THE LONG HOT
BLUE-GREEN
SUMMER
Jay Wright
ODEQ - SEL
What are Blue Green Algae?
CYANOBACTERIA, technically known as
BLUE-GREEN ALGAE (BGA)
• Primitive, free-floating, microscopic
organisms naturally present in reservoirs,
lakes, and streams globally
• Have characteristics of bacteria (no
organized nucleus) and plants
(photosynthesis)
• Commonly found in low numbers but in
warm, shallow, and undisturbed waters that
receive large amounts of sunlight and
overabundant nutrients, they can become
abundant or bloom
What are Blue Green Algae?
Cyanobacteria = Blue-green algae = Cyanophyta
• Most of them have a pigment (phycocyanin)
that gives them a blue-green color.
Broadly divided into two main types:
– Small, usually round cells, typically in colonies
– Filamentous forms
What are Blue Green Algae?
• Under certain environmental conditions, their
populations can grow to very high levels (bloom)
and can cause serious problems:
1. Some species produce very strong toxins.
2. They contain chemicals in their cell membranes which
can cause severe dermatitis (swimmers itch)
3. When the numbers of algae (any algae) get too high,
they can cause serious ecologic problems.
Reduction in night time oxygen levels resulting on fish kills
Why should Oklahoma care
about Blue Green Algae?
HUMAN HEALTH
EVENTS have been reported
in:
• North America
DRINKING WATER
• Africa
SUPPLIES ARE
• Europe
AT RISK…
• Australia OKLAHOMA HAS 200+
Most reports are unsubstantiated SURFACE WATER
or initially attributed to other SUPPLIES
causes.
Pets and livestock have a high risk
of suffering effects.
BGA Species Common in Oklahoma
• Anabaena
• Pseudanabaena
• Merismopedia
• Microcystis
• Oscillatoria
• Cylindrospermopsis
• Planktolyngbya
What do BGA Blooms Look Like?
Spilled Paint
What do BGA Blooms Look Like?
Pea Soup / Subsurface Blooms
What do BGA Blooms Look Like?
Scums and Foam
Laboratory ID of BGAs
Microscopy
Blue Green Algal Toxins
• Dermal Toxins
• Lipopolysaccharides
– Present in cell walls
– Causes rashes, upper respiratory problems,
gastroinestinal issues
– Neurotoxins
• Neurotoxins
• Liver Toxins
Symptoms of BGA Toxin Exposure
• Rash
• Flu-like symptoms
– Nausea
– Vomiting
– Diarrhea
– Upper Respiratory
• Neurological
– Numbness
– Weakness
– Vertigo
• Abnormal Liver Profile
Who is most at Risk?
• Young
– Increased incidental ingestion
– Lower body weight
• Old
• Immunocompromised
– Diabetes
– Hepatitis
– Recently ill
• Pets and livestocK
R
c ystn-L
o
micr
cylindrospermopsin
n -a
n atoxi
a
saxito
xin
Microcystins
• Most commonly detected cyanobacterial toxin
• Water soluble, not absorbed through skin
• Liver is the ultimate target for toxic effects
• Highly toxic at low doses
• May act as a tumor promoter
– Epidemiologic evidence linking liver cancer in
patients with Hepatitis-B and drinking water
contaminated with microcystins.
• Many (cca. 70) different forms
Cylindrospermopsin
• Highly water soluble
• Stable in the environment
• Main target of cylindrospermopsin is the liver
but can affect thymus, kidneys, lung, heart,
intestinal tract
• A possible tumor initiator
Potency of Various Toxins
Toxin Amount (mg) needed to kill a 220 pound
person*
Microcystn 005-010
Cylindrospermopsin 200-600
Nicotne 000-100
Copperhead 00-1100
King Cobra 130-160
Diamondback Rattlesnake 270-560
Botulinum toxin 0000000.0001
* Based on the LD50 which is the amount of toxin that it takes to kill 50% of a test populaton.
The smaller the number, the more potent the toxin.
BGA Toxin Testing
• ELISA Test – enzyme linked immunosorbent assay
• Tests for microcystin, cylindrospermopsin, saxitoxin.
No test for anatoxin.
