Public Comments Wanted: Draft Delta Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms Monitoring Strategy

Public Comments Wanted:

Draft Delta Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms Monitoring Strategy

The Delta Science Program facilitated the development of a monitoring strategy for Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The draft is the culmination of over two years of work, and the authors are seeking public comments on the document.

The 30-day comment period opens today, February 27, 2024. Comments emailed to collaborativescience@deltacouncil.ca.gov or mailed to the following address by 5:00 PM on March 28, 2024, will be considered for the final monitoring strategy.

Delta Science Program

715 P Street, 15-300

Sacramento, CA 95814

REVIEW THE DRAFT STRATEGY

California relies on the Delta.

The Delta is a hub for water in California, providing essential water supply to communities, farms, and industries inside and outside the Delta. Warming temperatures, high nutrient concentrations, and increased stratification all play a role in the formation of Cyanobacterial HABs. As these blooms continue to impact the health of the Delta ecosystem, there is a need to increase coordination among agencies that monitor them. Developing a Cyanobacterial HABs Monitoring Strategy will provide a framework to better understand the status, trends, and drivers, leading to more effective management and mitigation.

Read our 2022 information sheet to learn more about the adverse effects of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms in the Delta.

The Delta Science Program hosted a two-day workshop in 2022 to facilitate the collaborative development of a harmful algal bloom monitoring strategy. A summary of the workshop is available via ResearchGate.

Collage of photos from HABs monitoring efforts.

As Cyanobacterial HABs continue to intensify in scale and regularity, there is a need for more information and decision-support tools. Read more about this topic from Interagency Ecological Program Lead Scientist Dr. Steve Culberson in his blog, “Digitizing Data: Tracking Harmful Algal Blooms in the San Francisco Estuary.”

Delta Science Program

715 P Street, 15-300

Sacramento, CA 95814

deltacouncil.ca.gov

Business Hours:

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5:00 PM

(916) 445-5511