Water Quality Update for Friday, August 7th, 2026 | | Did someone forward you this email? Click HERE to subscribe directly. | | The CLWA Weather Station is located at Canandaigua BoatWorks on the east side of the lake. | | Looking south last weekend. It was a gorgeous day to be out boating, paddling, or swimming! | | |
Average lake surface temp, water clarity, and lake level all went down this week compared to last - and we continued to have more harmful algae bloom (HAB) reports come in. Kershaw beach was closed for swimming on Thursday and Friday due to HABs- and will reopen once DOH testing clears it as safe for swimming.
| | Weekly water clarity and temp data collected by our dedicated CLWA Citizen Science volunteers. You can see that average clarity is again lower this week - and the surface temp is a bit lower as well. | | How is 2026 comparing to 2025 so far? Average surface temps are just about the same right now as they were last year. Water clarity has seemed a bit better actually - but nothing statistically significant - and is overall very similar except for the difference at the beginning of the season. This week shows the most drastic difference since the spring. Last year this week our average clarity was 2.7 meters - the lowest reading of the season. This year our weekly average is 4 m this week. | | |
In this weeks update:
- HABs Update
- HABs look-alikes
- Summer Photo Contest
- Watershed Happenings - CDGA Mile, Jack Johnson, Invasives pull
- Upcoming events
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We had 10 HABs reports come in this week. Our HABs map shows where reports have come in this season to date. Reports have come in all on the north end of the lake so far - on both sides - and also mid-lake. All report have been streaking/spots - relatively light blooms. We haven't had any reports of very heavy, pea soup looking blooms yet. Our volunteers have collected some samples and they have been taken to Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith for analysis.
On Thursday morning the City of Canandaigua and Canandaigua Lake Watershed Council Watershed Program Manager, Kevin Olvany, responsed to reports of HABs near Kershaw and the north end of the lake. Kershaw Beach at the dog beach/small craft launch were closed. The wind picked up later in the day and the water appeared clear again by the end of the day. The Department of Health will be sampling the water and will reopen the beach when conditions are confirmed to be safe.
| | Kershaw beach and the small craft launch/dog beach at the north end of the Lake were closed on Thursday morning due to HABs. | | Confirmed bloom reports from volunteers have come in from the north end of the lake so far this summer on both sides and also mid lake. | photo from HAB report today - 8.7.26 from the east side south of Crystal Beach but north of Canandagiua Boatworks. | |
Remember: HABs are constantly changing.
They can appear, move, and disappear quickly. A bloom reported in one location does not mean that the entire lake is affected or that conditions are the same everywhere.
Our HAB map is a helpful tool for seeing where blooms have been reported, but it is not an exact, real-time picture of conditions across the lake. Before swimming, boating, or letting pets near the water, take a moment to look at the water where you are. If you see water that looks like spilled paint, pea soup, or has unusual discoloration or surface scum, stay out.
When in Doubt - Stay Out!
Knowledge is power! Knowing what HABs look like and staying informed can help you safely enjoy Canandaigua Lake all summer long. Stay observant, stay informed, and help us spread the word!
Scoll all the way to the bottom of this email for our general HABs reminders, resources, and ID info.
| | Harmful Algae Bloom (HAB) Look-a-likes | | |
We received multiple reports to our HABs@canandaigualakeassoc.org email last week with photos of potential HABs. Thank you to everyone for keeping an eye out and reporting when you see something suspicious! In this case - it was just a large floating mat of tiny plants - watermeal and duckweed - that grow in the West River - and had broken loose and were making their way north all week.
We are now receiving HABs reports from the north end - and there is some of this watermeal and duckweed mixed in - with cyanobacteria as well - so it can get confusing for sure. When in doubt - stay out! If you send us a photo - it can be hard to get a good one with the reflection of the water - but do your best to get a good close up photo.
| | CDGA Mile Race for Water Quality - Huge Success! | | |
It was another fabulous turn out for the 4th year of The Canandaigua Mile race on the morning of Sunday August 2nd in support of water quality! Over a hundred people came out of all ages to participate in spite of the looming threat of rain in the forecast!
A huge thank you to organizers, Abbie Sullivan and AJ Beers of Higher Peaks Racing, and there team for putting together this amazing event. You all are fabulous! Abbie is a Canandaigua native who comes back to the area to put the event on annually with her crew because Canandaigua Lake has always been near and dear to her heart. To offer this event in support of water quality efforts shows how much she cares for the Lake and it truly inspires others to come out and support the cause as well! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all your support and generosity! 💙🩵💙 Check-out their website to learn more about the event and their mission for the race here.
