SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y. (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — Surface water samples taken and analyzed by SUNY Stony Brook from some Suffolk County freshwater systems revealed cyanobacteria blooms, or blue-green algae blooms, which can produce harmful toxins, and local officials are advising residents to avoid the affected areas.
The algae blooms were found in Wolf Pit Lake, Mattituck; Long Pond, Sag Harbor; Poxabogue Pond, Sagaponack; Mill Pond, Water Mill and Agawam Lake, Southampton. Residents are asked to not use or recreate in these waters, and to keep their children and pets away.
Blue-green algae is naturally present in lakes and streams in lower numbers, but when they become abundant they can form blooms that present as green, blue-green, yellow, brown or red. Floating scum may come to the water surface, or water could take on a paint-like appearance.
Look at what harmful algal blooms look like compared to non-toxic green algal blooms at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation website.
One of the reasons cyanobacteria blooms can develop is warmer temperatures and increased sunlight, notable as much of the New York City-area is under a heat advisory until Sunday.
Some species of cyanobacteria produce toxins that can cause humans and animals health problems if exposure happens in large enough quantities.
Contact with scummy or discolored water should be avoided, but officials say to rinse off with clean water immediately if contact occurs. Residents should seek medical attention if they experience nausea, vomiting or diarrhea; skin, eye or throat irritation; allergic reactions or breathing problems after exposure.
Previous studies have found blue-green algae blooms in a number of Suffolk County freshwater systems, with follow-up studies finding nearly annual blooms in some lakes and periodic blooms in other systems, including at beaches.
Residents are encouraged to contact the Suffolk County Department of Health Services’ Office of Ecology to report any suspected blue-green algae blooms at a body of water that includes a beach. Call 631-852-5760 during business hours or email scdhsweb@suffolkcountyny.gov anytime.
To report a suspected bloom at a body of water without a beach, or to ask a question, email the NYSDEC at habsinfo@dec.ny.gov.
Click here to view the NYSDEC's map of all affected freshwater systems in the state.