Developing an Emergency Response Plan for Cyanotoxins
Recreational waterbody managers can take several steps to prepare in the event of a future cyanobacterial bloom. Those with limited resources may choose to take a risk management approach toward monitoring recreational water bodies under their jurisdictions. Such an approach may include prioritizing water bodies based on the likelihood of a HAB event and its relative impact to the public. Prioritization may consider past occurrences of HABs, current environmental conditions (including the levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, temperature, availability of organic matter, light attenuation, and pH), satellite imagery (visit the EPA CyAN webpage), and waterbody use (i.e., type of recreation and the number of users).
Waterbody managers should also develop am Emergency Response Plan for cyanobacterial blooms. Some local and state governments have already implemented response guidelines in the event of a cyanobacterial bloom in recreational waters, including:
- identifying state-designated recreational water health advisory levels for analyzing the severity of a bloom (as measured by cyanotoxin concentrations or cyanobacteria cell counts); and
- taking specific actions, such as issuing public advisories, posting warnings, and closing waterways that exceed a predetermined threshold.
Elements of an Emergency Response Plan should include a Monitoring Plan with steps to confirm a cyanobacterial bloom event, measure, and track cyanotoxin levels, and post and remove notifications. The Emergency Response Plan should also include a Control and Treatment Plan listing the actions to be done to reduce nutrient pollution and avoid bloom occurrence, and the control and treatment option(s) available for cyanobacterial blooms and cyanotoxins in the waterbody. In addition, the Emergency Response Plan should include a Communication Plan that includes key contacts and ways to notify the public. The Communication Plan should also include signage and other communication methods to notify the public and the media of a cyanobacterial bloom event.
The key steps of an Emergency Response Plan for cyanotoxins in waterbodies are:
- Conduct water analysis to determine if the cyanobacterial bloom is producing cyanotoxins at levels potentially harmful to human or animal health.
- Notify key partners at the local and state level, including drinking water operators and managers if the waterbody serves as a source of drinking water, to coordinate a response.
- Issue public notifications (i.e., warnings, advisories, or closures) based on the cyanotoxin level and the risk it presents to human and animal health.
- Consider treatment options, if necessary, to bring cyanotoxins concentrations under control and down to safe levels.
- Monitor and sample the recreational waters to confirm or modify the notification until two consecutive tests show the cyanotoxins concentrations are below safe levels and visual signs of the bloom are gone; notifications can be lifted once cyanotoxin concentrations are below safe levels.
The Cyanotoxins Preparedness and Response Toolkit (CPRT) is an online tool to help states and tribes prepare for potential HABs in freshwater bodies and know how to respond to protect public health. The CPRT follows the EPA’s National Response Framework (NRF), a consistent nationwide framework built on the Department of Homeland Security’s National Incident Management System (NIMS). As such, the CPRT includes the essential components to prevent and respond to cyanotoxins events in drinking and recreational waters, and to update and improve preparedness and response for future cyanotoxin events.
- Cyanotoxins Preparedness and Response Toolkit (pdf)
- EPA’s National Response Framework
- National Incident Management System
EPA recommends that state water recreation managers or appropriate state partners develop reporting systems to track suspected or confirmed harmful blooms, associated advisories, and/or human and animal illnesses associated with cyanobacterial blooms and also report this same information to the One Health Harmful Algal Bloom System (OHHABS). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed OHHABS as a voluntary reporting system available to state and territorial public health departments and their designated environmental health or animal health partners.
For additional information on how to develop response plans for cyanobacterial blooms in waterbodies, consider the following resources:
- Recommendations for Cyanobacteria and Cyanotoxin Monitoring in Recreational Waters (pdf)
- Cyanotoxin Management Plan Template and Example Plans -- although we created this resource to assist water utilities that want to develop their own cyanotoxin management plans, this resource also offers information for managers to assess the conditions of the source water.
- Cyanobacteria Bloom Response Contact List (docx) Free Viewers
- Communicating about Cyanobacterial Blooms and Toxins in Recreational Waters
The Global Water Research Coalition issued a guidance manual to help waterbody managers and drinking water treatment plant operators understand the importance of cyanobacteria and the toxins they produce; assess the risks associated with a particular water body; develop a monitoring program; and implement management procedures at affected water bodies and treatment plants.