Guidance Document Change: The Virginia Department of Health (VDH)has developed the "Guidance for Cyanobacteria Bloom Advisory Management" document to provide public health protective thresholds for recreational swimming waters, recommendations on follow-up sampling and issuance of advisories when cyanobacteria cell counts and or toxins exceed protective thresholds, and recommendations on when advisories may be lifted. This guidance is not intended to serve as state regulation, rather, it is intended to provide science-based public health recommendations for waterbody managers in the commonwealth. Cyanobacteria blooms are more common in slow-moving freshwaters such as lakes and reservoirs, however, they may also occur in estuarine and marine environments. This guidance is the first formal guidance of its kind, but follows several iterations of provisional guidances for cyanobacteria. For prior versions of provisional guidance and for more information on cyanobacteria and the state's Harmful Algal Bloom Task Force, please visit www.SwimHealthyVa.com.
Commenter:
Katherine Bentley, US EPA Region 3
Comments on VDH's "Guidance for Cyanobacteria Bloom Recreational Advisory Management"