Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Virginia Department of Health
 
Board
State Board of Health
 
Guidance Document Change: The Guidance for Cyanobacteria Bloom Recreational Advisory Management requires revision for the Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) response season, beginning in April 2025. The proposed revision includes the DEQ and VDH staff recommendations, which allow for more extensive and targeted monitoring of algal toxins in recreational freshwater areas during a HAB, and for using toxin data alone for recreational advisory determinations. These recommendations are based on a review of current processes for HAB monitoring and managing recreational HAB advisories, final recommendations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on protecting human health risks from incidental ingestion while recreating in freshwaters, data collected from Virginia HAB investigations with paired cell counts and toxin assays, and budget and staff efficiencies. This approach is supported by both VDH and DEQ agency secretaries.
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5/16/25  11:23 am
Commenter: David Reichert

Concerned About Potential Change to HAB Advisory Protocol
 

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Basing the swim advisory on the cyanobacteria cell count is applying an ounce of prevention. It informs people before the toxin level becomes dangerous. If the advisory is based on toxin level, swimmers may get that advisory after they've already been exposed and become sick. Then they'd need the pound of cure. Water quality is not measured on a continuous basis, so it is unlikely that if a problematic toxin level were reached, it would happen coincident with a water quality test. Basing the advisory on toxin level also assumes that there is no gap between the advisory being issued and the advisory being seen. If the advisory is issued at 8 am, too bad for the boaters who got out on the lake early to enjoy a peaceful swim while the lake is uncrowded.

CommentID: 235338