Waiting For Results on Algae Alert, Sodus Bay
By: Caroline Tucker
Updated: June 18, 2012
A team from SUNY's Environmental Science and Forestry school in Syracuse is testing blue-green algae blooms that popped up in Sodus Bay over the weekend.
If found toxic, it can be harmful to people and animals.
Residents are watching it closely.
This weekend, Save Our Sodus, issued a blue-green algae alert on its website.
By Monday though the water was clear.
"It was a very small bloom a few pockets here and there around the marina. Fortunately it's been windy so that's dissipated," said Debbie Agostinelli, Katlynn Marine General Manager.
Agostinelli is also a member of Save Our Sodus.
She will tell you that boaters are what makes her business sail.
She doesn't like to remember the summer of 2010, when blue-green algae wreaked havoc on the bay.
"That was devastating for us happened a week or two for labor day weekend and that is the largest weekend for transient customers so we lost 25 to 30 boats coming to Sodus Bay," said Agostinelli.
Up from the marina, Fred Weichmann is on summer vacation from Florida.
He also remembers 2010, when his kids and grandkids didn't go swimming.
"We didn't really use what we call this big beach on the point," said Fred Weichmann, a homeowner.
Many marinas are now using "bubblers" to stir up the water.
Agostinelli said the algae forms on still water.
"We put them in any still corner so that it stops the growth from happening," she said.
A boat known as a weeder also goes through the water to bring up weeds and stop growth of the harmful algae.
Also happening this summer: a three-year grant is providing funding for testing of liquid hydrogen peroxide.
It will be put on some hot spots to try to prevent algae growth.
Multiple efforts are in place following the outbreak in 2010.
"People shouldn't panic because we have a lot more systems in place in order to test the water," said Agostinelli.
Fred says he is not sure what to expect this summer, but he hopes the prevention efforts help.
"Some good things will come out of it an hopefully that will be the case," said Weichmann.
The SUNY ESF team hopes to have test results by Tuesday.
They will be posted on the Save Our Sodus website here.
