Home / Archive / VOL. IV NO. 18 09/01/2023 / From the Desk of Tri-Town Health Department (TTHD) James J. Wilusz, Executive Director, Dr. Charles Kenny, Medical Director.

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VOL. IV NO. 18 09/01/2023

From the Desk of Tri-Town Health Department (TTHD) James J. Wilusz, Executive Director, Dr. Charles Kenny, Medical Director.

TTHD recently acquired a fluorometer with the assistance and funding from all three towns and today underwent training to use it with GZA.

With this instrument, the TTHD will be able to distinguish a visible scum on the water surface caused by harmful cyanobacteria from one caused by innocuous green algae. If green algae are responsible for the scum, TTHD will not have to issue an advisory. Prior to the acquisition of this instrument, TTHD would have to issue an advisory against water activities in the lake based simply on the presence of the scum and keep the advisory in place for at least several days until officials could determine if it was due to cyanobacteria or not. We now can determine that almost immediately. 

There are always cyanobacteria in the lake, but their numbers and location are usually not cause for concern. If a bloom is suspected in the future, TTHD will use the new device in its decision making. The Tri-Town Health Department and its TTBOH are dedicated to ensuring the highest level of public health and safety in our communities and we will now have a tool in place to take readings from all our waterbodies if needed (Laurel Lake, Stockbridge Bowl and Goose Pond) and increase our response time in our decision-making process.

Photo: Lionel Delevingne

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