COCHECTON, NY — At the September 9 town board meeting, the council discussed the state of the algae bloom in Lake Huntington. Although supervisor Gary Maas, indicated the problem is not bad and that it’s under control, he also said the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) took samples of the water the previous week, and the results should be available in a few weeks. DEC is monitoring oxygen levels, among others, and has public access to the lake.

The town’s Keep Cochecton Green Committee’s liaison Jerold Yavarkovsky reported, “The algae bloom is getting worse.” This year, the bloom came early, and there’s visible sea-weed like vegetation floating on the lake shore seen from Route 52 hugging the western shore.

“A lot of people use the lake; it has to be a large number of between 160 to 200 people,” Maas said.

Swimming and other activities in the lake are safe at the moment, although Yavarkovsky said he’d come across conjunctivitis after being in contact with the water. “When the water turns green, then the algae problem is bad,” he acknowledged, adding people should not go into the water at that point.

In other business, board member Larry Richardson mentioned an event coming that features the area’s rich history. The first annual Fall Forum will be presented by The Delaware Company on November 14 at 10 a.m. at SUNY Sullivan, titled “The Future of History: Roles, Resources, and Relating Our Stories” with presentations by many organizations, including regional county historians.