A huge thank you to New York Kitchen from CLWA and Higher Peaks Racing for donating the use of their gorgeous upstairs event space to host the after party and awards for the race. We are so grateful for your ongoing support and generosity over the years! You are a fabulous partner!
The rain did postpone the shoreline clean-up portion of the event. Keep a look out for a rescheduling of this event later summer or early fall.
Thank you again for everyone that made this event possible - Abbie, AJ, your team, NY Kitchen, local business sponsors, the City of Canandaigua, the City Police and of course all the participants. We appreciate you all so much!
| | Jack Johnson Match Campaign - We Met our Goal!! | | |
CLWA had a blast in the Village Green on July 1st at the Jack Johnson concert at CMAC. As part of our partnership with Jack Johnson's All At Once Foundation, we had another incredible opportunity. Donations up to $2,500 made to CLWA were MATCHED by the Johnson Ohana Foundation.
We are so happy to announce that we met the $2,500 goal!
Thank you so much to all our amazing supporters for making this possible. You helped us double the $2,5000 to $5,000 to help support efforts to protect Canandaigua Lake and its watershed. THANK YOU!
| Invasive Species Pull Event with Finger Lake PRISM | |
Even in rainy weather, we had quite the crew come out today to help pull European Frogbit from the West River at the South End of the lake on Wednesday, July 29th from 9 AM - 12 PM.
This invasive has been growing in population over the years unfortunately. We saw very little water chestnut which has been another invasive found here. Efforts to remove its prevalence have been successful!
With over 22 volunteers, Finger Lakes PRISM and CLWA staff, over 900 lbs of European frogbit was removed. Woo hoo!!
Thank you so much to the Finger Lakes PRISM for organizing this important event for us! They are amazing partners and we appreciate all the work they are doing to help protect the lake from invasive species.
Thank you again to all the amazing volunteers that came out today and we’re not afraid to get wet! You are amazing!!
| | CLWA Photo and Video Contest (Ends this weekend, enter today!) | | |
The CLWA Annual Photo & Video Contest is underway. We have many fabulous entries already! Keep them coming! Please share your photos and videos of our gorgeous watershed throughout the seasons today for the chance to win great local prizes! The winning photos are featured on our calendar and notecards every year.
- Voting begins July 1
- Entry Period Closes August 8
- Winners Announced by August 29
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When: Wednesday, September 16th, 6:00- 7:30 PM
Where: Heron Hill Tasting Room on Canandaigua Lake, 5323 Seneca Point Road, Canandaigua, NY 14424
Join Heron Hill and the CLWA for a special tour of the Heron Hill Vineyard's at the Heron Hill Tasting Room on Canandaigua Lake. You will learn about the history of the vineyards, its day to day operations, and all of their sustainability efforts implemented in order to help protect water quality!
You will also get to enjoy live music, light snacks, and have the opportunity to purchase some of the limited-edition Heron Hill wine crafted especially for CLWA. Wine's for sale include a Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc, crafted from grapes grown at Heron Hill’s Ingle Vineyards, located on the west side of Canandaigua Lake and owned by winery founders John and Josephine Ingle.
| | Trail Work Day with Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) | |
When: Friday, October 16th, 10:00AM-12:30PM and 1:30-4:00PM.
Where: Great Hill Preserve, 4756 S Hill Rd, Middlesex, NY 14507
Join the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Association and the Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) for a second year of trail work at the Great Hill Nature Preserve in Middlesex NY. The main focus of the day will be side- hilling and working on switchbacks. All gear, including gloves and clippers, will be provided by FLLT.
*Meet location will be Clark's Gully parking area because parking is a bit tricky at the preserve. We will then carpool to the preserve.*
Please wear appropriate attire for trail clean-up and bring plenty of water and a snack if you'd like.
*Registration is required so we know how many volunteers to expect! Thank you!*
*Rain date is October 23rd, 10:00 AM-12:30 PM and 1:30-4:00 PM*
| This Month is Packed with Exciting Partnerships! | 'Savor the Flavor. Support the Lake' Partnership Is Back! | August's special will be a Baja Flatbread - Toasted flatbread topped with street corn salad, crispy shrimp, pickled red onion, purple cabbage and drizzled with Nolan’s Baja sauce. | |
Now in its second year, the collaboration between Nolan's on Canandaigua Lake, Heron Hill Winery, and CLWA brings together local food, Finger Lakes wine, and lake stewardship to inspire residents and visitors alike to help protect the lake that make Canandaigua such a special place to live, work, and visit.
