Keuka Lake fish are thought to be under considerable stress at this time. Triggers include:

• Temperature shocks. Rapid warming stresses fish and promotes mold spore release. On Keuka Lake, per our website, lake temperature was 55 degrees on June 2 and 68 degrees on June 14.

• Spawning events. Spawning depletes energy, compromises immunity, causes minor scale injuries and slime layer disruptions, and is associated with decreased food intake. This makes fish an easier target for mold attack.

Abundant rains this spring brought excessive sediments and nutrients into the lake. This creates a permissive environment for the water mold and can further stress the fish as they spawn in shallower, warmer, more turbid waters. Furthermore, both warmer water and turbidity can decrease dissolved O2 in the water, adding more stress. It is thought that this loss of fish will improve over the next few days/weeks as fish recover from spawning and accommodate to the warmer temperatures.  This is the pattern we noticed last year.

Recommendations for shoreline cleanup:

• Wear protection, such as gloves, masks, safety glasses
• Use a shovel to move the dead fish
• Dispose by bagging the fish in heavy-duty garbage bags and placing in household trash bins

Significant fish loss that lingers beyond later June should be reported back to the KLA. We will continue to monitor this situation and keep our membership posted.

The Keuka Lake Association (KLA) is pleased to announce that our Annual Membership Meeting will be held on Saturday, July 11th, 2026, at the Lightner Library at Keuka College in Keuka Park, NY. We warmly invite all members to join us for this important event. We also welcome nonmembers to join the KLA and become a member at the annual meeting.

Registration for the Annual Meeting will begin at 8:30 AM, accompanied by a continental breakfast. This will be an excellent opportunity for attendees to connect and network with fellow
members and the KLA board and leadership team. In addition, representatives from the Sheriff and DEC Marine Patrols, Finger Lakes Institute and the Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management will be present.

The meeting will officially commence at 9:000 AM, featuring a series of presentations that will run until 11:00 AM. These presentations will cover a range of topics including water quality, lake level, our icy winter, fishing, boating, and recreation safety and a look at our new website, all of which is vital to our mission that serves Keuka Lake and her watershed.

"The KLA annual meeting is an important community event which all members should try to attend.  Our objective is to provide a broad overview of the important work that the KLA does to preserve and protect our lake while supporting the local community," stated Rob Dintruff, KLA President.

We encourage all members to attend and participate in this annual gathering. For those who are not yet members but wish to attend, it is not too late to join the Keuka Lake Association.
Membership details and registration can be found on the Get Involved page of our website.

We regret to inform you that we will not be hosting the KLA Golf Tournament this year. We hope to bring this fun event back again and are looking for member-volunteers to form a 2027 Golf Tournament Committee. This committee would be in charge of planning the event, marketing the event, and driving sponsorships. Please email or call our office if you're interested in joining!

We are excited to announce our partnerships with the following area businesses, in which KLA Members can receive a special discount by showing their KLA Membership Card. See the most up to date list under 'Membership Card and Discounts' in your Member Portal. 

Please help us understand the economic impact of the 2026 winter freeze to shoreline property by filling out our ice impact survey here.

Lead Aquatic Invasive Species Technician (1 Position)

Aquatic Invasive Species Technician (2 Positions)

2026 State of Keuka Lake Comprehensive Water Quality Report

The Finger Lakes Institute is pleased to partner with Keuka Lake Association to present the public information session 'State of Keuka Lake: Water Quality Summary.' Led by Lisa B. Cleckner, Ph.D., director of the Finger Lakes Institute (FLI) at Hobart and William Smith (HWS), this presentation will provide a comprehensive summary of the past several years of water quality monitoring of Keuka Lake and streams in the surrounding watershed.

This event highlights the collaborative water quality monitoring efforts of KLA, Yates County Soil and Water, FLI, and many additional community stakeholders. Over the month of April, FLI will be sharing a series of short monitoring summaries on the KLA website. We invite KLA members and the watershed community to review those materials and send questions to the FLI to be incorporated into the public information session.

The 'State of Keuka Lake' meeting will be held virtually on Wednesday, April 29th from 5:00 - 6:00 pm. The event is free and open to KLA members and the public. Registration is required to access the Zoom meeting link. Please register HERE.

