MAYVILLE – Chautauqua County is helping address Harmful Algal Blooms in Findley Lake.

During the county legislature meeting, lawmakers approved a resolution to spend $27,500 to enter into an inter-municipal agreement with the town of Mina for engineering services for the preliminary design of an Oxygen Saturation Technology system in Findley Lake.

The resolution was not discussed at the full legislature meeting, but Ed Mulkearn, who is the president of the Findley Lake Watershed Foundation, discussed it in committee.

Mulkearn noted that the lake has poor water quality in the summer. Part of that is due to the lack of public sewers, which are in the process of being installed.

The other issue Mulkearn noted is they have locked in phosphorus that’s bound to iron on the bottom of Findley Lake and it gets released in the summer.

“The way you combat that is by oxygenating the water,” he said.

They’re working with the state Department of Environmental Conservation to have a demonstration project this summer. “If this does what we think it’s going to do, it’s going to be a game changer,” Mulkearn said.

In other business:

– The legislature approved the acquisition of navigation easements for property located near both county airports. Avigation easements are mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration, as it requires airports to either own certain airspace or have easements pertaining to airspace. Legislator Bob Scudder, R-Fredonia, voted no. He generally votes against any airport resolutions that are partly or fully funded by the FAA.

Scudder also voted against authorizing a public hearing for a supplemental agreement with the FAA to construct, operate and maintain navigational aids at the Jamestown airport, as well as four airport resolutions that were previously approved but needed to be adjusted and had to be voted on a second time.

– The legislature approved four Occupancy Tax Funded projects for a total of $125,920. The amounts and projects are as follows: $40,000 for the Lakewood Fairmount Avenue Stormwater Basin and Watershed Improvement Project; $30,000 for the Chadwick Bay Marina Dredging Permitting Project; $35,920 for the Cattaraugus Creek Stabilization Project; and $20,000 for the Bear Lake Dredging Permitting Project. Legislator Vince DeJoy, D-Jamestown abstained because he works for the city of Dunkirk which is behind the Chadwick Bay Marina Dredging Permitting Project.

– Neal Gruber of South Dayton was appointed to the county Ethics Board.

– Brittany Beckstrom of Jamestown was appointed to the Airport Commission.

– The county agreed to pay the Lakewood Fire Department $3,000 a year to have its Fly Car M73 operate out of their fire hall.