November 19, 2008 - 1:00am
By Nikhita Parandekar
Cornell recently released a report detailing the impact of the Lake Source Cooling project on Cayuga Lake. The report concluded that since its implementation in 1999, LSC has not had a detrimental effect on the lake, despite criticism that the project is a major source of pollution for the lake.
LSC works by bringing cold water from the depths of the Cayuga Lake up to the surface where it is used to cool water that runs through the air conditioning systems of Cornell and Ithaca High School. The water is then discharged back into the lake at its surface.
“The discharge contains soluble reactive phosphorus at two to five times the level that is in the shallow lake water,” said Walter Hang, owner of Toxics Targeting, Inc. “This promotes the growth of choking blooms of algae.”