From July 1st through September 30, Nolan's will once again feature a limited-edition Heron Hill Winery Chardonnay in support of CLWA. A portion of every bottle sold will be donated to CLWA to advance our mission of protecting, preserving, and restoring Canandaigua Lake through science, education, and advocacy. Read all about the partnership here in the Democrat and Chronicle.
| Make a Splash Campaign with Wegmans | |
The Make A Splash Campaign is back at the Canandaigua Wegmans through the end of September! You can help by purchasing a limited-edition Make A Splash reusable bag or making a donation at checkout. Proceeds are shared equally between the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Council and the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Association.
Thank you to Wegmans and everyone who supports this community effort. Together, we're making a lasting difference for Canandaigua Lake.
| Join or renew your 2026 CLWA membership today! | |
Thank you for being a valued member of the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Association (CLWA). Because of your support, we’re able to protect and preserve the lake we all care so deeply about – and serve as a strong, trusted voice for the lake and its future.
Now is the time to renew your 2026 membership and help ensure Canandaigua Lake remains healthy for today and future generations. If you already renewed this year -- thank you!
With over 600 supporters and 85+ dedicated volunteers, only CLWA connects and communicates with our community about vital science-based information to help safeguard the lake and inspire a culture of stewardship. As advocates and the voice for the lake, we use citizen science, education, and outreach to empower our community to take meaningful action.
Every dollar you give fuels the science, education, outreach, and advocacy needed to protect Canandaigua Lake as a vibrant and cherished resource.
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Stay informed so you can enjoy Canandaigua - or other New York Lakes - safely and confidently this summer.
We have a map on our website homepage for Canandaigua Lake reported blooms from our volunteers.
NYHABS Map
The link below leads to the NYHABS interactive map and displays the location of HABs in New York State. Each blue dot outlined in black represents a HAB reported in the past 2 weeks. There may be other waterbodies with HABs that have not been reported to DEC. All reports through our monitoring program are shown on our own map on our website. CLWA staff uploads all HABs report to the NYHABs database that we receive through our trained volunteers. You can also upload a HABS report directly to DEC here.
Visit NYHABS map here NYHABs map on August 7 shown below.
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About HABs
Cyanobacteria, sometimes referred to as blue-green algae because of their color, are among the oldest organisms on Earth. They are naturally occurring in our lakes, generally in low numbers.
When triggered by the perfect storm of conditions - such as heavy rains followed by a few days of warm weather with calm winds - cyanobacteria may begin to increase, forming “blooms”. HABs can appear quickly and persist for hours or days, or they can disappear almost as quickly as they formed.
Since previous research informs us that high levels of toxins (microcystin) may accompany the blooms, humans and our pets should avoid coming into contact with the water when an active bloom is observed.
How to identify blooms
Use visual cues to identify potential blooms. They can appear like pea soup, spilled paint, surface streaks or scum. The color is typically green, blue-green, or yellow, but can also be brown, red, or purple. When blooms are discovered, they are usually found along shorelines or in cove areas. They are most often seen along the stretch of shoreline that is impacted by the prevailing winds. However, during significant bloom events, sometimes they can be found in open water areas.
Visit the NYS DEC website to learn more about identifying blooms.
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Remember - conditions can change rapidly. Please use caution when out on the lake and look for characteristics of HABs including water that looks like:
- Pea soup, spilled paint, surface streaks or scum
- Color's that are typically green, blue-green or yellow but can also be brown, red or purple
- Typically found along shorelines or coves
Please, to keep yourselves and pets safe, avoid any water conditions that appear to be bloom-like. Don't hesitate to reach out to us at 585-394-5030 with any questions or email us at HABS@canandaigualakeassoc.org if you are concerned about water quality. Sending us photos of the water is strongly encouraged. Have a wonderful weekend and stay tuned.
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What should you do if you suspect a bloom
When in doubt, stay out!
- Don't swim, wade, jetski, waterski or tube in a bloom.
- Shower if exposed to bloom conditions. Wash pets off if they have gone into bloom-infested waters.
- Don't consume fish from the lake during blooms.
- Do not use PRIVATE water drawn from the lake during a bloom. Public water supplies have safeguards in place and can be utilized unless you are otherwise notified.
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Report the bloom to the NYSDEC NYHABs portal: on.ny.gov/habform
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The Canandaigua Lake Watershed Association, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization. Our Tax ID is 16-1071349.
Contributions may be tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. A copy of the organization’s most recent financial report may be obtained from the New York State Attorney General’s Charities Bureau, 28 Liberty Street, New York, NY 10005, by calling (212) 416-8686, or by visiting www.charitiesnys.com. You may also request recent financial reports by contacting CLWA directly at 144 Mill Street, Canandaigua, NY 14424 or by calling (585) 394-5030.
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