ITHACA, NY (607NewsNow) – Swimming at Taughannock Falls is currently closed.

Park officials say the shutdown is due to blue-green algae in the water.

In 2024, Cayuga Lake saw the highest recorded number of harmful algal blooms since tracking began.

The Ithaca Voice reports this season’s first bloom was spotted at the north end of the lake on July 4, but it has not been tested yet for the toxin that makes them harmful. Three more suspected blooms were submitted to the Community Science Institute yesterday.

There have been recent pushes from government officials and nonprofit groups to centralize a reporting system and use the data to formulate preventative action plans.

“Not only are HABs toxic to humans and animals and destructive to natural ecosystems, for years, consistent summer-long outbreaks have been decimating the economy of many of our communities that depend on ecotourism dollars to support their local businesses,” said Assemblymember Anna Kelles in February 2024.

In September 2024, the NYS DEC announced the Pollution Protection Plan for the Cayuga Lake Watershed. It aims to reduce pollution of one major cause of harmful algal blooms, phosphorus, by 30%.