Butler Mill Pond is a roughly 29-acre pond formed by Wolcott Creek in Town of Butler, NY. The Butler
Town Hall is located right next to Butler Mill Pond, sitting on a 10-acre turf grass lot that has 600 feet of
water frontage.
Butler Mill Pond and Wolcott Creek are important natural resources for the Butler community. Their
conditions also have direct impact on the overall health of the Wolcott Creek and downstream water quality.
During ASLF’s previous collaboration on watershed planning with the Village of Wolcott, downstream
from Town of Butler, one of the sources of water quality impairment to Wolcott Creek was identified as
agricultural runoff with sediments and nutrients from upstream areas such as Butler. Preliminary
discussions and research also indicated that there’s water quality concern over the Butler Mill Pond itself
which shows overgrowth of algae, likely caused by nutrient runoff. Communications with community
members of Butler also revealed needs for improved recreational experience/amenities near Butler Mill
Pond and a growing community desire to help protect and improve the Pond as an important community
resource.
This project aims to assist Town of Butler to enhance this community asset, through a community-driven
planning process, to develop a plan for needed improvements and to facilitate the initiation of a
community-based effort for continued management that engages the community. In collaboration with
stakeholders in the Town of Butler, Atlantic States Legal Foundation (ASLF) is working directly
with the community constituents and decision makers to reassess Butler Mill Pond and Wolcott Creek
based on Ecosystem Based Management (EBM) principals, recognizing their key values for Butler
community and the watershed, identifying factors of impediment for both community uses and ecosystem
health, prioritizing mitigation/improvement needs, and developing a plan with both implementable
project(s) and management action items to help restore and protect these natural resources.