What happens when algae show up in the water that eventually becomes your drinking water?In this episode of AquaDiary, we go behind the scenes again with Rochester, NY to find out how the city monitors for algae, where and how they collect samples, what they're looking for in those samples, and how they ensure algae toxins never become a drinking water concern.

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Fluoride is under a federal microscope right now. RFK Jr. told the CDC to drop its fluoridation recommendation, Utah already banned it, and the EPA fast-tracked a new toxicity review. So, is your tap water lowering your IQ?

I spent a while reading the actual primary sources both sides cite so you don't have to.

Short version: the studies finding an IQ effect are real and well-designed. So are the studies finding none. They're mostly answering different questions. Dose and timing turn out to matter more than "fluoride: yes or no." I walk through where the evidence actually lines up, and where the genuine open question still is.//

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Radioactive material has been found in the yards of over 120 homes in the Town of Niagara, NY, and four families have been relocated. But is this just a soil problem, or could it reach the water too?In this episode, I break down what's actually been found, why officials reportedly knew about radioactive hotspots in this area for nearly 40 years, and what the peer-reviewed science says about whether thorium contamination can migrate into groundwater.

Questions this episode answers:

• What is happening in Niagara County, NY right now
• How does soil radiation impact water supplies?
• What is "slag" and why is it radioactive?

• Is Niagara County linked to the Manhattan Project?
• Why did officials know about this for 40 years?
• What are agencies doing about Niagara County's radiation?

Sources & further reading:

This episode cites 22 sources.

• Full source list free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheAquaDiaryPodcastFull script with in-text citations available to $3/mo members

Get involved:

• Local advocacy: Save Our Backyards Niagara
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Municipality, lake association, or organization needing help communicating a science or environmental issue clearly? Want me to speak at your next event?

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📍 Town of Niagara, NY | Niagara County, NY

There's a beach on one of the cleanest lakes in America with foam sitting on the shoreline, and it just tested over 70x higher for PFAS than the lake water two feet away.

In this episode I sit down with Rick Smith of Global Aquatic Research to unpack what's actually happening across the Finger Lakes right now: the PFAS-in-foam research out of Canandaigua Lake and what it means as the project expands, why harmful algal blooms are starting earlier and lasting longer, and what we know about lake foam. This one got more unsettling than I expected, in the best way.

🔬 Guest: Rick Smith, Founder, Global Aquatic Research📍 Filmed in Auburn, NY - thank you to ARMA for the equipment and assistance.

NOTE: This episode's interview segment was shot on a greenscreen. The background used behind Rick and me was purchased (and made custom) from an online marketplace and found to be AI-generated. I didn't know at the time of editing. I'll be vetting background sources more carefully going forward. All audio and footage of us is raw from the interview and unaltered.// Links:

• Follow Rick's Research: globalaquaticresearch.com
• Get Involved! - Introducing the Finger Lakes Foam Reporting Tool: https://www.globalaquaticresearch.com/finger-lakes.html
• NYSDEC HABs map & reporting: https://dec.ny.gov/environmental-protection/water/water-quality/harmful-algal-blooms/notifications
• Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheAquaDiaryPodcast
• Substack (free water quality guides): https://substack.com/@aquadiarypodcast
• Inquiries: [email protected]
• www.aquadiary.org

Rochester, New York has been voted the best-tasting water in New York State twice. In this episode, I go inside the Hemlock Filtration Plant with the Rochester Water Bureau, for a complete walkthrough of how drinking water treatment actually works.

This is the most in-depth water treatment plant tour I've filmed on this show. We walk through the entire process step by step, including pH Adjustment, coagulation, filtration, disinfection, corrosion control, and fluoridation.

Beyond the treatment steps themselves, we see what it actually takes to run a plant like this day to day: how backwash filtering works to keep the filters clean and operating efficiently, how chemical storage and chemical feed systems are managed and maintained, and how the Water Bureau is approaching aging infrastructure, including an old tugboat generator still in use, for which replacement control parts can only be found on eBay.

We also get into how tap water testing compares to bottled water regulation, and why your annual water quality report is one of the most underused resources for understanding what's actually in your water.

Mentioned in this episode:

• The Bottled Water Scam: https://youtu.be/8t2hWfc-GfI?si=4L4Y5h6kXMPjlUfX
• Rochester Water Bureau on Lead Pipes: https://youtu.be/1ScftnN7g8s?si=QTJINwVLeM4vmDJr

About AquaDiary:

AquaDiary is an independent media project covering water quality, lake science, and the infrastructure most people never think about until something goes wrong. New episodes weekly.

Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheAquaDiaryPodcast

Substack (free water quality guides): https://substack.com/@aquadiarypodcast

Thanks to David Rowley and the Rochester Water Bureau for the access and the time.

In 2023, Canada's wildfires turned the sky over New York the color of a traffic cone. In July 2026, it's happening again.

