Popular Kent lake shut down after algae scare

Lake Carmel has been temporarily shut down due to an algae scare.
The five beaches that surround the lake were closed on July 13 after a test showed high levels of a potentially dangerous blue algae.
"When it grows, it imparts toxins to the water," Putnam Department of Health representative Anne Bittner says. "Health effects are itchy rash, and if you drink water you can get sick from that."
Kent Town Supervisor Maureen Fleming says that runoff from septic tanks may be partly to blame.
The Putnam Department of Health says the samples look clear, but the department is sending them up to Albany to be further tested.