LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. (NEWS10) – The Jefferson Project has spent the last month taking samples from 31 spots along Lake George’s southern basin, to measure the toxicity and growth of the lake’s first harmful algal bloom, which was identified last month.

That first month is just a drop in the bucket.

In a meeting with the Lake George Park Commission on Tuesday, Rick Relyea said over 70 algae and nutrient samples had been taken for analysis. The results show that even if levels of cyanobacteria and chlorophyll have risen in the lake since the bloom’s presence, they’re still within what is considered a normal range.

Blooms feed on nutrients that can come from septic or road runoff, and can potentially be toxic to swimmers, boaters, and even through drinking water.

There’s many months of work still ahead to get a better understanding of this bloom. Around the same time it showed up, four others did as well, three of which were deemed harmless. That was during a period of unseasonably warm days in November.

The presentation can be watched in full.