Tribune Article on Toxic Algae & AWWA Resources to Help Utilities

Today the Salt Lake Tribune published an article After Utah Lake-related dog deaths, experts recommend protocol for toxic algae.  In the article they infer that Utah’s drinking water sources are at risk with the following:

“At a meeting of the state's Water Quality and Health Advisory Panel this week, scientists warned that 44 percent of Utah's waterways — including several drinking-water sources — are at risk of developing poisonous algal blooms.”

Intermountain Section AWWA members may be asked about issues surrounding algae, toxic Cyanobacteria and the safety of our drinking water sources.

The Intermountain Section AWWA would like to direct you to a document recently published by AWWA and the Water Research Foundation titled Water Utility Manager's Guide to Cyanotoxins, which is available as a free download. 

This document is intended to help our members make informed decisions about how to limit exposure to cyanotoxins and to help them understand:

• How, when, and why cyanotoxins occur

• How to determine if they occur in a given water source

• What management strategies are available to reduce cyanotoxin production in source waters

• What treatment can prevent cyanotoxins from reaching customers

The guide provides a brief overview of current knowledge surrounding these questions so water utilities can gain a better sense of whether cyanotoxins are a water quality issue they should be preparing for and where to find relevant resources and knowledge when cyanotoxins do cause water quality problems.

For additional information see AWWA’s Cyanotoxin Resource Web Page.   This AWWA Resource Community is intended to keep the water industry in the know about tools, issues and developments related to cyanotoxins. If you have any questions or updates to share, please submit them to AWWA.