Surface Water Temperature: 79.3 F
Water Clarity: 17.0 Feet
Lake Level: 803.0 Feet above sea level
Lake Level Relative to Weir: -0.5 Feet
Observations: Monday (7/6/20), There was a light Gloeotrichia (blue-green algae) bloom visible in the water column. We did not see any surface algae scum in near shore areas. Gloeotrichia is an early summer species of blue-green algae that gets its nutrients directly from the bottom sediments during the winter and spring. https://www.honeoyelakewatershed.org/habs
Water clarity has increased by ~2 feet to 17 feet since last week. This is over 2X higher than we usually see in early July (Water Clarity ~8 Feet). Surface water temperature increased by ~3 F to 79.3 F.
Given the surface water temperature of 79.3 F and the weather forecast for high air temperatures around 90 F for the rest of this week, we are in a high-risk zone for new blue-green algae blooms. Blue-green algae blooms usually occur when we have surface water temperature near 80 F, clear sunny sky, calm winds, and excessive nutrients in the water.
Always use your own visual assessment before making contact with the lake water at this time of year as the blue-green algae situation can change daily if not hourly. Please regularly check the DEC HABs alert map for more detailed updates on Honeoye Lake HABs alerts: