KINGSTON – Harmful algal blooms have invaded the Wallkill River and Rondout creek in areas of Ulster County and the Riverkeeper organization’s Dan Shapley says people and pets should stay away from those waterways.
Shapley said those cyanobacteria produce dangerous toxins.
“We’ve seen the harmful algal bloom at points between New Paltz and west of Kingston in the Rondout Creek at Eddyville, the Creek Locks fishing access on Creek Locks Road. So, that’s about 14 miles between those two points,” he said. “It is seen in multiple places; it shifts and changes throughout the day and over days, so it is not constant over that entire stretch.”
Shapley said this is the first time an algal bloom as extensive occurred since 2016.
