The following announcement was released by City Hall today. The announcement appears on the City of Hudson website, but the author of the announcement is not known.
Oakdale Lake in the city of Hudson, NY, is closed to all water-related activities until further notice due to recent signs of harmful algal blooms (HAB) that can cause illnesses in both humans & pets.
What appears as paint splattered floating on the surface of the water can be a type of blue-green algae such as cyanobacteria. We keep an eye out for these signs, especially because of our multi-year study on the water quality at Oakdale, but have not seen this affect our lake in years past. Recent environmental conditions were ideal for this to occur. We just experienced the hottest month on record, followed by heavy rainstorms, which causes lots of fertilizer run-off from lawns, which then flows into the lake, which is the perfect recipe for HABs. This is usually the time of year when the most HABs are seen in this region.
Avoid skin contact, inhalation, and ingestion with the lake water. Symptoms could include itchy or irritated skin, difficulty breathing, allergic reactions, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting. Wash off immediately with soap and clean water. This goes for dogs as well which sometimes can be fatal for our fur friends. Out of an abundance of precaution we are informing the public to avoid contact with the lake until we and the water have more clarity on the matter and get results back from testing.
No swimming, fishing, or boating. Keep dogs away. Water is unsafe.
How far should we stay away from the toxic water? How close is too close?
ReplyDeleteThe title of this post references the lyrics of a traditional song: "Mother may I go out to swim, / Yes my darling daughter, / Hang your clothes on a hickory limb, / But don't go near the water." I think you're safe, Bill, if you don't come in direct contact with the water.
DeleteFrom the looks of the numerous signs and warnings and caution tape blocking access to the beach, it appears the whole goddam park is a toxic zone to be avoided.
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