14
BROOKLYN WEEKLY, JUNE 9, 2019
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Toxic tides
Killer algae returns to Prospect Park
for sixth-consecutive summer
BY COLIN MIXSON
The blue death is back!
Summer has returned to
Brooklyn’s Backyard, and
with it comes outdoor fun,
barbecues, and a seasonal
bloom of toxic blue-green
algae, which can give you a
rash and kill your dog.
Offi cials with the State
Department of Environmental
Conservation have
confi rmed a May 28 sighting
of the noxious goo
found fl oating on the western
edge of Prospect Park
Lake, and are currently investigating
two additional
reports labeled as “suspicious”
on a new interactive
algae map the agency published
online.
This is the sixth-consecutive
summer that the
toxic algae, or cyanobacteria,
has bloomed in
Prospect Park Lake, and
meadow stewards at the
Prospect Park Alliance are
currently in the process
of installing signs around
the water instructing park
patrons steer clear of the
hazardous material, and
restrict their pet’s nautical
activities to Dog Beach,
which is located near the
Long Meadow section of
the park and remains safe
from the toxin.
The blue-green algae
lies relatively dormant in
Prospect Park Lake during
most of the year, but the
aquatic fl ora blooms during
the summer, appearing
like blue-green paint on the
water’s surface and producing
two types of deadly toxins.
The fi rst wreaks havoc
upon the liver, producing
symptoms that include
vomiting, seizures, black
feces, and diarrhea within
24 hours of being ingested,
making the algae a fatal
threat to man’s best friend,
who can die within days of
lapping up the lake.
Even more deadly, the
algae also excretes a lethal
neurotoxin that yields immediate
GROSS!: Blue-green algae found near the western bank of Prospect
Park Lake on May 28. Department of Environmental Conservation
symptoms, which
include severe drooling and
tearing, muscle spasms,
and tremors.
In extreme cases, animals
can die within an
hour of ingestion.
Two-legged park patrons
— who are expected
to refrain from drinking
lake water with, or without
toxic algae — should
take caution not to touch
the stuff, which can cause
a nasty rash for Brooklyn
boaters and anglers fi shing
on the lake.
The blue-green algae
feeds on phosphates found
in the city’s water supply,
which itself feeds the
lake, and the Alliance was
awarded a $390,000 state
grant to fund the installation
of two fi ltration systems
designed to prevent
the algae’s favorite food
from entering the park.
That was in 2017, and
while the all-natural fi ltration
systems has yet to be
installed, Alliance spokeswoman
Lucy Gardner said
the organization is on the
cusp of selecting a contractor,
which should have the
fi lters up and running before
the season’s out.
Meanwhile, state offi -
cials are encouraging locals
to use the Department
of Environmental Conservation’s
new algae map to
track and report potential
blooms, according to DEC
Commissioner Basil Seggos.
“The state’s new notifi
cation system allows
New Yorkers to be more
informed than ever before
about the location of harmful
algae blooms so they
can better protect themselves,
their families, and
their pets,” said Seggos.
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