This weeks DLA updates

Happy Sunday! We have a pair of loons that seem to be sticking around Duane Lake this year. Have you heard their haunting call or seen them skittering across the water? It's pretty wild!


FREE - FREE - FREE!



One of our neighbors has a paddle boat that they no longer need. If you are interested in taking this off of their hands for free, please reach out to Derek at alienator9752@live.com.


THANK YOU - THANK YOU - THANK YOU!

A very big shout out to the crew that helped out with a necessary and beneficial [to the lake] project this week - the "straw bale project." This project is one of the necessary stewardship tasks that help to keep the waters of Duane Lake clean for all. Three silt settling basins were dug, then straw bales and silt barriers were installed to filter the runoff in an area that has tested high in phosphorus over the last few years. Straw bales were also placed along the outlet culvert glide rails to alleviate the sand and salt runoff that collects and adds to the debris in the culvert from the snow plows as well. We want to embarass and thank the site manager, Alan Knight, the organizer, Pat Huff, equipment arranger, Kim Roberts and all of the laborers: Adam Cooney, Dennis Decelli, Tom McGrath, Art Miller, Bob Smith and Jay Tanzman. It was a hot and dirty job but they persevered and got it done! Pat created a little movie of the pictures that were taken. You can check it out on the Duane Lake Association website in the Photos tab: https://duanelakeassociation.blogspot.com/p/photos.html.


THE ANNUAL DUANE LAKE ASSOCIATION PICNIC AND MEETING AT THE VAN PATTEN MILL PARK IS IN TWO WEEKS




The Annual Duane Lake Association Picnic and Meeting is on Saturday, the 21st starting at noon. The meeting will begin with a neighborhood picnic at the park pavilion. Hamburgers, hotdogs, all the 'fixins and beverages will be provided. Everyone is invited to bring a dish and if you have any questions including "What should I bring?", please reach-out by text message or call our bar-be-que master chef and party coordinator, Kim Roberts, at 518-522-6811.

Van Patten Mill Park is located on Depot Road, just a two-minute drive from Stewart's in the hamlet of Duanesburg. It's a fun gathering with bar-be-que favorites and lots of really tasty dishes to share along with our neighborhood camaraderie and celebration of all things summer! Please plan to join us!




Enjoy the sun!

New testing technology gives DLA new insights into Duane Lake water

The Duane Lake watershed, more or less

For decades the “gold standard” of water testing has been the search for coliform bacteria, or, more specifically Escherichia coli, more commonly called E. coli. If these bacteria are found in a water supply, according to standards adopted by the New York State Department of Health, the water is unacceptable, too risky to drink.

It was and still is a useful test for protecting public health. But it tells us nothing useful about where these bacteria come from since all mammals excrete coliform bacteria. Are they from cows? Deer? Geese? Chipmunks? Or humans? Coliform analysis doesn’t differentiate.

So then, where do you go to block such bacteria from entering the water if you don’t even know where it comes from?

Now, the same technology that gives us crime-scene DNA testing can identify the species that put poop into water. And it’s an affordable test. Added to that is the new ability to find caffeine in a lake or stream. That, too, is an affordable test.

For the past few years the Duane Lake Association has been investing your dues dollars in these tests.

What have we learned? 

Something of interest in the news...

For lake residents, snowbirds, and those looking for real time weather alerts in Albany/Schenectady/Schoharie county or elsewhere in NYS, you may be interested in this new NYS Emergency and Weather Alert system.  Follow this link for more information:  Emergency and Weather Alerts | Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services

The quick setup instructions are below, however for full details and to learn about the types or incidents and/or severity that prompts a text message, see the website link above.