Twelve harmful algal blooms were confirmed on Seneca Lake between Sept. 25 and Oct. 1, according to the Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association’s latest water quality update. The group is urging shoreline visitors and pet owners to keep watching for blooms even as temperatures cool.
Warm, calm weather can still bring blooms in the fall, Pure Waters said. It advises people to avoid water that looks discolored, streaky or scummy and to keep dogs out of it. The association provides information on identifying and reporting suspected blooms through its website.
Seneca Lake’s surface temperature was 64.9 degrees at a depth of 3.3 feet on the morning of Oct. 2. The lake level was 444.7 feet BCD. Pure Waters compiled the figures using data from the Finger Lakes Institute’s real-time monitoring buoy, its volunteers and NOAA.
The association is nearing the end of its weekly reporting season. Next week’s update will be its 10th and final weekly email before it returns to monthly lake updates.
Education and invasive species work
Pure Waters is seeking volunteers for its education committee, which supports school outreach and community events. It is also recruiting members for an invasive species committee to help identify potential threats and share information around the lake. The group says no prior expertise is required.
Its next free Seneca Lake Deep Dive webinar is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22. Kelly Smith, an associate professor of environmental science at Elmira College and a Pure Waters board member, will discuss how shoreline plants and floating wetlands can reduce nutrient pollution and help protect water quality.
A separate Finger Lakes PRISM webinar at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, will focus on round goby monitoring across the Finger Lakes. Dr. Susan Cushman is scheduled to discuss how to identify the invasive fish, what surveys are finding about its distribution and impact, and how to report sightings.
Upcoming events
The Seneca Monster Canoe Race is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Seneca Yacht Club in Geneva. SLOB Fest, featuring 19 breweries from around Seneca Lake, is scheduled for Oct. 17 at 41 Lakefront Hotel in Geneva.
Pure Waters Director Benjamin Klein is also set to join a community discussion hosted by Historic Geneva at 7 p.m. Oct. 21 at the Geneva History Museum. The event, “Geneva’s Unfinished Revolutions,” will examine what the promises of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness mean in the community today.
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