Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) Notifications Page

• HABs Locations Map
• What if the map shows a HAB on my waterbody?
• Information not on the map
• What the map shows
• How to filter and print NYHABS records by lake or county name
• Report HABs
• Avoid HABs

HAB Locations in New York State

NYHABS (leaves DEC website) displays the location of current freshwater (non-marine) HABs in New York State. Try switching browsers if the application does not load properly.

Map Icons

• Blue icon with black halo: Current HABs have been reported through DEC's reporting system within the last two weeks.
• Blue icon without black halo: Archived HABs have been reported through DEC's reporting system within the current season.

NYHABS can also be accessed at: on.ny.gov/nyhabs leaves DEC website).

What if the map shows a HAB on my waterbody?

Avoid contact with HABs. HABs in large lakes or rivers may be limited to specific shorelines or confined bays. Portions of any of these waterbodies may be clear and fully support recreational uses.

The public should use the information on this site to help them to make informed decisions about where and when to recreate, particularly outside of designated swimming areas. Swimmers and recreational users should remember that health and safety cannot be assured outside of designated swimming areas- for more swimming information, visit DEC's swimming webpage.

The NYHABS map does not include:

• Marine HABs, such as red tide and brown tides.
• Other types of algal blooms such as filamentous green algae.
• Some HABs on Lake Champlain
  • HABs reported from New York State beaches on Lake Champlain will be displayed on NYHABS, but not all Lake Champlain HABs reports will be included. For information about HABs on Lake Champlain, visit the Lake Champlain Committee monitoring page and the Vermont Department of Health's cyanobacteria notification page (links leave DEC website.)
• Information about beach closures and drinking water are available from DEC's swimming page, or your local health department (leaves DEC website).
• HABs from previous years. Visit the HABs Archive page to see lists of waterbodies that were listed on the notification web page in previous years.

What the NYHABS map shows

Each dot on NYHABS represents an individual HAB report, and includes the date of the report, the HAB status, the extent of the bloom, who submitted the report, the county, and any photos submitted with the report.

HAB Status

DEC HABs Program staff use visual observations, digital photographs and laboratory sampling results to determine whether a reported bloom consists of cyanobacteria (which would indicate a HAB), or another type of algae. If the bloom is thought to be a HAB, it is labeled with one of three statuses, described below. Exposure to blooms can pose health risks to people and pets, regardless of whether toxins are present.* Therefore, people and animals should avoid any visible blooms.

• Suspicious Bloom: DEC staff were unable to determine whether the report indicated a cyanobacteria HAB because photos were not provided, or the report was otherwise inconclusive.
• Confirmed Bloom: DEC staff determined that conditions fit the criteria of a HAB, based on visual observations, digital photographs, and/or water sampling results.
• Confirmed with High Toxins Bloom: Water sampling results have confirmed that there are toxins present in enough quantities to potentially cause health effects if people and animals come in contact with the water through swimming or drinking.

*Some HABs can produce toxins, some do not. However, exposure to any HABs can cause health effects in people and animals when water with blooms is touched, swallowed, or when airborne droplets are inhaled. Exposure to high levels of HABs and their toxins can cause diarrhea, nausea or vomiting; skin, eye or throat irritation; and allergic reactions or breathing difficulties.

Extent

The extent of the bloom is a rough estimate of the size of the bloom within the waterbody and is recorded by monitoring program staff or from public reports.

• Small Localized: Bloom affects a small area of the waterbody, limited from one to several neighboring properties.
• Large Localized: Bloom affects many properties within an entire cove, along a large segment of the shoreline, or in a specific region of the waterbody.
• Widespread or Lakewide: Bloom affects the entire waterbody, a large portion of the lake, or most to all of the shoreline.
• Open Water: Sample was collected near the center of the lake and may indicate that the bloom is widespread and conditions may be worse along shorelines or within recreational areas. Special precautions should be taken in situations when a Confirmed with High Toxins Bloom is reported with an Open Water extent because toxins are likely to be even higher in shoreline areas.

Reported by

The data provider is also listed for each record on NYHABS. Reports may come from the public, or other monitoring programs such as the DEC Lake Classification and Inventory (LCI) Program, Citizen Statewide Lake Assessment Program volunteers, and partner HABs monitoring programs.

How to filter records on NYHABS

NYHABS records can be filtered by county and waterbody.

To filter records on the map:

• Click on the funnel in the info tab on NYHABS, labeled "Filter HAB reports".
• Users may filter either just one type of HAB report (current or archived) or both.
• Select the lake or county from the dropdown and toggle the filter on. The filter is on if the toggle is green.
• Only waterbodies or counties with HAB reports will appear in the dropdown choices.
• To turn off filters, and view the entire data set, either refresh the page, or turn off the filters so the toggles are grey.

How to print records from NYHABS

NYHABS also has a print records feature. The printing feature will only print those records displayed on the map. If any filters are enabled, only those records will be printed.

To print records:

• Click on the print records widget in the info tab on NYHABS, labeled "Print HAB records".
• Use one of the two drawing methods to select the records for printing.
• Draw a box around the desired HAB records.
• Click the print records button.
• Select from both or either of the current or archived HABs records.
• Hit the printer icon to start printing.
• Select the desired layout, or paper size.
• Select print again.
• A new window will open with a .pdf report with a map of the boxed records.
• Select the print icon on the top of the ribbon to save or print.
• Directions are also available on the info tab for NYHABS.

Report a HAB through the NYHABS system

Use the Suspicious Algal Bloom Report Form (leaves DEC website).

If you are a participant in a HABs reporting program, please refer to the HABs Reporting Guide (PDF).