Enacts the "harmful algal bloom monitoring and prevention act"

• Democratic3
• Republican2

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Rachel May says this is needed

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs), once rare in New York State, now routinely occur in our reservoirs, lakes, and ponds. In 2022 alone the DEC reported 1,053 number of HABs outbreaks in 204 unique water bodies in 52 counties across the state including a significant number of outbreaks in NYC. The highest incidence of outbreaks occurred in the Finger Lakes with the highest incidence in Cayuga Lake with 88 confirmed cases, however HABs are also appearing in other water bodies statewide. Beyond their use for recreation, our lakes provide important food sources for local fishers and drinking water for millions of New Yorkers. These blooms result from the uncontrolled growth of certain aquatic algae which produce dangerous toxins that pollute drinking water, harm human health, and threaten some of the remaining accessible surface freshwater on Earth. They also threaten critical economic drivers, which, for exam- ple, in the Finger Lakes region, represents a $3.2 billion tourism industry that supports over 60,000 jobs. The increase of HABs in New York's fresh water bodies is driven by the climate crisis and poor watershed management practices, which result in warming waters and high nutrient inputs. In 2017, a HAB appeared on Skaneateles Lake for the first time in 30 years, threatening the water supply for 200,000 people, including the city of Syracuse. A SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) Professor Emeritus called it "a serious wake-up call." Without coordinated intervention, HABs in the Finger Lakes and across the state have been escalating and will certainly continue to worsen over time. The DEC has begun this important process with the 2018 multi-agency HABs Initiative, including water-body specific HABs Action Plans and targeted mitigation studies. However, while we now have more information about where HABs are appearing, we still lack comprehensive information about the sources of HABs, and thus the means to implement forward-looking solutions in the most effective way. While the general drivers of HABs are known (high temperatures and excessive nutrient loads), effective solutions have so, far remained elusive as the problem worsens. This is because the specific combination of factors that lead to HABs on any given water body is complex (depend- ing on lake size, depth, watershed features, etc.), and because there is a lack of comprehensive, longitudinal data on water body temperature, nutrients, and HABs occurrence. Compounding the difficulty in identify- ing sources of the problem is that efforts at HABs mitigation have so far been local and waterbody-specific. This means they have been rela- tively isolated from one another, lacking in the coordination that could allow us to identify patterns in aggregate data and fully harness exist- ing knowledge and funding resources. This bill would charge the DEC with establishing a coordinated system of HABs monitoring, evaluation, prevention and mitigation, finally putting New York State on a path to be able to predict and prevent the occur- rence of Harmful Algal Blooms in our water bodies. It would not require new monitoring efforts by DEC staff.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.