Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Event Information
Bloom Code 24-3458-B1
Where
Water Body Cayuga Lake
Latitude and Longitude 42.92546, -76.7287
Segment Lakeshore Segment Northeast 1: Northern Marshes to Harris Park
County Cayuga
Extent Large Localized
When
Bloom Reported August 13, 2024
Bloom Sampled August 13, 2024
Microscopic Examination August 14, 2024
What
Bloom Genera [1]
Microscopy Present Dominant
Dolichospermum
Microcystis
Bloom Chemistry
Total Chlorophyll a 6830.0 ug/L
Total Microcystin and Nodularins (EPA 546) [2] 2359.0 ug/L
[1] Genera - plural of genus, a category of classification in biology that ranks between the family level and the species level. Because there are many different species of bacteria that are difficult to distinguish, it is more useful to classify bacteria by genus rather than species.
[2] Microcystin
Map of HAB event
Bloom Description

Volunteer reports: Water temperature 70.5 F; air temperature 66 F; at 6:30 am (air temperature 63, and shoreline in the shade) the lake was completely still and the bloom was well established already. The skies started out cloudy but have cleared and given way to sunshine. The bloom became more dense by 9 am and it extended along the shoreline to the southern end of our zone and beyond to the adjacent zone. It extended out into the lake from the shoreline at least 20 feet. We checked the northern end of our zone at the Cayuga Marina and the water there was clear. It’s otherwise unknown how far north of the sample location the bloom extends. The wind has picked up now at 10:00a and the bloom has broken up except where it has become concentrated at the edge of accumulated pondweed in the neighbor’s little inlet.