October 8, 2021 - (L2R) - SLA Community Education & Outreach Chair Dr. Jim Tifft, Lake Ecology Team Co-Chair Dr. Bill Dean, and Board President Dr. Paul Torrisi overlooking just one of the Harmful Algal Blooms observed on Wednesday, October 6, 2021 after returning from surveying for invasive species.
Dear Friends of Skaneateles Lake-
It has been a busy week for the Skaneateles Lake Association. Just this past Wednesday, SLA hosted its monthly Lake Ecology Team meeting, conducted its last Milfoil Survey run, observed and collected Harmful Algal Bloom samples to be analyzed by SUNY-ESF, and finalized a revegetation planting list with SUNY-ESF's Restoration and Science Center for the Dowling Creek Watershed Improvement Project.
In this issue, please find information on the following:
Harmful Algal Bloom Report
Lake Ecology Team meeting updates
Lost & Found Items
Harmful Algal Blooms have been observed by shoreline monitoring volunteers and community members throughout this week.
The City of Syracuse conducts testing to determine if toxins are present in the municipal drinking water. If conditions in the municipal drinking water supply warrant a public health advisory, one will be issued by the Onondaga County Health Department.
Microcystin, a known liver toxin, is monitored via reports by NYS Department of Health. Levels indicated at the City of Syracuse intake pipes can be found HERE. Anytime, levels are above .3 parts per billion (ppb) or micrograms per liter (ug/L), they are indicated on the chart. These levels are NOT indicative of levels after chlorine treatment and only represent results taken at the intake pipes.
The 2015 EPA Health Advisory guidance levels for exposure to microcystin continually over a 10 day period is .3 micrograms/Liter for bottle fed infants leading up to pre-school age children and 1.6 micrograms/Liter for school aged children and adults.
According to the NYSDEC, people not on public water supplies should not drink surface water during an algal bloom, even if it is treated, because in-home treatments such as boiling, disinfecting water with chlorine or ultraviolet (UV), and water filtration units do not protect people from HABs toxins.
For the full SLA HAB report from this week and additional information regarding Harmful Algal Blooms, including guidance on identifying blooms, swimming, and drinking water, please click HERE.
The Skaneateles Lake Ecology Team (LET) convenes at the beginning of each month to address lake protection needs and provide updates on progress regarding watershed improvement projects, invasive species, research and technology, outreach, and watershed wide governance topics.
Originally, formed as the nutrient management committee as one part of SLA's strategy to address concerns related with Harmful Algal Blooms, the LET includes board members of the SLA and community partners representing the lake's government representatives at the local, county, state, and federal level and academic institutions, engineering firms, and environmental organizations such as SUNY-ESF, Syracuse University, Upstate Freshwater Institute, Anchor QEA Engineers, Ramboll, EcoLogic LLC, The Nature Conservancy, Finger Lakes Land Trust, CNY Land Trust, Soil & Water Conservation Districts, and Cornell Cooperative Extension.
To view the latest LET meeting agenda with some report information, please click HERE.
Lost & Found
Items currently noted as Lost & Found with SLA:
LOST
Kayak – Red with white bottom
G-5 black boat fender/bumper
Dark green aluminum row boat drifted off shoreline just south of 10 Mile Point Wed. night July 28th. It is a narrow, low profile boat.
Send us a message with what you lost or found, where you found it or where it was lost from, a reasonable but not full description and approximate date of loss.
We will post it with some (but not all) descriptive information under our “lost and found” tab and make every effort to connect loser with finder so they can confirm by a full description.