As of February 11, 2026, Keuka Lake is completely covered in ice. While most ice damage will be influenced by wind and the random nature of ice formations, some damage may be mitigated by controlling the lake level. The optimal lake level under these circumstances is at the lowest level of the US Corp of Engineers target (712 ft) as can be seen on the KLA website. Any lower level than that may protect docks and shorelines from ice movement but could also risk damage to water intake pipes. There is an abundance of individual circumstances and concerns across 60 miles of shoreline threatened by ice.

Keuka Lake Outlet Compact (KLOC), the team that controls the gates are proactively protecting the lake. Gate 1 is currently open 5 inches and Gate 4 is open Full providing a discharge rate of 133 cubic feet per second. The lake level is currently 712.36 feet which is 4.3 inches above the lower guide band and nearly two feet below the typical summer lake level. Over the past three weeks, the water level has been brought down 2.5 inches and is trending toward the low-level guide.

Listen to the interview with Rob Dintruff, President of the Keuka Lake Association that occurred on Thursday, January 29th on WGVA radio. He provides an update on the KLA and plans and initiatives for 2026 all focused on preserving and protecting the lake and our watershed. 

Listen to the interview here.

Help Needed for the 7th Annual Keuka Lake Association Golf Tournament!
The KLA has begun planning for the summer season and one of our biggest events is the 7th Annual Keuka Lake Association Golf Tournament on Monday, July 13th at Lakeside Country Club.
In order to make this tournament the great success it has been in years past, we are asking for volunteers to help us manage and run the event this year.  This may include soliciting for sponsors, helping to organize promotion and helping out with day-of-event logistics.  If you are able to spare some time to help, we would love to talk to you.
Please email us at: info@keukalakeassociation.org or call the office at 315-694-7324. We're hoping to begin organizing this event as soon as possible!

Exciting News! Saunders Finger Lakes Museum in Branchport announced they will be hosting in-person Boater Safety Classes on Sundays from March through September.   Sign up here!

Due to the severe drought affecting the lake and watershed, KLOC will postpone scheduled gate openings until conditions improve. As you may know, the lake is already at a very low level, consistent with winter operating guidelines, so it is essential to conserve water to maintain the required flow until the drought subsides.
At times, there may be gates open for fire training, but this will have a minimum effect on the lake level.

Finger Lakes Water Quality

Global Aquatic Research LLC (GAR) partners with organizations and communities around the Finger lakes to solve modern water quality challenges.  We provide professional scientific advisement and research services focused on harmful algal blooms (HABs), lake foam, and chemical pollution.

Get Involved! - Introducing the Finger Lakes Foam Reporting Tool
Lake foam has increasingly been observed in the Finger Lakes, causing nuisance shoreline accumulations. Our research on Canandaigua Lake has shown foam production is linked to HABs, and that foam can concentrate pollution from the lake.  We are expanding our foam research to several other lakes (Keuka, Owasco, Seneca, Skaneateles) as part of a PFAS-in-foam project in collaboration with the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Association, Binghamton University, the NYS Water Resources Institute and the NYSDEC.
?
Using the tool provided, you can report foam on any of the 11 Finger Lakes when you see it.  We need your help to document and sample foam!   We are looking for sizeable patches or streaks of mid-lake foam (more than just a few scattered bubbles), or accumulations of shoreline foam that affect one or more properties. You have the option of opening the tool in a browser or using the Survey123 app - The app version will allow you to drop a pin on a map where you saw the foam, but in the browser version you will need the address or GPS coordinates of where foam was observed.  For more information, please contact your local lake association.

Thank you to all members and volunteers that have contributed to the mission of the Keuka Lake Association to preserve and protect the lake, our watershed, and all its natural beauty for future generations. As we reflect on this past year we can all be thankful for the special place Keuka Lake is. Let's all look forward to another wonderful year at Keuka Lake.  All the best for a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2026.

Please note our NEW open office hours:
Monday & Thursday 10am-2pm
*If you'd like to stop by, please call the office to make sure we are available!
315-694-7324

NYSDEC Website for HABs Reporting