‘Common sense’ urged on Canandaigua Lake in wake of heavy rain

ONTARIO COUNTY, N.Y. – For many, the Fourth of July is about relaxing – including getting out on the water.

But those spending time at Canandaigua Lake are being told to be careful because of last weekend’s heavy storms.

“What happened was lots of the creeks that enter that lake, the debris that was swept up by the storms on Saturday came down into the lake, and we had more rain and more storms yesterday so we got another influx yesterday,” Sheriff David Cirencione said.

He issued two advisories because of it. Boaters must reduce their speeds from 45 to 20 mph and they must avoid the shoreline, which is where a lot of the debris is washing up.

The wood remnants consist of pieces ranging from the size of a pinky finger to larger than a person.

“It’s all about common sense. We want as many people that want to come out on the lake to come out to the lake and have fun. But they need to be cognizant of the fact that these pieces of debris are in the water, some of them are large, and they’re large enough to do damage or cause physical injury to somebody,” Cirencione said.

The wood can sometimes come up out of nowhere, so it’s important to scan the area where you’re going to swim or set sail.

“I’ve seen floating debris. It’s not too bad. Just got to keep your eyes open and don’t do anything stupid,” boater Jeff Bauman said.

The debris starts about 3 to 4 miles from the north end of the lake. The majority is in the town of Canandaigua.

“Overall, it’s not bad. It wouldn’t deter me from going out again and it shouldn’t deter anyone else from going out. Just don’t do anything stupid,” Bauman said.

Cirencione says the advisories will remain in place until he and his deputies can clear most of it from the lake.