There is an increased effort to keep you safe from harmful algae in the water this summer. This is bacteria that’s not safe to swim in. Officials on Seneca Lake are stepping up efforts to find it before it makes you sick.
Harmful Algal Blooms, commonly referred to as blue-green algae, can cause vomiting, diarrhea, irritated skin, and make it difficult to breathe, according to New York State’s Department of Health. New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation says in the summer of 2016, these blooms were found in five of the 11 finger lakes: Owasco, Cayuga, Seneca, Conseus, and Honeoye.
The Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association is looking for more volunteers than it had last year to locate these blooms. This year, they want to monitor more of the shoreline, placing a volunteer every couple of miles. They told us they want an early warning system around the shore, and they think finding it early will help them figure out how to control it eventually.