Everyone covers the smoke in our lungs. Almost nobody covers what that same smoke does to our drinking water and lakes. This episode traces the whole chain: the light-blocking, algae-fertilizing double effect of ash on a lake surface, the "lake that turns to tea" carbon browning problem, the neurotoxin that works its way up the food chain into the fish on your plate, and what all of it means for the water coming out of your tap.

I also talked to a silvicultural forester with the U.S. Forest Service (speaking personally, not for the agency) about the century of fire suppression policy sitting underneath all of this, and about a genuinely strange soil chemistry mechanism that turns a burned hillside into a mudslide waiting to happen.

And yes, we go there on the oil and gas question: how much of this traces back to Alberta's oil sands, what the actual peer-reviewed attribution science says, and where that research runs out.If 2023 felt like a freak year, 2026 is making a strong case that this is just what North American summers look like now. For us, and for our lakes.//

AquaDiary is an independent water science and investigative podcast that aims to teach people about water resources

• 🎙️ All sources cited on Patreon, full scripts for $3/mo - patreon.com/c/TheAquaDiaryPodcast
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• New Website!

Rochester, NY has thousands of lead water service lines and a plan to replace all of them by 2030, years ahead of the federal deadline, at virtually cost to residents.How did they do it? And is the water in Rochester, NY safe to drink?In this episode, I go inside the Rochester Water Bureau's in-house lab to see exactly how lead testing works, down to the part-per-billion level. Then I sit down with the Director of the Water Bureau and the Manager of Water Production to talk about how Rochester's replacement program actually got built and what puzzle pieces are still moving. This is Part 1 of a Rochester, NY series where we will dig into where your water comes from, and how exactly it is managed.Thank you to the Rochester Water Bureau for the access and time that made this episode possible and for all the work you do for your customers.If you live in Rochester and would like your water sampled for lead, please email [email protected] or call 585 866-9258.//🎙️ AquaDiary is water science for people who want to understand what's actually in their water.📌 SUBSCRIBE to support the channel🧪 PATREON: / theaquadiarypodcast 📩 FREE NEWSLETTER: https://substack.com/@aquadiarypodcast🌊 Inquiries: Send me a photo of your bloom, ask about your water, or invite me to speak at your next event: [email protected].

Last week's reflecting pool video hit 400,000 views on YouTube.

The most common question in the comments: is there actually a fix for algae? Copper sulfate. Silver. Hydrogen peroxide. Ultrasound. Aeration.

I went through every tool, and gave you an honest verdict on each one.Is there a silver bullet for algae? What actually kills a harmful algal bloom? What are cyanobacteria toxins and how dangerous are they? How do you tell if a bloom is toxic just by looking at it? What do lake managers actually do differently?

I'm Ally, an environmental scientist. I manage lakes and algae professionally, and I'm giving you the honest version of what works, what doesn't. Full disclosure.

32 citations from EPA, NALMS, and peer-reviewed toxicology and limnology journals. Full reference list on Patreon.🎙️

AquaDiary is water science for people who want to understand what's actually in their water.

📌 FOLLOW for new episodes every week

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🌊 Inquiries: Send me a photo of your bloom, ask about your water, or invite me to speak at your next event: [email protected].

Why did the Reflecting Pool get an algae bloom? Why did thepaint peel off? Is the Reflecting Pool safe? What killed the ducks? Why did the $16 million renovation fail?

I'm an environmental scientist and work professionally inlake and algae management, and this is my professional breakdown of what actually happened, why it was completely predictable, and what the science says about the decisions that were made, including the species identification thatmay have been inconclusive before workers poured chemicals into the water.

The pool has had algae since 1922. This is not a newproblem. It is a physics and biology problem that no renovation has ever solved, and this episode explains why.

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🎙️ AquaDiary is water science for people who want to understand what's actually in their water.
📌 YOUTUBE MEMBERS — early access and monthly live Q&A
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Microplastics have been found in 83% of tap water samples tested worldwide, and yes, that includes yours. But here's what almost no one covering this topic will actually say: as of 2026, peer-reviewed science does not yet have a definitive answer on what that means for your health. I'm an environmental scientist, and this episode gives you the honest version; the research, the real gaps, and the practical steps that are actually supported by evidence.

We cover what microplastics are and why different studies report wildly different numbers (the range between studies is 400,000-fold — and that tells you something important), what the newest human health research actually concludes versus what it's still working on, why bottled water is measurably worse than tap water for microplastic exposure, and which water filters have the independent certifications to back up their claims (including an honest breakdown of the one I personally use and exactly where its certifications do and don't hold up.)

No panic. No dismissal. Just the science, the uncertainty, and what's actually worth doing about it.

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Resources:

• NSF filter certification lookup (verify any filter's actual certifications): https://www.nsf.org/consumer-resources/water-quality

• EPA on microplastics: https://www.epa.gov/trash-free-waters/microplastics

Microplastic filter recommendations (affiliate):

1. Countertop RO: https://amzn.to/3Qvlmsg
2. Berkey: https://amzn.to/4oD8i0x
3. Ultrafiltration: https://amzn.to/4eSbja8