1. Blue-green Algae -the basics & -Washington’s monitoring program
Jenifer Parsons
Lizbeth Seebacher, Ph.D.
Joan Hardy, PhD

2. What are Blue-Green Algae?
Bacteria, called Cyanobacteria
Photosynthesize like plants and green algae
Found in fresh and marine water
Many different species
Lake Steilacoom

3. Aphanizomenon sp. Microcystis sp. Anabaena sp. Botryococcus sp.
Tiny, but some will form colonies that can be seen with the naked eye
Can’t hold onto them, if you can grab it, it probably isn’t a cyanobacteria
Botryococcus sp.

4. What causes a ‘bloom’ Rapid reproduction = ‘bloom’ or HAB
Many things can contribute
Weather
Temperature
Wind
Rain
Nutrients
Light
Flow
Fiorito Lake

5. Why They Thrive Nitrogen fixation – use atmospheric nitrogen
Colony formation inhibits predation
Carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen storage mechanisms
Gas vesicles for vertical migration
Akinete formation (“spores”)
Toxin production
Ask Joan about colony formation inhibiting predation, storage, spores, if we know how toxins improve their lot in life
Akinetes are resting cells capable of surviving long periods of desiccation and cold.

6. About those Toxins Some species sometimes produce toxins (poisons)
When toxic can cause illness or death of people, pets, livestock and wildlife that drink the water. Can also cause rashes on people.

7. Cyanobacteria & Associated Toxins
Toxin Group
Primary Target organ in mammals
Cyanobacterial genera
Microcystins
Liver
Microcystis, Anabaena, Planktothrix (Oscillatoria), Nostoc, Hapalosiphon, Anabaenopsis
Nodularian
Nodularia
Anatoxin-a
Nerve Synapse
Anabaena, Planktothrix (Oscillatoria), Aphanizomenon
Aplysiatoxins
Skin
Lyngbya, Schizothrix, Planktothrix (Oscillatoria)
Cylindrospermopsins
Cylindrospermopsis, Aphanizomenon
Lyngbyatoxin-a
Skin, G.I. Tract
Lyngbya
Saxitoxins
Nerve Axons
Anabaena, Aphanizomenon, Lyngbya, Cylindrospermopsis
Lipopolysaccharide
Potential irritant; affects any exposed tissue
ALL
Strains produce different toxins at different amounts
Toxins can have multiple variants
Over 80 known microcystin variants
The strains are within one species, right?

8. DOH established statewide provisional recreational guidance values for Washington
Toxins
Guidance level
Microcystin
6 µg / L
Anatoxin-a
1 µg / L
Cylindrospermopsin
4.5 µg / L
Saxitoxin
75 µg / L
No federal standards for cyanotoxins in drinking water
• For microcystin-LR, the WHO has developed
drinking water guideline of 1 μg/L.
• WHO Cyanobacteria Cell Count Action Levels that trigger toxic sampling for Drinking Water
Microcystis spp. - 2,000 cells/mL
All potentially toxic cyanobacteria species present - 15,000 cells/mL
Drinking water –
No federal standards
WHO – 1 µg/l microcystin and cell count levels that trigger toxin analysis
Lake MacDonald
photo credit M. Murphy

9. Toxin levels vary
Within a lake and over time, even hourly

10. Some Signs of Poisoning
Neurotoxins (nerve)
Fast acting, signs appear within min
People – numbness of lips, tingling in fingers and toes, dizziness
Animals – weakness, staggering, difficulty breathing, convulsions, death
Hepatotoxins (liver)
Slower, hours or days
People – abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting
Animals - death
Do animals with liver toxins also have vomiting and diarrhea before death?
Other sub-lethal impacts, liver and kidney damage, tumor promotion

11. What Washington is Doing
Small program funded by boat registration fees
Established in 2005, administered by Ecology
ID and toxicity testing program
Small grant program (50 k max)
Partnership with DOH
Algae list-serve, website
Lone Lake
Silver Lake

12. ID and Toxicity Testing
Reactionary
Partner with King County lab
Sample analysis
Use ELISA and
HPLC-FD
Database
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)
♦ Microcystins
♦ Saxitoxin
♦ Cylindrospermopsin
High-Performance Liquid
Chromatograpy with Florescence
Detection (HPLC-FD)
♦ Anatoxin-a
Lake Ketchum

15. Can get data for all samples collected, as well as species data

16. High Levels:
Microcystin
26,400 µg/l
Anatoxin-a
7,951 µg/l

17. Three tiered lake management protocol
Anabaena sp.
Microcystis

18. Current Freshwater Algae Projects
♦ Hicklin Lake Floating Islands Installation and Water Quality Investigation
♦ Lake Ketchum Algae Control Implementation
♦ Anatoxin-a Threat in Puget Sound Lakes – unique genetic strain?
♦ Heart Lake Management Plan (FY2016)
♦ Fish Lake Management Plan (FY2016)
♦ Upper Joe’s Creek Watershed Nutrient Reduction (FY2016)

19. Contacts Dept of Ecology:
Lizbeth Seebacher -
Dept of Health:
Joan Hardy –