Harmful algal blooms have threatened Skaneateles Lake since 2017. Officials are now hoping that $100,000 in state funding could help eliminate the dangerous toxins.

“The steps we are taking today will help ensure safe and drinking water for the city for years to come,” said Senator John Mannion. “It will help improve and protect the quality of life and economic activity in the communities around Skaneateles Lake.”

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and the Skaneateles Lake Association have developed new technology that can be placed on a dock and work to prevent harmful algal blooms.

“We are really hoping that this will be a solution that we can basically nip in the bud, so to speak, the outbreaks of cyanobacteria before it becomes a full-lake-type bloom,” said Neil Murphy, board member of the Skaneateles Lake Association.

The system will be tested near the Country Club, Lourdes Camp and north of the public swimming area, areas near Syracuse’s drinking water intake pipe.

“The threat of climate change threatens our public drinking water," Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said. “It threatens so much of our quality of life and our public health, and so we need to double down on our efforts to protect this precious resource.”

The goal is to finish the design and purchase equipment in the fall.

It will be tested next summer.