ESOPUS, N.Y. – Town officials are considering what protocols are needed by communities that draw water from the Hudson River amid the threat of harmful algae blooms.

On Sept. 8, District Superintendent Nick Butler shut down the Port Ewen Water District treatment plant after finding an otherwise harmless vegetation known as watermeal that officials thought could be the harmful algae blooms affecting the Hudson River.

Butler on Monday said the incident shed light on how unprepared he was when the then-unknown green material appeared, leading to the system being shut down a half-hour sooner than scheduled.

“What was found inside the plant on Sept. 8 was a green algae (appearing) substance that was tangible and was later determined that what we were looking at is called watermeal, which is

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