State Begins Pilot Program to Monitor Algae Blooms in Susceptible Lakes

New York will begin a pilot program to monitor harmful algae blooms in Skaneateles, Owasco, and Seneca Lakes. The advanced monitoring program will help understand bloom formation and target mitigation strategies to combat the blooms. 12 lakes across New York have experienced or are susceptible to algae blooms. The project is an outgrowth of a collaboration between the New York DEC and the United States Geological Survey’s (USGS) NY Water Science Center. Last week, project researchers deployed two “advanced-monitoring stations” at different locations in northern Skaneateles Lake. These locations, one near-shore and one off-shore, provide water-quality information that will contribute to the understanding of HABs development, duration, and effects on water quality. Additional monitoring stations are scheduled to be deployed in Owasco and Seneca lakes in mid-September.