CAYUGA COUNTY, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Last Tuesday, July 23, the Owasco Yacht Club closed its swimming area for three days after algal blooms were found along the shore.
“This is an inconvenience for our members who want to enjoy this time at the lake because it has been so hot,” said Al Bielecki, the commodore for the club. “This is something our members have come to understand that this is something affecting our lake.”
The Cayuga County Health Department says the blooms happen when it gets hot out and farm runoff carries phosphorous into lakes. High winds then stir up a dangerous mixture.
“Contact with the HABs (Harmful Algal Blooms) can cause skin, eye and throat irritation, including respiratory issues,” said Ani Fish, the director of environmental services for the Cayuga County Health Department. “Drinking water laden with HABs can also cause gastrointestinal distress.”
If you are close enough to algae blooms that you can breathe them in, that can be dangerous for people and pets.
“There is only so much that we can control, so we are hoping to reduce the nutrient loading into the lake right now,” Fish said.
There’s not much they can do but monitor and wait for the blooms to fully dissolve in mid-to-late October. People who love the lake are really hoping for a more permanent solution.
“As a community, we need to come together as a whole in order to remediate this issue,” said Bielecki.
For now, that solution has yet to bloom.
Click here to track where algae blooms are reported around the state.
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