USGS KANSAS ALGAL TOXIN RESEARCH TEAM

Team Contact Information

What's NEW?

• News Release Algal Toxin and Taste-and-Odor Transport in the Kansas River
  • Fate and Transport of Cyanobacteria and Associated Toxins and Taste-and-Odor Compounds from Upstream Reservoir Releases in the Kansas River, Kansas, September and October 2011, Graham, J.L., Ziegler, A.C., Loving, B.L., and Loftin, K.A., 2012: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5129, 65 p.
• Open-File Report 2010–1289: Microphotographs of Cyanobacteria Documenting the Effects of Various Cell-lysis Techniques,2010 ,Rosen, B.H., Loftin, K.A., Smith, C.E., Lane, R.F., and Keydel, S.P.
• Musty Warnings of Toxicity - Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP),2010 ,Kris S. Freeman
• News Release If the Water Looks and Smells Bad, It May Be Toxic , Graham, J.L, Loftin, K.A.
• Algal Blooms Consistently Produce Complex Mixtures of Cyanatoxins and Co-Occur with Taste-and-Odor Causing Compunds in 23 Midwestern Lakes
• Cyanotoxin Mixtures and Taste-and-Odor Compounds in Cyanobacterial Blooms from the Midwestern United States, Graham, J.L, Loftin, K.A., Meyer, M.T., Ziegler, A.C., 2010, Environmental Science and Technology, doi:10.1021/es1008938.
• Effects of light and nutrients on seasonal phytoplankton succession in a temperate eutrophic coastal lagoon, Jeana L. Drake, Edward J. Carpenter, Mary Cousins, Kara L. Nelson, Alejandro Guido-Zarate, Keith Loftin; Hydrobiologia (2010) 654:177–192.
• Johnson County Algae and Cyanobacterial Presentation, Dr. Jennifer Graham
• USGS CoreCast: Slimy Summer Swimming: Harmful Algal Blooks in Lakes, Rivers and Streams, Dr. Barry Rosen, Dr. Jennifer Graham and Dr. Keith Loftin, Host: Kara Capelli
• Workshop presentations for "Guidelines for Design, Sampling, Analysis, and Interpretation for Cyanobacterial Toxin
  and Taste-and-Odor Studies in Lakes and Reservoirs" at the 7th National Monitoring Conference,
  "Monitoring from the Summit to the Sea", April 25-29, 2010, Denver, Colorado.
  Presented by Barry Rosen (USGS), Jennifer Graham (USGS), Keith Loftin (USGS), Ann St. Amand (Phycotech, Inc.)

Why study cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) and associated compounds?

Cyanobacteria may produce taste-and-odor
compounds that cause malodorous
or unpalatable drinking water.
Cheney Reservoir, Kansas.  June 2003.
Photo Courtesy of KDHE.

Freshwater and marine harmful algal blooms (HABs) can occur anytime water use is impaired due to excessive accumulations of algae. In freshwater, the majority of HABs are caused by cyanobacteria (also called blue-green algae). Cyanobacteria cause a multitude of water-quality concerns, including the potential to produce taste-and-odor causing compounds and toxins that are potent enough to poison animals and humans. Taste-and-odor compounds and toxins are of particular concern in lakes, reservoirs, and rivers that are used for either drinking water supplies or full body contact recreation. Taste-and-odor compounds cause malodorous or unpalatable drinking water and fish, resulting in increased treatment costs and loss of aquacultural and recreational revenue.  Cyanobacterial toxins (cyanotoxins) have been implicated in human and animal illness and death in over fifty countries worldwide, including at least 35 U.S. States.  Human toxicoses associated with cyanotoxins have most commonly occurred after exposure through drinking water or recreational activities.

Cyanobacteria may also produce toxins
that are potent enough to poison humans
and animals such as cattle and dogs.
Mozingo Lake, Missouri.  October 2001.
Photo by J. L. Graham.

The cyanobacterial compounds most commonly associated with taste-and-odor episodes are geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (MIB).  Cyanobacteria also produce a chemically and bioactively diverse group of toxins, all targeting fundamental cellular processes and thereby affecting a wide range of organisms.  Cyanotoxins implicated in human illness include microcystin, cylindrospermopsin, anatoxin, saxitoxin, and β-methylamino alanine (BMAA).  Because of potential human health risks, cyanotoxins are currently on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking water contaminant candidate list (CCL).

Cyanobacteria may form
thick accumulations in near-shore areas.
Binder Lake, Iowa. August 2006.
Photo by J. L. Graham

Although anecdotal reports are common, few studies have documented the distribution, occurrence, and concentration of taste-and-odor compounds and toxins in cyanobacterial blooms throughout the United States. In addition, while the general factors influencing cyanobacterial bloom formation are well known the specific factors driving particular occurrences of taste-and-odor compounds and toxins remain unclear. Taste-and-odor compounds and cyanotoxins represent both economic and public-health concerns and resource managers, drinking water treatment plant operators, lake associations, and local officials are increasingly faced with decisions about cyanobacteria that affect public awareness, exposure, and health. Understanding the environmental factors associated with the occurrence and concentration of taste-and-odor compounds and cyanotoxins is key to lake management and drinking water treatment decisions and minimization of human health risks.

