waterfowl
Waterfowl Management Program

Program Summary

Photos

DEP research in the early 1990s discovered that the source of seasonal increases, or spikes, in the fecal coliform levels in the Kensico Reservoir were caused by the presence of large numbers of waterfowl, particularly Canada geese. The birds were prospering at Kensico because it’s virtually a predator-free habitat.

However, what’s good for the geese is not so good for water quality. Fecal coliform levels are one of the quantitative indicators of water quality that the federal Safe Drinking Water Act measures. So, in 1992, DEP launched Waterfowl Management Program, whose job is to measure the amount of bacterial pollution that wildlife species contribute to the City’s reservoirs and correct the problem through well-developed wildlife management practices.

Initially confined to Kensico Reservoir, the program has since expanded to include most of the City’s reservoirs, where DEP wildlife biologists routinely inventory all species of wildlife to estimate population levels. Once wildlife population is known, the data is compared to reservoir water samples to determine if there’s a relationship between wildlife defecating in the water and higher fecal coliform bacteria levels.

To address the seasonal spikes in fecal coliform bacteria, DEP developed a management program to eliminate waterbirds –– geese, gulls, cormorants and ducks –– from select reservoirs using non-lethal measures. The highly-successful program is labor-intensive but simple. As seasonal changes increase the waterfowl populations, the program goes into action, using motorboats, hovercraft, pyrotechnics, and bird distress tapes to get the birds off the water. These federally- and State-approved techniques –– essentially, chasing birds –– have been critical to the City’s ability to continue to meet federal requirements for drinking water quality.

Year-round, DEP wildlife biologists begin as early as 4 a.m. to conduct bird population surveys. Fecal samples from both birds and mammals are collected and analyzed and compared with water samples. Certain species of birds are captured for banding, the placement of identification tags, to track their local movements around the reservoirs during breeding seasons and to distinguish resident from migratory populations.

Continued research on the Waterfowl Program accomplishes the following:

• Routine assessments of the impact of dispersing waterbirds and its intended impact on the lowering bacteria levels
• Annual monitoring of non-targeted species to ensure an ecologically healthy watershed

< back to Managing Land & Water Resources