Welcome to Saratoga Lake
Boats have been a part of life in America for hundreds of years, but never in numbers as large as today. Boats contribute to the quality of life and our recreational enjoyment, but ironically, they can also play a role in stressing the ecosystem. While the effect of a single boat on a body of water like Saratoga Lake may seem insignificant, multiply it by the hundreds of boats in use and such effects become both significant and apparent.
As we realize the limits of use waterways can tolerate, and how close we are to those limits, it becomes essential for each of us to follow the best possible environmental practices in using our boats.
Marine sanitation, bottom painting, surface cleaning, engine maintenance and general boat operating habits are all factors that can impact water quality, shoreline stability and marine life.
In 1986 the New York State legislature authorized the formation of a local unit of government, known as the Saratoga Lake Protection and Improvement District (SLPID). Its purpose: to supervise, manage and control the body of water known as Saratoga Lake by enhancing and preserving the Lake’s ecosystems and watershed through education and proven lake management techniques.
SLPID activities are funded by an ad-veloram tax. Shoreline and nearshore residents of the District contribute in excess of $60,000 a year for weed harvesting, clean-up, maintenance, water quality testing, safety initiatives and education activities. Additionally, shoreline residents expend considerable efforts to clean beaches of debris.
You can help safeguard the quality of this fragile environment and make Saratoga Lake a safer recreational area by adhering to the following guidelines. In addition, water safety is very important. That’s why we put together some tips below to help you stay safe.