Cyanobacteria Harmful Algae Bloom Notification Plans

RBI developed a cyanobacteria harmful algae bloom notification plan for a municipality that produces recycled water for public distribution. The plan was developed as a framework for notifying stakeholders if cyanotoxins in their recycled water system reached concentrations of concern to public health. The notification plan is based on State and Federal benchmarks developed for cyanotoxins in recreational waters because there are currently no State or Federal benchmarks in place for cyanotoxins in recycled water. The notification plan includes a decision tree for determining who to notify internally and externally (i.e., managers, appropriate regulators, and the general public). It also identifies types of information to share, when to share the information, and describes when to post a waterbody (i.e., install signs) to notify the public when cyanotoxins are present at potential levels of concern for human and pet health.