Hot summer days often mean spending time on the open water. But for Chautauqua Lake and other waterways in the area, it can mean harmful algae blooms.
The weather, shallow water levels and high nourishment make the lake especially susceptible to blooms, and blue-green algae is among the biggest concerns, Chautauqua County Director of Environmental Health Jessica Wuerstle said.
“Unfortunately, Chautauqua Lake Does, does see them every year," she said. "Usually by the end of summer, there are a few places in Chautauqua Lake where the blooms have become established, and they won't really dissipate until there's a significant change in weather.”
But blue-green algae isn’t the only example of harmful algal blooms around Western New York waterways.
Identifying specific varieties can be difficult because there are so many, so it’s best to act with caution, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper Executive Director Jill Jedlicka said.
“We've only really had some resources in the last couple of years to start to identify and analyze some of the water bodies themselves," she said. "Where we actually grab water samples and we put them under a microscope and start to identify the species which, there could be hundreds of different species that you're identifying.”
It’s important to wash off directly after being in a lake, pond or other water system because algal toxins can remain even after the physical signs disappear, Jedlicka said.
When it comes to cleaning off after an excursion, dogs should receive extra attention because they area at a heightened risk, Wuerstle said.
"hey'll groom themselves and clean, and lick. And then they are concentrating, ingesting more of that material," she said. "Anytime you're out swimming in a surface water body, you should definitely rinse off afterwards, you know, clean yourself off, clean your pets off."
