New York waterways are being inundated with harmful algal blooms. The blooms form when lakes, rivers and streams warm up and become more nutrient-dense. Current data from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation show 135 harmful algal blooms, or HABs, statewide.
Experts said warmer temperatures and increased storms linked to climate change contributed to the increases.
Rob Hayes, senior director of clean water for the group Environmental Advocates New York, said various forms of runoff are creating conditions for the blooms to form.
“Rain events can cause excess fertilizer to be swept off of fields right into ditches, which then feed into rivers, which then feed into lakes and other water bodies,” Hayes explained.
Hayes added excess stormwater can overwhelm wastewater treatment plants, causing them to release combined sewage overflows, which also end up in waterways.
Two state beaches have closed, with harmful algal blooms known to be detrimental to human health. When people become sick, symptoms range from stomach pain and rash to more serious symptoms like liver damage.
State lawmakers are taking action to ensure the state has a plan to combat the growing threat, including a bill to create a statewide monitoring system to collect and share data on harmful algal blooms. The information can also power a state grant program supporting prevention and mitigation efforts. Hayes argued the state must confront the blooms, adding doing nothing is not an option.
“The pump is primed, if you will, for more and more HABs to occur. So we both need action to protect clean water, but we also need action to reduce New York’s emissions and take climate action if we’re going to make sure that our waters stay HABs-free into the future,” Hayes contended.
While the bill to create the statewide monitoring system passed the state Senate, it never made it out of the Assembly’s Environmental Conservation Committee. It is unclear if supporters will make a renewed push.
Edwin is a reporter and producer in North Tonawanda, New York. He’s previously reported for the Niagara Gazette and the Ithaca Times. Edwin got an early start in radio interning for WBFO-88.7FM, NPR’s Buffalo affiliate. In 2018, he graduated from SUNY Buffalo State College with a B.A. in Journalism, and in 2022, graduated from Syracuse University with an M.S. in Communications.