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State boards and regional staff widen monitoring, testing and response for harmful algal blooms
Summary
State and regional water board officials told the Water Quality Coordinating Committee they are scaling up monitoring, remote sensing and public risk communications for cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (HABs), but staff said the effort remains largely reactive and underfunded.
State and regional water board staff described an expanding, but still resource‑limited program to detect, confirm and warn the public about harmful algal blooms (HABs), particularly toxin‑producing cyanobacteria.
The state’s HAB effort is currently built around an event‑response model: suspected blooms are validated, tested for cyanobacterial species and toxin presence, and then posted on public maps and advisories when confirmed. Officials said remote sensing, community (citizen) monitors and focused holiday pre‑season sampling are being used to broaden coverage, but staff repeatedly said monitoring gaps remain and follow‑up sampling is limited by funding.
Why it matters: HABs affect drinking water, recreation, tribal cultural uses, livestock and wildlife and are increasing in frequency and extent as the climate warms. State and regional staff said stronger, coordinated monitoring and clearer benchmarks are needed so communities and local health agencies can respond earlier and more predictably.
State staff framed HABs as a multi‑program problem. Greg Gearhart, deputy director for information management and analysis, told the committee that HABs are not a single‑program issue and that the organisms involved…
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