Quick Summary – EPA Webinar on Protecting Drinking Water from Harmful Algal Blooms

This week, EPA hosted a webinar entitled “How to Protect your Drinking Water from Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)” as part of its ongoing webinar series.  Two principal presenters shared useful information:
Tom Conry from the City of Waco (Texas) Water Utilities Services shared information about the city’s water supply, where nutrient, sediment, and bacteria loadings that significantly increase during storms have caused HABs.  The city has undertaken a variety of efforts such as changing its treatment processes to address toxins and taste and odor issues and conducting educational activities where local students have helped with a project to develop wetlands for natural filtration.
Karen Sklenar from The Cadmus Group provided an overview on the occurrence of HABs in the US and the associated actions that are being taken to assess and address them in drinking water supplies.  She also shared information about:

• Water Research Foundation’s project to develop cyanotoxin utility action guides, compile literature on effective practices, and determine research needs for the water utility community.
• ASDWA’s HAB Survey that provides information about the number of states that have developed HAB response strategies and health advisory thresholds.

For more information about this and the complete series of EPA’s HAB webinars, visit the web site HERE.