Chautauqua County officials warn lake residents, visitors of harmful algal blooms

MAYVILLE, N.Y. (WIVB) -- The Chautauqua County Health Department released information this week advising people to be aware of harmful algal blooms in Chautauqua Lake.

"Know it, avoid it, report it. The first step that everybody should do is take some time to familiarize themselves with what a harmful algal bloom is," said Jessica Wuerstle, the director of Chautauqua County's Environmental Health Services. "We advise people that any time they're seeing an area that is really dense and does have that pea soup appearance or that spilled appearance on the surface, that's a possible toxin emitting harmful algal and they should avoid that."

Wuerstle said Chautauqua Lake is experiencing harmful algal blooms, which are a result of blue green algae. It can look like green pea soup, spilled paint or cause streaking in a lake's surface, and can release harmful cyanotoxins.

Officials said it's safe to swim in the areas with clear water without these blooms, but if a person or a pet does get exposed to a potential harmful algal bloom, to immediately rinse off with soap and water.

"It's a toxin that can affect you differently, depending on how you're exposed, so if you're exposed just by getting it on your skin, then you could see a red rash, just sort of a basic skin irritation rash, form," Wuerstle said. "You could also ingest the water and if you're swallowing it, then you're gonna end up with some gastrointestinal issues, you know, vomiting, diarrhea, that sort of thing, or you could breathe in those water droplets that might contain the toxin."

In the release, officials recommend avoiding the potential harmful algal blooms by avoiding swimming, wading and boating in areas with visible blooms, to not fish or eat fish from those areas, and to obey beach closures. They also said to never use untreated surface water, with or without blooms, for drinking, food preparation, cooking and more.

These harmful algal blooms can occur at any time of year, but they are common in the mid-to late summers, as the organism thrives in warm water and sunny conditions.

"The warm sunny summer days that we all love are also the warm sunny days that this organism loves, so it's going to really do well and thrive in those conditions," Wuerstle said. "We haven't had a whole lot of stormy weather that would cause some waves and currents and break this stuff up at all, so some of these blooms — especially in the Southern Basin — are likely to stick around until there's a real significant change in weather"

The Health Department encourages residents and visitors to exercise caution and stay informed on what is considered a harmful algal bloom. They said this is something that is nothing new on Chautauqua Lake.

"The organism itself has been around for much longer than humans have. It's a very old organism," Wuerstle said. "It's absolutely native to Chautauqua Lake. It's something that has always been here and we're seeing the blooms now, partially because we're having warmer summers, and the organism really blooms and thrives in warm water and sunny conditions."

Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel said he hasn't seen as many algal blooms this year as opposed to previous years.

"It's an ongoing problem that we're never going to get away from," Wendel said. "Listen to the health department, if they say stay out, please stay out. It could be harmful or fatal to animals, but it's all a matter of ingestion and, you know, obviously I don't know how many people go swimming with an open mouth, but you try to stay out of those areas."

If a possible harmful algal bloom is spotted, people can report it to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation here.

"If DEC verifies that it's actually a HAB [harmful algal bloom] event, they'll put a little dot on a map and then you as a internet user can click on that and see where it was located, how long ago it was located, what the severity of the bloom is, so there is that sort of information out there for folks as well," Wuerstle said.