Monday June 30, 2025 Honeoye Lake Water Quality
- Terry Gronwall
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
Monday June 30, 2025 Honeoye Lake Water Quality
Surface Water Temperature: ~77.5 F
Water Clarity: ~10.9 Feet
Lake Level: 803.1 Feet above sea level
Observations: Monday (6/30/25), Water clarity was ~10.9 feet the same as the last week. The surface water temperature was ~77.5 F the about an increase of 1.0 F over the last week. It was a sunny day with a calm wind today. It was a very nice day to be out on Honeoye Lake.
We found a significant increase in Gloeotrichia (lots of small spikes) in the open water column. See picture on the left. Also found Anabaena (Dolchospermum) (looks like a spring or chain of beads) and Aphanizomenon (looks like a leaf). We did not find any and Limnoraphis (looks like a rod). You should be watchful for Gloeotrichia, Anabaena, and Aphanizomenon blooms lake wide. These are all blue-green (cyanobacteria) algae species. We expect to see Gloeotrichia, Anabaena, and Aphanizomenon blooms over the next few weeks particularly when we have 80-90 F days with calm winds. See microscope pictures below: More information on Gloeotrichia and Anabaena can be found at: https://www.honeoyelakewatershed.org/habs
Several research studies have found that most of the phosphorus that fuels Honeoye Lake’s blue-green algae blooms is released from the lake bottom sediments when the lake’s dissolved oxygen level goes below 0.5 mg/L in the deeper parts of the lake breaking the phosphors/iron bond in the bottom sediments releasing phosphorus into the water column. The dissolved oxygen (DO) level near the lake bottom at ~9 m (~30 feet) was 0.28 mg/L today. This means that phosphorus is currently being released from the deep bottom sediments into the deepest part of the lake water. When we have a complete lake mixing event the deep lake water, with excessive amounts of phosphorus, will be mixed with the whole water column potentially fueling a blue-green algae bloom. Lake was stratified (i.e. had a thermocline) at ~6 m (~19.8 feet) deep. Today's temperature and DO graphs are above on the left.
The Curly Leaf Pond Weed is growing to the water’s surface in many areas of the lake now. Curly Leaf Pond Weed is an invasive macrophyte (Aquatic Vegetation) that grows to the water’s surface starting in late May and dies off naturally by late June or early July. Its leaves look like Lasagna.
We will not start making our blue-green algae surveillance runs until early July.
As of today, there has not been any public Honeoye Lake HAB reports submitted to the DEC HABs alert map (NYHABS) yet this year. However, we reported the open water Gloeotrichia bloom we found today to the DEC HABs alert map (NYHABS).
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:
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Click on the link below to see the Honeoye Lake Watershed Task Force 2025 Winter Newsletter:
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Please click on the link below to read the FLCC Muller Field Station April 2025 Newsletter and register for one of their winter events:
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All operators of motorized vessels, regardless of age, will need a boating safety certificate by January 1, 2025.
Click on the link below for more information and the schedule of local NYS Safe Boating classes:
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Click on the link below to see the Honeoye Lake Watershed Stormwater Toolkit:
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Click on the link below to see the Honeoye Lake Watershed Task Force 2025 Winter Newsletter:
****
Please click on the link below to read the FLCC Muller Field Station April 2025 Newsletter and register for one of their winter events:
****
All operators of motorized vessels, regardless of age, will need a boating safety certificate by January 1, 2025.
Click on the link below for more information and the schedule of local NYS Safe Boating classes:
****
Click on the link below to see the Honeoye Lake Watershed Stormwater Toolkit:
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