FingerLakes1.Com Reports:
(SENECA FALLS, NY – October 29, 2020) On the morning of July 4, Cayuga Lake’s first suspected harmful algal bloom of the season was spotted on the shoreline near the Beacon Bay Marina at the lake’s northeastern tip. Tests showed that its water samples easily exceeded the state’s cutoff for a “high toxin” bloom.
Samples taken of [a] July 21 bloom north of the Village of Cayuga showed cyanobacteria levels greater than 25 times the state definition of “high toxin.”
Samples taken of this July 21 bloom north of the Village of Cayuga showed cyanobacteria levels greater than 25 times the state definition of “high toxin.”
So did more than two dozen other samples drawn over the next 12 weeks from sites within two miles of the marina, making Village of Cayuga this season’s algal bloom capital of the Finger Lakes.So-called harmful algal blooms (HABs), are actually cyanobacteria, which often appear as floating mats, green or yellow scum or discolored water. They tend to thrive in calm warm water from early July to mid-October and they are toxic to people, pets and livestock (and in Africa, even elephants).
Cayuga, Owasco and Canandaigua lakes all had active HABs summers, while Seneca Lake was mysteriously spared.
Read more: Identifying, Treating and Managing Cyanobacteria harmful algae blooms.
