Rensselaer County Catholics save earth close to home

Rev. R. Adam Forno is on a mission with others to preserve and improve the quality of water at Burden Lake, located in the towns of Nassau and Sand Lake.

“We think of water as a symbol of life. It is not like life, water is life,” said Father Forno, pastor of St. Joseph’s and St. John’s parish in Rensselaer.

During the month of August, parishioners of St. Joseph’s and St. John’s, along with others from St. Henry’s parish in nearby Averill Park, participated in a letter-signing campaign to raise awareness of the continued pollution of the lake. This month the letters are being sent to U.S. Senators Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer and Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand.

“We were able to get over 3000 letters signed by 1000 individuals interested in saving the lakes,” Father Forno told The Evangelist.

Their campaign highlights the growing attention to the environment among Catholics across the globe, from papal statements to school recycling campaigns.

Three in one

Burden Lake is actually three lakes; the southernmost Third Lake is the largest and the original body of water. Both the First and Second lakes are man-made.

“Third Lake used to be a pond,” the pastor informed The Evangelist.

The lakes came about as the result of intentional flooding of the pond and subsequent construction of a dam in the Wynantskill Valley in 1829 by local mill owners that were members of the Wynantskill Mill Association. The business owners wanted to insure a constant source of water flow into the nearby Poestenkill Creek and subsequently into sections of Troy and Wynantskill.

The lakes are named after Henry Burden, one of the original mill owners from Troy who was instrumental in their formation. 

For many years the lakes were used as a primary water source for the mills that operated in that area, but over the past century summer camps and a few year-round homes were built on the western sides of all three lakes. As a source of drainage for these camps and homes, septic systems and leach fields were used. Some camps had drainage lines going directly into the lake.

Fun ebbs

“Anyone growing up in Albany or Rensselaer counties during the past 50 years will know about the recreation opportunities offered by the Burden Lakes. All three lakes had places to swim, boat and fish,” Father Forno said, noting that there were several public beaches developed to accommodate city visitors and summer residents, as well as restaurants and an inn. 

The recent letters addressed the growing concern by local homeowners, lake visitors and business owners of ongoing water pollution on the Third Lake. They talked about the threat of future pollution to the First and Second lakes, which currently have residences and camps drained by sewer systems that were installed fifteen years ago.
“Back then, the Burden Lake Improvement Association became aware of the threat to the quality of the waters to all three lakes,” noted Terry Nord, president of the lake association and a parishioner of St. Thomas parish in Delmar.

Ms. Nord grew up spending her summers at Burden Lake. She has many fond memories of swimming and playing with friends there each year.

“I love this lake. There aren’t many like it anymore. The Burden Lakes community truly cares about the quality of their environment and they want to preserve it for future generations,” she said.

Close to home

The BLIA is made up of 130 members that live on or near the lake. The association was founded in the 1940s to preserve the lake environment and quality of water that provides recreation to all that use it she said.

The group has applied for grant monies to have sewers installed on the Third Lake. They would replace the present outdated septic systems. They have been successful in this endeavor on the First and Second Lakes but now are concentrating on the Third Lake, because of heavy population there and a discovered lack of funds.

“In 2005 and 2006 a survey was done on the water quality of the Third Lake,” Ms. Nord said. “It was determined that the nutrient content of the water and related algae growth is the direct result of drainage into the lake from residences. In some cases this includes leach fields that need replacement and septic systems that are old and about to collapse. Because the Third Lake drains into the First and Second Lakes, they are in future danger of becoming polluted in spite of having sewer service.”

She added that the BLIA decided to conduct a census of families living on the Third Lake to determine the septic replacement needs. The group was surprised to find that many more people actually live there on a year-round basis than had been previously thought. They also discovered that many residents are elderly, some are homebound and many have low incomes.

“The level of poverty was the most surprising,” Ms. Nord said.

Rich and poor

“Many people think that because a family or individual lives year-round on a recreational lake, that they are wealthy. In the case of the Burden lakes, this is not true. These are working class people. Our survey discovered that many live in low income conditions, some even on the poverty level. They cannot afford to have sewers installed. In some cases, the leach fields are so close together that there is no land available for repair of them,” she said.

She also noted that in recent years developers have added to the strain on the already overburdened leach fields and septic systems in building newer and larger year-round homes.

“When new residences are built now, they must adhere to the building code in establishing sewer systems.

“We have applied for several federal and state grants to help establish a sewer system on the Third Lake,” said Father Forno. “These waters are in jeopardy of being permanently polluted with the next two decades if a sewer project is not completed in the next few years. Our parishioners have a big concern about these lakes; many have enjoyed them throughout their lives. They want their children and grandchildren to also enjoy them,” said Father Forno.

“We tend to take water for granted. It’s precious to life. What if, in the future, there are no Burden Lakes to go to?” he asked.

Rensselaer County Catholics save earth close to home

The Third Burden Lake is presently among lakes listed on the Lower Hudson River drainage basin Priority Water List with bathing listed as impaired and recreation, aquatic life and aesthetics listed as stressed due to excessive algae, weed growth and low oxygen. Lakes on this list must be closely evaluated for the causes and sources of problems. Remedial measures must be undertaken under a defined schedule to solve water quality problems. Ms. Nord reported that the towns of Sand Lake and Nassau have cooperated in applying for state grants for the major sewer project planned for the Third Burden Lake. For more information visit www.burdenlake.org.

(9/11/08)