Summer cottages sprang up on shorelines, alongside dance halls, amusement parks and the occasional winery. Over the last 10 years, demands on the lakes have kicked into high gear. Shorelines once sprinkled with summer cottages have become densely packed with big year-round houses, and a modest tourism business has grown into a major economic engine for a sagging economy. A six-month analysis by the Democrat and Chronicle shows that the Finger Lakes are showing signs of the strain. Fecal bacteria problems have put a halt to swimming in parts of some lakes.
Aquatic weeds clog the waters.
Exotic species have irrevocably changed the ecosystems. Housing developments have altered shorelines. As the 11 lakes head into their 12th millennium, those same human beings are rallying to preserve the lakes they love and depend on. But the goal of halting and reversing the lakes' degradation is complex and enormous. Ultimately that water flows north into Lake Ontario.