The Sandy Creek Fire Department is not docking their boat on the pond this year, because of the lack of lighted buoys being in place to help them to return to the pond after a rescue,” Goodnough said.
The negative impact on the pond’s economy can be seen in a number of losses, according to Goodnough. One marina has 40 empty docking slips that would normally be filled, and Greene Point Marina is down in sales of approximately 6,000 gallons of fuel. The docks of many of the cottages that line the creeks and canals of Sandy Pond sit empty.
“This has become way too much for one small organization to handle,” Goodnough said. “In the future we would like to acquire state or federal funding to dredge in the Spring and the Fall, alternating dredging from the north and the south, and placing the removed sand on private land.”
Goodnough said that replenishing the dunes will help with the overall health of Sandy Pond over time.
“If the channel is wide and deep, it seems to stay open longer,” Goodnough said.
A letter to the membership dated July 8, 2021 states that the dredging performed by New York state in the fall of 2020 did not hold up and that a survey of the work performed was not accepted by the SPCMA. Dredging resumed on April 20, 2021, but the Piping Plover returned to the beach on April 24, 2021, halting all dredging.
The Coastal Lakeshore Economic and Resiliency Initiative (CLEAR) lists North Sandy Pond among the areas of concern, with the rising and falling lake levels contributing to the difficulty in maintaining an open channel.
Here is (just a thought) can’t this sand be used for the roads in winter ??
As a previous charter mate the channel was stable in high and low waters for over 30 years. When Oswego County decided to move sand from the channel to Sandy Island Beach in order to convince the State of New York to take it over everything changed. All that sand infiltrated to the Carl Island area. Previously all that area had 4 -6 feet of water. It has continued to the point its in now. A suction dredge should put all that sand back where it came from, the beach. The channel can’t close because of the watershed feeding it. Historically it has moved north. I am surprised it hasn’t moved to the next northern low spot. We caused the problem. Mother nature will win.