Still, Some Opposition Persists Even after seventeen separate governmental permits and approvals, and more than four years of intense scrutiny, Lake Source Cooling still has its detractors. A small but vocal group of residents has filed suit in New York State Supreme Court against Cornell, the Town of Ithaca, and the Ithaca City School District. The university and its co-respondents have moved to dismiss the suit.
Opponents continue to raise concerns that have been addressed and questions that have been answered.
The returned water will be cleaner and contain far less phosphorus than the water it mixes with in southern basin of Cayuga Lake, reducing the overall phosphorus concentration. During the summer months when algae is of concern, the outflow will actually be cooler than the lake water around it. It will be marginally warmer than the surrounding lake only in winter when algae growth is not a factor and the outflow from LSC is significantly reduced. There will be no residual heat buildup from year to year. LSC does not add any new phosphorus to Cayuga Lake.