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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5/21/25  5:32 pm
Commenter: Bill Berry

Approve of Changes to HAB Advisories
 

It is obvious that much thought and review of past data resulted in the advisory protocol changes.  Targeted monitoring of algae toxins during an algae bloom is good!  It is not good to effectively issue a "No Swim Advisory" for thousands of acres of Smith Mountain Lake over several months during the prime summer months, especially since 5 years of testing showed no algae toxin levels were even close to advisory levels and the vast majority were "below detectable levels".  This occurred at Smith Mountain Lake in 2023.  Media coverage made the whole lake sound bad.  

It is good that DEQ and VDH will be aligned with the final recommendations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

 

CommentID: 236168