Lake Management and Toxic Algae Info

We've collected some useful links on lake management and toxic algae blooms (HABs) to help inform our community about this growing threat to the health of White Pond and other lakes and ponds.

Massachusetts Health and Human Services Current Cyanobacteria Advisories and Info 

Harmful Algae Blooms in Fresh Water Bodies Massachusetts Department of Public Health Brochure

Massachusetts Dept. of Health Guidelines for Cyanobacteria in Freshwater Recreational Water Bodies in Massachusetts (technical article)

The Practical Guide to Lake Management in Massachusetts: A Companion to the Final Generic Environmental Impact Report on Eutrophication and Aquatic Plant Management in Massachusetts
Very comprehensive guide by Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Conservation and Recreation

Climate Change and Harmful Algal Blooms
EPA scientists predict that climate change will have many effects on freshwater and marine environments. These effects, along with nutrient pollution, might cause harmful algal blooms to occur more often, in more water bodies and to be more intense.  Algal blooms endanger human health, the environment and economies across the United States.

More EPA info on Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms

Slide show on toxic algal blooms

Driven by Climate Change, Algae Blooms Behind Ohio Water Scare Are New Normal
National Geographic report says climate change and increased runoff are triggering more potentially toxic blooms.

Could Climate Change Boost Toxic Algal Blooms in the Oceans?
Preliminary research reported in this Scientific American article suggests that ocean acidification may promote some types of algal blooms that make people and animals sick.

Toxic algae associated with major extinction events
A new hypothesis claims that toxins from algae played a major role in all five of the planet's mass extinctions. 

Wikipedia article on algal blooms

Toxic Algae News Website
Toxic algae outbreaks, or Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) are a widespread problem across the U.S., but few states have programs dedicated to monitoring or reporting on these outbreaks. That’s the top finding in a 50-state survey conducted in spring 2014 by Resource Media and the National Wildlife Federation. The broad diversity in how – and whether – states monitor HABs, and their methods for informing the public about potentially harmful toxic algae outbreaks, confirms that there is tremendous room for improvement in how the US manages this risk to public health and local economies.

National Wildlife Federation 2014 HAB Report 
Comprehensive report states that toxic algae outbreaks are becoming more common, affecting a growing number of freshwater ponds and lakes, and leading to impacts on human health, livestock and pets, fish and other aquatic wildlife, drinking water costs, and recreation -- 71% of responding states reported that HABs are either a “somewhat serious” or a “very serious” problem

North American Lake Management Society Inland HAB Program

USGS Podcast on HABs

Toxic algae in the Charles River Watershed