A report delivered to the City of Saratoga Springs in March citing declines in both capacity and yield at Loughberry Lake drew multiple public comments and technical warnings at the Oct. 7 City Council meeting.

The lake is a primary source of the city's water supply, and residents said the findings demand budget and capital attention. "I cannot emphasize in any stronger terms that this is probably the most important role for this body to assure the safety, comfort and health of our citizens," said BK Caramonti, a city resident, during the public comment period.

The concern centers on measures in the report showing lower stored volume and reduced outflow since earlier studies, and on rising phosphorus levels that experts said can encourage growth of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). "As the phosphate level goes up in the lake . . . these blue green algae or cyanobacteria increase," said David S. Pratt, M.D., a former Schenectady County public health commissioner who spoke at the meeting. "The toxicity from cyanobacteria is a bonafide concern for all of us."

Why it matters: Loughberry Lake feeds the city's water treatment plant; lower yield plus distribution losses can shrink available supply. Multiple speakers pointed to a long record of study beginning with the 1988 Sutherland report and urged the council to prioritize remediation and monitoring.

Council and staff response: Commissioner Chuck Marshall, the city official who presented the item, said the city did not hide the study and has taken steps since March. Marshall told the council an RFP for discovery of additional water sources was issued on March 7 and that a contract was awarded on June 3, 2025, to "CT Veil" for $121,880 with an addendum approved Sept. 16 for $13,500. "We are addressing it by identifying other sources, which is the second recommendation of the report," Marshall said.

Technical context provided during public comment included possible causes and downstream risks: an attendee who said he was a chemical engineer described nutrient increases resulting from septic seepage in the watershed and the problem of disinfection byproducts when more organics are present in source water and the plant treats using sodium hypochlorite.

What was requested: Speakers asked the council to make the report public, add water-supply items to capital and operating budgets, and consider a temporary moratorium on new water connections until solutions are found. Gordon Boyd, who said the report had been withheld from public and council review for months, warned that the city should "consider a moratorium on new water connections" and undertake environmental work to secure additional sources.

What the council said it will do: Marshall said the city engineer is already meeting with neighboring towns about watershed issues and that the recommendations of the March report are being followed, including the search for additional sources. The council did not vote on any specific budget reallocation at the Oct. 7 meeting.

Next steps and uncertainty: Council members repeatedly asked for fuller circulation of the report and for follow-up briefings; residents asked for capital funds to address the issue. The exact remediation costs and timeline were not specified during the meeting.