DEC: Discoloration on Owasco Lake not harmful algal blooms
An unidentified green discoloration on much of Owasco Lake seen earlier this week is not a harmful algal bloom, the state Department of Environmental Conservation said Wednesday. The DEC's Finger Lakes Watershed Hub first collected ... more
Cayuga County Water Quality Management unveils new website as central hub for water issues
The Cayuga County Water Quality Management Agency recently unveiled a redesigned website as part of a greater push to provide a central location for residents seeking information on water quality issues. The website, www.cayugacountywater.org, contains ... more
Mentz manure lagoon work halted by DEC
The manure lagoon construction that caught Mentz residents by surprise last week has currently ceased progress due to a notice of violation issued by the state's Department of Environmental Conservation. The DEC had stated on ... more
HABs strike Cayuga Lake earlier than last year, but no ‘high toxins’ yet
Harmful algal blooms, or HABs, on Cayuga Lake have come earlier and more often than last summer, when confirmed outbreaks prompted an off-season ramp-up of shoreline monitoring and sample testing for the 2018 season. While ... more
DEC holds off decision on Seneca Meadows mining permit renewal
Normally, the state Department of Environmental Conservation would have issued a decision by now on Seneca Meadows’ application for a five-year renewal of its mined land reclamation permit. However, the Seneca Falls landfill has agreed ... more
INSIDE THE FLX: Environmental issues take center stage in the Finger Lakes (podcast)
When the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced that they would be slashing a proposal by a Houston-based energy company, many in the region called it a 'win'. That proposal would have resulted ... more
Casella says recycling market is declining
Officials at Casella Waste Services, operator of the Ontario County Landfill, are concerned about the decline in markets and prices for selling recycled materials. In addition to depositing household waste, Casella operates a Material Recovery ... more
DEC extends deadline for Lake Ontario flood relief funds
Senator Pam Helming announced that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has extended the application deadline for the Lake Ontario General Permit as well as the expiration date of the permit. This will ... more
Harmful algal blooms steal Finger Lakes swim days — and some lifeguards’ wages
Harmful algal blooms are doing more than just closing beaches this summer— they may also be pushing people out of jobs. Gavin VanHorn, a village of Aurora lifeguard who works at the Wells College dock ... more
Gas Free Seneca joins Seneca Lake Guardian, focuses on incinerator
Gas Free Seneca was formed eight years ago to fight a proposal by a Texas company to store liquid propane and butane in underground, abandoned salt caverns on the southwest side of Seneca Lake in ... more
Talk at CCC explores ‘explosion’ of harmful algal blooms
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry professor Dr. Greg Boyer delivered a wide-ranging presentation Thursday evening at Cayuga Community College on the topic of harmful algal blooms with a focus on what caused last ... more
Neighbors in the Village of Fair Haven fed up with weeds in the water
This is Little Sodus Bay-a slice of paradise that Nancy Howe and her family call home each summer. Just catching their breath after record flooding last year, Nancy says weeds in the water are spoiling ... more
MANTIUS: Cuomo’s conflicting interests collide over plan for Cayuga plant
An affiliate of the politically-connected Blackstone Group seeks to convert one of the two coal-fired units at its Cayuga Lake power plant to burn natural gas, hauled in by truck. The plant, built in Lansing ... more
MANTIUS: Keuka Outlet fouls drinking water, fuels toxic algae
Along the waterfront near Dresden, residents don’t dare drink their tap water, which is drawn directly from one of the most polluted sections of Seneca Lake. Their water is being fouled by the Keuka Outlet, ... more
Restart of Greenidge Power Plant hinged on DEC downplaying toxic landfill
A coal ash landfill next to the Greenidge Generation power plant continues to discharge heavy metals into the Keuka Outlet and local groundwater more than three years after it formally committed to a complete cleanup ... more
Taughannock Falls swimming area reopens after negative test results of algal blooms
The Taughannock Falls State Park swimming area reopened Tuesday morning after being closed since Friday over the possibility of harmful algal blooms within the water. Lab results came back negative on Monday, according to Fred ... more
Cornell researcher points to myriad causes of harmful algal blooms
Cornell University ecosystem scientist Dr. Robert Howarth thinks he may have an answer for why harmful algal blooms on the region's lakes last year were so bad, according to a presentation he gave to the ... more
Swimming area at Wells College closed because of algae blooms
The swimming area next to the dock at Wells College has been closed under an order by the Cayuga County Department of Health due to the presence of harmful algal blooms. The college said in ... more
Taughannock closed for weekend due to suspected Harmful Algal Bloom
Following reports of a suspected algal bloom at Taughannock Falls State Park, the swimming area has been closed for the weekend until further notice. Cayuga Lake is currently being monitored for Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB's), ... more
Algal blooms continue on Cayuga Lake, beaches and Wells dock closed
Harmful algal blooms have already been identified on Cayuga Lake this summer and some beaches are currently closed as officials await water sample results. On July 5, a suspicious bloom was reported at the Wells ... more
MANTIUS: DEC kills Crestwood’s plan to store LPG next to Seneca Lake
The state’s top environmental regulator on Thursday halted a controversial gas storage project proposed for caverns next to Seneca Lake, ending a fierce eight-year battle between midwestern fossil fuel interests and local residents and businesses ... more
