By Scott Fallon, North Jersey News
Bacteria levels from a harmful algae bloom at Greenwood Lake are as much as 10 times higher than the state health standard, test results show.
Water samples taken Monday from the New Jersey-side of the lake show cyanobacteria levels at 212,000 cells per milliliter, significantly more than the safe threshold of 20,000 cells per milliliter, according to lab results posted by the state Department of Environmental Protection.
That was the highest reading recorded from water samples taken at four sites that has prompted an advisory against swimming or any contact with the water at the lake that spans nine miles from Passaic County into Orange County, New York.
The other results were still well above the state standard, at 61,000 in the northern section of the New Jersey side of the lake, 90,000 in a middle section and 148,000 cells per milliliter at Browns Point, a park on the lake in West Milford.
The lab results show bacteria levels rose this week from samples taken July 10. In one case the numbers doubled
The highest reading at Lake Hopatcong — another major recreational lake under siege by an algae bloom — was 179,000 cells per milliliter taken on June 27 from Mt. Arlington Beach.
On a conference call with reporters Thursday morning, DEP officials said that while the high cell count is concerning, it is hard to compare whether one outbreak is worse than another.
“The numbers are going to rise and fall throughout the event,” said Robert Newby, a DEP microbiologist.
DEP officials said they suspect a combination of heavy rainfall, rising temperatures and climate change contributed to some of North Jersey’s largest lakes being overwhelmed with algae, but said there was no definitive answer as to why it’s happening this summer.
Several lakes in other Northeast states, including New York and Pennsylvania, are being inundated with algae blooms, said Bruce Friedman, DEP’s director of water monitoring standards.
Related:
Another NJ lake gets hit with cyanobacteria
Lake Hopatcong’s phosphorous levels this June are the highest in 17 years