• Does not test for all variants of each toxin - can
underestimate total toxin value
• Relatively inexpensive
• LC/MS/MS
• Tests for total toxins
• Expensive
• Requires dedicated, highly trained chemist
Recreational Advisory Levels
20,000
20,000 44 ug/L
ug/L Provide
Provide info
info to
to
LOW
LOW cells/mL
cells/mL
public,
public, post
post
ADVISORY
ADVISORY
100,000
100,000 20
20 ug/L
ug/L Restrict
Restrict primary
primary
MEDIUM
MEDIUM cells/mL
cells/mL body
body contact,
contact,
post WARNING
post WARNING
Cyanobacterial
Cyanobacterial N/A
N/A Consider
Consider further
further
HIGH
HIGH scum
scum formation
formation restrictions
restrictions
Recreational Signage
Public Water Supplies
• Microcystin is on EPA’s Contaminant Candidate List
for regulation
• WHO suggests a 1 ug/l (ppb) level for microcystin to
protect long-term health
• Treatment techniques to reduce BGA Toxins
– Use deepest intake level possible
– No chlorine until after filtration
– Optimize to maximize turbidity removal
– Use GAC or PAC if possible
– Ozonation as a disinfectant
Why do BGA Blooms Occur?
Excessive Nitrogen & Phosphorus
•Agricultural Runoff
•Wastewater Treatment Plants and Septic Tanks
•Fertilizer
•Stormwater Runoff
Weather
•Hot
•Dry
•Sunny
•Windless
When are Nutrients too High?
• Generally speaking……..
– Phosphorous levels in lakes greater than 0.05
mg/L (ppm) are considered too high.
• < 0.02 mg/L is optimal.
– Nitrogen levels in lakes greater than 1.0 mg/L
(ppm) are considered too high.
• < 0.5 mg/L is optimal.
– When the nitrogen:phosphorous ratio is < 15, this
will favor the growth of blue-green algae.
BGA Blooms in the Area
• 2001 – Mozinga Lake in MO
• 2003 - Marion Reservoir in KS
• 2004 – 26 lakes in NE
• 2008 – RS Kerr Reservoir in OK
Grand Lake
• NE Oklahoma
• 46,000 acres, 40 miles in length
• One of the premier recreational lakes
in OK
• Managed by Grand River Dam
Authority (GRDA)
• Can own lakefront property
• Shoreline is highly developed
• 11 public water supply intakes
Grand Lake Watershed
Grand Lake BGA Timeline
• GRDA reports bloom on Friday, June 24
• Advisory issued
• DEQ IDs microcystis
• GRDA tests for microcystin toxin
– 1.5 to 2.5 X WHO warning level in grab samples
– 12 to 18 X WHO warning level in scum samples
• Primary body contact prohibited Friday, July 1
Grand Lake BGA Timeline
Friday - June 24, 2011 Friday – July 1, 2011
Grand Lake BGA Timeline
24 June 2011
Grand Lake BGA Timeline
28 June 2011
Grand Lake BGA Timeline
Wednesday, 29 June 2011
Grand Lake BGA Timeline
Thursday, 30 June 2011
Grand Lake BGA Timeline
Friday, 1 July 2011
Grand Lake BGA Timeline
Friday, 1 July 2011
Grand Lake BGA Timeline
• DEQ samples all PWS for microcystin
– PWS samples show microsystin in 5 of 11 raw water samples at levels up
2.13 ug/l
– All finished water samples are ND
• Bloom begins to ease July 4
• Microcystin levels drop to cca. 1 ug/l by July 13
• Primary body contact restriction lifted
• Public urged to use caution throughout the rest
of the summer
• Continued monitoring showed < 1 ug/l
microcystin
Grand Lake BGA Bloom
So What Happened?
