Blue-Green algae blooms are popping up all over Western New York. 

Last week, it was detected on Canandaigua Lake. 

Health officials are warning people to stay out of the water where this algae is reported. 

They tell us it looks like pea-green soup and can be streaky. 

Unlike other forms of algae, these blooms can be harmful – causing skin irritation, fever, headache, vomiting, and diarrhea. 

Thought it’s often unpredictable when it will show up, officials tell us the algae tends to multiply in calm-warm waters. 

“We can not have any all summer long and then all of a sudden, they show up. They might stay for a while. They could be gone the next day,” said Livingston County Environmental Health Director Mark Grove. 

“It could happen anytime. It could happen all season,” said Ontario County Public Works Commissioner Bill Wright. “It’s just very unpredictable and that’s how we have to react to it.”  

Officials send samples of the blue-green algae to the state department of health whenever it makes an appearance. 

The state then tests the samples before making recommendations.