ALBANY - Legislation that would prohibit the state from establishing a boat launch on the shores of Otsego Lake has been introduced into the state senate and assembly.

The legislation was introduced by Assemblyman William Magee and Senator James Seward at the request of the Cooperstown village board, which adopted a resolution last month seeking the prohibition.

The resolution stated that because the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has from time to time proposed to establish a large, public boat launch in Glimmerglass State Park that would contribute significantly to the number and size of motorboats on Otsego Lake, the village requests that state legislation be enacted to prohibit the state from establishing a public boat launch on Otsego Lake.

The DEC dropped the proposal almost a decade ago and currently has no plans to revitalize it.

"Nobody here is aware of plans to resurrect the boat launch plan," said DEC Region Four spokesman Rick Georgeson the day after the village's resolution was passed.

The NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation was also unaware of any effort to renew the boat launch proposal, according to a spokeswoman.

But that didn't stop the village from taking what Mayor Carol Waller called a proactive step.

Waller offered no introduction for the resolution last month when she asked the board for a motion to adopt it. It was the first time any of the trustees had seen the resolution.

"The main focus is our drinking water, and we want to keep it as clean as possible," she told a reporter last week.

An influx of large motorboats would pollute the lake and overtax the village's water-filtration plant, which was upgraded a decade ago at a cost of $1.8 million, she said.

"We are trying to keep our lake clean and pristine for years to come," she said. "It's tough to get a lake back after it's been polluted."