• Flooding rains in May loaded the lake with nutrients
• 2nd hottest June on record
• Normal conditions would have allowed reduction in nutrients
by green algae
• August-like conditions and nutrients favor BGAs
Total
Total Nitrogen Phosphorous
Site (mg/L) (mg/L) TN:TP
Horse Creek – June 24 22.8 2.73 8.4
Horse Creek – July 5 01.2 0.34 3.5
Duck Creek – June 24 15.3 1.75 8.7
Duck Creek – July 5 02.0 0.61 3.3
2011 Oklahoma BGA Lakes
Grand
Grand Microcystis
Microcystis 14
14 WARNING
WARNING
July
July 77
ADVISORY
ADVISORY
Ananaena
Ananaena
Keystone
Keystone Anabaenopsis
Anabaenopsis
None
None WARNING
WARNING
July
July 10
10 CLOSURE
CLOSURE
Cylindrospermopsis
Cylindrospermopsis ADVISORY
ADVISORY
Ft.
Ft. Gibson
Gibson Cylindrospermopsis
Cylindrospermopsis
Pseudanabaena
Pseudanabaena
11
11
July
July 77
WARNING
WARNING
ADVISORY
ADVISORY
Tenkiller
Tenkiller Cylindrospermopsis
Cylindrospermopsis 17
17
July
July 14
14
WARNING
WARNING
2011 Oklahoma BGA Lakes
Planktolyngbya
Planktolyngbya ADVISORY
ADVISORY
Eufaula
Eufaula Cylindrospermopsis
Cylindrospermopsis
14
14 WARNING
WARNING
July
July 19
19
Skiatook
Skiatook Cylindrospermopsis
Cylindrospermopsis 33 ADVISORY
ADVISORY
July
July 28
28
Pseudanabaena
Pseudanabaena
Hefner
Hefner Planktolynbya
Planktolynbya
11 WARNING
WARNING
July
July 28
28
Overholser
Overholser Anabaena
Anabaena 11 WARNING
WARNING
July
July 28
28
2011 Oklahoma BGA Lakes
ADVISORY
ADVISORY
Waurika
Waurika Merismopedia
Merismopedia 66 CLOSURE
CLOSURE
August
August 19
19
Cylindrospermopsis
Cylindrospermopsis WARNING
WARNING
Texoma
Texoma Pseudanabaena
Pseudanabaena
None
None
August26
August26
2011 Blue-Green Algae Counts
Lake Organism N of cells/mL
Grand Lake Microcystis > 200,000
Eufaula Cylindrospermopsis 57,000
Planktolyngbya 36,000 Moderate Risk
when > 100,000
Fort Gibson Cylindrospermopsis 58,000 cells/mL
Pseudanabaena 90,000
Keystone Anabaena 2,317,000
Anabaenopsis 1,109,000
Overholser Anabaena 1,426,000
2011 Blue-Green Algae Counts
Lake Organism # of cells/mL
Waurika Merismopedia 670,000
Cylindrospermopsis 62,000
Hefner Pseudanabaena 264,000
Planktolyngbya 74,000 Moderate Risk
Cylindrospermopsis 52,000 when > 100,000
cells/mL
Texoma Cylindrospermopsis 117,000
Planktolyngbya 67,000
Pseudanabaena 68,000
Tenkiller Cylindrospermopsis 118,000
OSDH Health Statistics
• 74 reports of illness possibly related to BGA exposure
• 56 have been interviewed
– Grand Lake: 21
– Eufaula: 11
– Ft. Gibson: 7
– Keystone: 6
– Texoma: 5
– Hefner: 1
– Tenkiller: 1
• Dates of Exposure: June 5 – August 28
• Incubation Period – median of 1 day
• Syndromes
– Upper Respiratory: 59%
– Gastrointestinal: 50%
– Rash: 30%
– Neurological: 23%
• 27 received medical care, 1 hospitalized with pneumonia
Cumulative Efforts by DEQ
• Samples run
– 67 ID and enumeration
– 104 Toxin
• 250 calls from the public
• > 100 media calls
• cca. 150 original news stories
• 5 additional reports of BGA investigated
Will this happen again?
Unfortunately…
• Planning
• Analytical Capacity
• Monitoring
• Funding
What can you do?
• Know your watershed
• Support efforts to reduce nutrient inputs
– Stormwater regulations
– Effective wastewater treatment
– Appropriate regulation of septic tanks
– Agricultural BMPs
– Monitoring efforts
• Make sure your PWS is operating
efficiently
