Skaneateles Lake, one of the cleanest in the country, provides unfiltered drinking water to much of the surrounding area. But beneath its clear surface, harmful algal blooms are emerging as a growing threat. SUNY-ESF researcher Dominique Derminio and her colleagues are racing to understand how nutrients and environmental changes are disrupting the delicate ecosystem, while critical community support and collaboration reveal a local commitment to protect the lake and its legacy.
Ph.D. student Zac Triumph and postdoctoral associate Dr. Dominique Derminio deploy a rack of nutrient bottles in Skaneateles Lake on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Skaneateles, N.Y. The experiment examines how various nutrient conditions affect algae growth.
Zac Triumph collects water from Skaneateles Lake for the nutrient spike experiment, where he and Dr. Derminion add nutrients to bottles filled with water to see if algae can grow better under different nutrient conditions on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Skaneatles, NY.
Assistant Professor at the Department of Environmental Resources Engineering at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Christine Georgakakos, and Dr. Dominique Dermernio use a hand auger and hand-dig the well at a resident's house on Monday, Oct. 6, 2025, in Skaneatlas, NY. A well was dug several feet away from the shore and the septic tank. The researchers then tested the content in the groundwater.
Dr. Dominique Derminio places nutrient samples into an incubator at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Syracuse, N.Y. The controlled experiment complements field data collected from Skaneateles Lake.
Light rain falls over Skaneateles Lake on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, in Skaneateles, N.Y. The lake is among the cleanest in the United States and supplies drinking water to Syracuse and surrounding communities.
University Professor of Environmental Systems at Syracuse University and a long-time resident of Skaneatlas, NY, Dr. Charlie Driscoll checks his septic tank on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, in Skaneatlas, NY. Driscoll’s property, which has one of the area’s oldest septic systems, was used by researchers studying groundwater and nutrient flow.
Leaves fall around a monitoring well covered in plastic on the Hinchcliff property on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, in Skaneateles, N.Y. The well is fitted with a mesh tube that filters sediments, allowing researchers to collect clean groundwater samples for nutrient analysis.
Charlie Driscoll carries his kayak down to the dock on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, in Skaneateles, N.Y. Driscoll and his wife often kayak on the lake, reflecting a deep personal connection shared by many residents.
John Hinchcliff and his wife, Robin, sit in their backyard overlooking Skaneateles Lake on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, in Skaneateles, N.Y. The couple offered their property for researchers to dig two monitoring wells, one near the lake and another near their newly installed septic tank.
