State Water Board launches HAB training series, highlights tribal monitoring and resources

Anna Holder, a tribal and equity coordinator in the Office of Information Management and Analysis at the California State Water Resources Control Board, opened a statewide harmful algal bloom (HAB) training series on community monitoring and response, saying the program will be recorded and the slides posted for public use. "We're so excited to kick off our harmful algal bloom training series this year," Holder said, and she thanked a Tribal Advisory Committee that helped design the curriculum.

Carly Nelson and Marissa Van Dyke, co‑managers of the board's freshwater and estuarine HAB program, provided a primer explaining why monitoring matters: cyanobacteria can form blooms that produce toxins, change water‑body function and harm recreation, drinking water systems and wildlife. Nelson emphasized that visual identification cannot determine toxicity—"toxicity ... can only be measured in the laboratory"—and outlined common field identification techniques and references the program shares with partners.

Marissa Van Dyke summarized the program's monitoring strategy and data work, describing efforts to collect incident reports and illness complaints through an open online form and to run proactive pre‑holiday monitoring before Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day. She said a 2019 assembly bill funded a small dedicated HAB program that currently staffs roughly six positions and provided start‑up resources but that a statewide proactive monitoring strategy awaits sustained funding to be fully implemented.

Holder described the California cyanobacteria and harmful algal bloom (CCHAB) Network — a community‑driven network affiliated with the California Water Quality Monitoring Council — and a SWAMP partner monitoring program that can supply lab analysis funding, sampling kits and technical support depending on available resources. The board encouraged tribes and community groups to apply to participate in partner monitoring solicitations issued each spring.

Presenters listed online tools and guidance: an incident‑report map that updates daily, a satellite imagery viewer to flag surface pigment, downloadable sampling checklists and a two‑page field ID guide. Funding and training leads identified CalEPA environmental justice grants, Water Board funding programs and the SAFER drinking‑water program as potential resources. Organizers said the training series will continue with deeper sessions on response, public health coordination, monitoring design and sample collection.

The session closed with a commitment to circulate slides and the recording and an invitation for attendees to request technical help via the HAB reports email.