Informative Compilation of Algal Toxins Stories from Salem’s Newspaper

Many in the drinking water community have heard about the algal toxin advisories issued for Salem, Oregon throughout June, and those advisories have recently been lifted. Salem’s local newspaper has published an informative compilation of their stories that may be informative as the summer heat kicks in and water temperatures increase across the country.

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has developed temporary rules for cyanotoxins for public water systems that were effective as on July 1st. OHA has developed a list of systems that are susceptible to Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) that will be impacted by this regulation.

Ongoing cyanotoxin monitoring (that continues until 2020) for systems serving greater than 10,000 people under the Fourth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR4) across the country may (or may not) lead to similar advisories in other parts of the country. It’s important that UCMR4 water systems and state primacy agencies be prepared as water temperatures increase. EPA has developed recommendations for cyanotoxins for water systems. The Water Research Foundation has also developed several tools and resources that are summarized in its “State of the Science for Cyanotoxins“.