NEW PALTZ BATTLING THE BLOOMS
Cuomo, on SUNY campus, calls algae problem ‘insidious’ and difficult to solve
Gov. Andrew Cuomo took on the role of science cheerleader Tuesday ahead of a summit on the SUNY New Paltz campus about ways to eradicate harmful algae blooms that are threatening bodies of water used for drinking and recreation.
Cuomo said there isn’t an obvious approach to addressing the problem, like dredging the Hudson River to remove PCBs or enacting emissions regulations to stop acid rain.
“This is more insidious,” the governor said. “There is no one cause that you can put your finger on. There is nothing that we can now go fix [where] one thing and it’s going to make a difference.
“Frankly it’s more frightening and more problematic,” he said.
Locally, the algae problem is particularly notable in the Wallkill River, which passes through New Paltz.
Algae is known scientifically as microcystis and emits toxins that are harmful to humans.
The summit at SUNY New Paltz, held after Cuomo spoke, was one of four being held across the state on the topic of algae blooms. Participants, among others, included experts from SUNY schools, Cornell University and the state Departments of Environmental Conservation
and Health.
The other three summits are planned for March 6 in Syracuse, March 20 in Ticonderoga and March 26 in Rochester.
Cuomo said harmful algae blooms, or HABs, have a variety of causes, including agricultural production and wastewater plants, that have not been addressed in environmental regulations.
“This is the law of unintended consequences,” he said. “These are a series of apparently random acts and situations that evolved over time that have created a problem that no one calculated out.”
Cuomo’s proposed state budget for 2018-19 includes a total of $65 million for four projects aimed at dealing with algae blooms that are threatening water systems. Included in the proposal are three Putnam County lakes that are part of the New York City watershed, and the Monhagen Reservoir in Orange County, which supplies drinking water to he city of Middletown.
The governor’s office said
12 bodies of water statewide that are vulnerable to HABs were studied in deciding where to dedicate state resources and that lessons learned from the study will be applied across New York.
Town of New Paltz Supervisor Neil Bettez said he’s pleased to see the algae problem getting state attention.
“We already have some world-class recreation here and we have some great businesses,” he said. “If we had the Wallkill [River], where people could swim and fish, that would be like the trifecta for the New Paltz area. I think eventually they’ll get the Wallkill clean, and I think that study is a nice first step . ...
“There are some days when it’s better than others, and some days that are really bad when you have the blooms,” Bettez said. “The way I look at that is ... all we have to do is increase he number of good days.”
Village of New Paltz Mayor Tim Rogers said state action could be key in keeping the village’s water supply clean.
“We have surface water where we source 30 to 40 percent New Paltz’s drinking water,” Rogers said. “We
have the four reservoirs up on Mountain Rest Road. We don’t currently have a problem with [algae] blooms in those reservoirs, but I think the more the state understands this ... we’ll be further ahead of the game if we do ever have a problem.”
The state Department of Environmental Conservation says cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, produce the most common algae blooms in water bodies and grow rapidly during hot weather.
“HABs can reduce the recreational value of a water body due to unpleasant appearances and odors,” the department said in a written statement. “HABs cause a variety of ecological problems, such as reduced oxygen levels. The factors that cause cyanobacteria to produce toxins and other harmful compounds are not well understood.”
Rogers said people who have tried to swim in the Wallkill River when there are significant algae blooms can testify to the severity of the local problem.
“We hear stories all the time about folks who swim in the Wallkill and end up feeling ill for several days,” he said.