State Senator Rachel May is continuing her push to combat harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the Finger Lakes and across New York State.
Speaking on FLX Morning with Paul Szmal, May said that work needs to be done to protect Owasco Lake.
“Owasco Lake is sadly having some of the worst [HABs] so we really have to get a full understanding of this and figure out what we can do to intervene.”
May went on to add that one of the issues with combatting HABs is the lack of research on them.
“We know that it’s related to global warming and we know that nutrient runoff into the water is part of the issue, but we don’t know everything about harmful algal blooms.”
She has previously secured funding for clean water initiatives and supported legislation to increase research into the causes of blooms as well as make that information more easily shared in the hopes of generating solutions to the perennial problem of HABs.
May’s district includes all or part of four Finger Lakes – Cayuga, Owasco, Skaneateles, and Otisco – as well as parts of Lake Ontario and Onondaga Lake.
The state senator’s comments come after continued calls by the City of Auburn and the Town of Owasco for the state to intervene and protect the health of the source of drinking water for over 40,000 people.
These efforts hit a major roadblock last month when the Department of Health announced it would not update the Rules & Regulations that protect Owasco Lake and its watershed. The next day, two beaches on the lake had to be closed due to HABs.
The city and town, along with the Owasco Watershed Lake Association, have sued New York State, alleging the Department of Health has violated the constitutional rights of Auburn and Owasco residents under the Environmental Rights Amendment to the state constitution which guarantees New Yorkers the right to clean drinking water.
Owasco Lake is the source of drinking water for the City of Auburn, the Villages of Cayuga, Port Byron, and Weedsport, and the Towns of Aurelius, Brutus, Fleming, Mentz, Montezuma, Owasco, Sennett, Springport, and Throop.
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