For years, harmful algae blooms have tainted various Long Island waters, but local residents got a harsh wakeup on a long-term problem when three dogs in North Carolina died hours after frolicking in a pond with toxic blue-green algae. Suffolk County consistently tops the state’s counties in the number of ponds, lakes and other fresh waters colonized by cyanobacteria, a blue-green or green algae with a paint-like, scummy appearance floating on the surface, said biologist Chris Gobler, a Stony Brook University professor who has been testing waters for this algae since 2003.
Credit: Newsday / Chris Ware

Harmful algae blooms have tainted various Long Island fresh waters for years, but local residents got a harsh wake-up on an annual hot-weather problem when three dogs in North Carolina died after frolicking in a pond with the toxic bacteria.   

Suffolk County consistently tops the state’s counties in the number of ponds, lakes and other freshwaters colonized by cyanobacteria, a blue-green or green algae with a paint-like, scummy appearance floating on the surface, said biologist Chris Gobler, a Stony Brook University professor who has been testing waters for this algae since 2003. 

This summer in Suffolk, cyanobacteria has been suspected or confirmed in 19 bodies of water, including 12 in just the past two weeks, according to state data. None has been reported in Nassau this year. 

The bacteria proliferates in high heat and this July was the hottest month on Earth, according to weather records kept since 1880. 

“I think the whole country is becoming more aware of these algae blooms,” Gobler said, “Part of it is this is a climate change story. Around the country, the window of opportunity for these to occur keeps getting wider and wider.”