“People say that if you find water rising up to your ankle, that’s the time to do something about it, not when it’s around your neck.”

Nigerian novelist, poet,

professor, and critic

Seneca Lake is the largest of the Finger Lakes. It touches four counties: Seneca, Yates, Ontario and Schuyler. As the largest of the 11-lake glacial chain, it holds the most water of all (estimated at 3.81 cubic miles, roughly half of the others combined; 1 cubic mile holds 1.1 trillion gallons). It has a depth in some areas exceeding 800 feet.

That’s a lot of water. And the combination of a winter snow melt producing more water than in recent years, higher-than-normal rainfall, and strong wind activity has been wreaking havoc on homeowners living along Seneca Lake’s perimeter. In fact, the past few years have seen more high-water-related destruction than the previous 25 years — and perhaps more.

There are expensive mansions, small cottages, and places handed down through generations. They are owned by many people — some wealthy and many who are not. The latest high-water issues do not discriminate, and many folks would like to know what they can do about it.

A post put on the “I Love Seneca Lake” group Facebook page asked for discussion on the topic and pictures of damage. It was no surprise that a large number of people engaged in the topic.

“We live at Reeds Point and have seen some high water in the 25 years we have lived here, but never as devastating as this,” said Connie VanGorden, whose family owns property on the west side of Seneca Lake. “And it has lasted so long, we haven’t seen any improvement in two weeks. The damage occurred with the south winds combined with the highest water we have ever seen here.”

A big question many have is who is responsible for controlling the flow of water in and out of Seneca Lake?

A letter written April 10 to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regarding the filing of a report by Jessica Antonez, regulatory and compliance specialist for........

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