On the shores of Owasco Lake in Cayuga County is where the city of Auburn draws its drinking water, but before it gets to your tap, they have to treat it for toxins, like harmful algal blooms.

Auburn’s Municipal Utilities Director Seth Jensen and Chief Water Plant Operator John West found a harmful algal bloom on Owasco Lake. They want residents to be aware of what to do if they find blooms like it, as well. 

“Know it, report it, and avoid it when you see it. I wonder how far it goes out,” said Jensen. 

Harmful Algal Blooms are dangerous on the surface, but they’re also dangerous in drinking water, and since it’s HAB season, that means it’s more work for West. 

“Generally, we’ll start treating late August into early November. Over the last few years, that's kind of when it’s ended,” said West.

That work begins in Auburn’s upper pump station in Emerson Park.

It pulls water from Owasco Lake, and then they add activated carbon. The carbon pulls harmful bacteria from the water, and this year Jensen says the machine is working overdrive.

“It's just been seasonably dry, you know, you get a year like this where you don’t have much coming in from Mother Nature. There’s not a lot of water leaving the lake either,” said Jensen. 

Jensen and West are constantly watching the water and testing it multiple times a week so when it gets to your house, it’s crystal clear and safe to drink.