The New York Department of Environmental Conservation is reminding New Yorker’s now that the summer season is quickly approaching, to be aware about harmful algal blooms with the 2023 HABs notification system now active.
“As summer begins, we encourage New Yorkers to be on the lookout for HABs, which can impact New York’s lakes and waterways and pose a potential public health risk,” said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos.
The online page offers an interactive map of any current or archived bloom locations within the state. New York has been monitoring blooms for well over a decade thanks to assistance from public reporting of potential blooms for the DEC to investigate.
When it comes to HABs, DEC encourages New Yorkers to “KNOW IT, AVOID IT, REPORT IT.”
To know what a HAB may look like, it can vary in appearance from scattered green dots in the water, to long linear green streaks, pea soup or spilled green paint, to a blue-green or white coloration. It is extremely important to avoid it, including your pets, and livestock, with contact with it in water.
To report a potential harmful algal bloom, you can report it online, found HERE, or via email to the Department of Health at harmfulalgae@health.ny.gov.
