Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced New York will test a new program to remove toxic algal blooms from bodies of water. The state will start with Lake Agawam in Southampton Village, Long Island.
“Long Island really is, in some ways, the test case for the greatest environmental challenges in the state.”
The state Department of Environmental Conservation will deploy a mobile algae harvester to filter the harmful contaminants from the water.
“This will be a two-week test. We want to have 10 solid days of operations on this lake. We will take that science, that data and again apply this to our considerations over the winter and determine how to apply this to the next algae, algal blooms next season,” said Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos.
If the pilot is successful, the DEC plans to expand it to other locations.
State agencies have allocated more than $82 million in grants for projects to address nitrogen pollution that cause algal blooms.
