LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — Councilman Paul Salzberg, Lake Huntington Lake Association (LHLA) liaison, reported at the Cochecton Town Board’s April 10 meeting that LHLA had received two recommendations for relieving the lake’s multi-year toxic algae bloom.

Both recommendations come from scientists the LHLA consulted regarding the algae bloom. After extensive testing of water samples taken from the lake over a period of months, the scientists presented two options proven effective in lakes of similar size and with algae blooms of similar kind and cause (nutrient runoff). Copper sulfate, a chemical additive applied during periods of low lake usage, is the more cost effective of the two. The alternative, lake aeration, avoids the need for chemicals but comes with a $20,000 price tag.

The LHLA is a not-for-profit organization of lakefront property owners formed to find a lasting solution to what is potentially a long-term pathological condition within the lake. In addition to being unsightly, the algae bloom is a threat to fish, other aquatic animals and insects, and may be harmful to people and pets as well. Salzberg, a medical doctor, has previously expressed concerns, his own and those of others in LHLA, about recreational use of the lake and consumption of fish caught in it.

Aeration works by adding dissolved oxygen to the lake. According to an EPA publication [http://bit.ly/EPATrr], dissolved oxygen (DO) is the amount of oxygen that is present in water. When oxygen levels in the lake are increased, the existing beneficial aerobic bacteria can also thrive and are better able to compete with algae for nutrients. Water bodies receive oxygen from the atmosphere and from aquatic plants. Running water, such as that of a swift moving stream, dissolves more oxygen than the still water of a pond or lake. The amount of DO in water is a universal measure of water quality.

Copper sulfate is an algaecide, bactericide and fungicide. It kills algae by binding to it, which damages the algae cells, causing them to leak and die. Essential to carbon life forms, copper is highly soluble in water. In excess, it can be lethal to plants because it prevents photosynthesis. It is also an irritant; direct contact with it can cause eye and mucous membrane irritation and inflammation. Prolonged exposure to high levels of copper sulfate have been linked to liver and kidney disease as well as blood disorders, according to the National Pesticide Information Center [http://bit.ly/CopperTRR].

Periodic treatment of Lake Huntington with copper sulfate for one year would be a fraction of the cost of treatment by aeration.