One month after a blue-green algae bloom formed in Skaneateles Lake, there are still detectable toxins in the water taken in by pipes that supply the city of Syracuse with its drinking water.

The algae bloom formed near the beginning of September. Experts say the fall weather should eventually cause the bloom to dissipate.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation monitored the area throughout the summer using a group of trained volunteers to collect water samples and bloom samples. These samples were then tested at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

The DEC’s review of sampling data from Oct. 2 confirmed the algae bloom is still potentially harmful to humans, said department spokeswoman Erica Ringewald in an email.

“Blooms are likely to dissipate (as) soon as the water and air temperatures continue to cool,” Ringewald said.

Temperature and rainfall might be to blame for why the blooms continue to persist into the fall at Skaneateles Lake.

Cornelius Murphy, former president of SUNY-ESF, said persistent heat and high rainfall totals in June and July throughout the region are some of the reasons why this bloom has not completely dissipated.

“With increasing cooler temperatures and a decreasing amount of sunlight, the bloom should be reduced as we go forward,” Murphy added.

Murphy went swimming in Skaneateles Lake a week and a half ago, he said, and the water column temperature was about 74 degrees. The temperature needs to decrease significantly before the bloom dissipates, he said.

Lisa Lenny, director of environmental health at the Onondaga County Health Department, said it has been difficult to communicate how serious the situation is with some of the area’s seasonal residents.

“Some of the houses that people use there are just rentals or temporary,” Lenny said.

Ensuring all residents know they should not be using the water for swimming or drinking has been hard to accomplish, Lenny said.

As fall weather moves in across the region, it’s only a matter of time before the algae bloom disappears, Murphy said. Now county, city and state officials will look at proactive ways to monitor and address future problems.

“I’m confident that between the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Skaneateles Lake Association, the City of Syracuse that a … plan will be put together to best manage the nutrients of nonpoint sources in the future,” said Murphy, when asked how officials should respond to the algae situation.

Lenny said the county will continue collecting samples at Skaneateles Lake until there is no longer an algae threat. The health department will also make improvements to mitigate future blooms, she said.

“We’ll keep sampling until we end up getting nondetects in the raw water, cause we still are getting it in the raw water, so the sampling will continue,” Lenny said. “I know there’s going to be a lot of discussions, especially with the state and city.”

Published on October 15, 2017 at 10:21 pm

Contact Joshua: jcarney@syr.edu