Taste-and-odor producing cyanobacteria
bloom in Cheney Reservoir,
south-central Kansas.
Cheney Reservoir, Kansas.  June 2003.
Photo Courtesy of KDHE.

Cheney Reservoir

Severe taste-and-odor episodes in Cheney Reservoir, a key drinking water supply for the city of Wichita, Kansas, during the early 1990’s prompted water-quality studies to identify and mitigate potential causes.  Recent USGS studies have focused on real-time estimation of water-quality constituent concentrations and transport from the watershed and the description of in-reservoir conditions that may result in cyanobacterial production of taste-and-odor compounds.  The taste-and-odor compound geosmin, probably produced by the cyanobacterial genera Anabaena, is the likely cause of taste-and-odor episodes in Cheney Reservoir.  Continuously monitored variables, such as light, temperature, conductivity, and turbidity have been used to successfully predict when geosmin concentrations will exceed the human detection limit of 10 nanograms per liter (view real-time estimates of geosmin concentrations in Cheney Reservoir). Ongoing studies at Cheney Reservoir will link biological, physicochemical, hydrological, and meteorological processes to refine relations to estimate taste-and-odor occurrences and develop new relations with other variables of concern, such as cyanotoxins.  The city of Wichita plans to use these models, along with other variables measured in real time, to aid the management of the resource and decrease water-treatment costs.

Lake Olathe

Lake Olathe is an important recreational resource for the city of Olathe, Kansas and until recently it also provided about 10 percent of the city’s drinking water supply.  Taste-and-odor episodes have occurred periodically in Lake Olathe throughout the past 20 years and factored into the decision to discontinue use of the lake as a water supply.  USGS studies in Lake Olathe indicated that taste-and-odor episodes were linked to both cyanobacterial bloom formation as well as actinomycetes bacteria (a group of taste-and-odor producing bacteria that live in soil) washed into the lake during runoff events.

The USGS Organic Geochemistry Research Laboratory (OGRL)

The OGRL has a USGS approved GC/MS method for the analysis of the taste-and-odor compounds geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (MIB).  In addition, the lab currently analyzes for the cyanotoxin microcystin using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA).  Methods are being developed for the LC/MS/MS analysis of cyanotoxins including microcystins, anatoxin, cylindrospermopsin, and β -methylamino alanine (BMAA).

Abstracts And Presentations

• Co-occurrence of Toxins and Taste-and-Odor Compounds in Cyanobacterial Blooms from the Midwestern United States. A presentation at the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography Summer Meeting, St. John’s, Newfoundland, June 2008, Graham, J.L., Loftin, K.A., Ziegler, A.C., and Meyer, M.T.(pdf)
• Preliminary Assessment of Cyanotoxin Occurrence in Lakes and Reservoirs in the United States, 2008,Loftin, K.A., Graham, J.L., Meyer, M.T., Ziegler, A.C., Dietze, J.E. Holdsworth, S., Tarquinio, E., National Water Quality Monitoring Conference, Atlantic City, NJ, May, 21, 2008.(PPT)
• Cyanobacterial blooms: toxins, taste, and odors. A presentation for the topical session “Cyanobacteria and Water Quality” during the USDA-CSREES National Water Conference, Reno, NV, February, 2008. (PDF)

Reports and Publications

Fate and Transport of Cyanobacteria and Associated Toxins and Taste-and-Odor Compounds from Upstream Reservoir Releases in the Kansas River, Kansas, September and October 2011, Graham, J.L., Ziegler, A.C., Loving, B.L., and Loftin, K.A., 2012: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5129, 65 p.

Cyanotoxin Mixtures and Taste-and-Odor Compounds in Cyanobacterial Blooms from the Midwestern United States, Graham, J.L, Loftin, K.A., Meyer, M.T., Ziegler, A.C., 2010, Environmental Science and Technology, doi:10.1021/es1008938.

Effects of light and nutrients on seasonal phytoplankton succession in a temperate eutrophic coastal lagoon, Jeana L. Drake, Edward J. Carpenter, Mary Cousins, Kara L. Nelson, Alejandro Guido-Zarate, Keith Loftin; Hydrobiologia (2010) 654:177–192.

Microcystin in Missouri Reservoirs, Graham J.L. and Jones, J.R, 2009, Lake and Reservoir Management, v. 25, p. 253-263.

Monitoring Recreational Freshwaters, Graham, J.L., Loftin, K.A., and Kamman, N., 2009, LakeLine, v. 29, p. 18-24.

National Field Manual for the Collection of Water-Quality Data (TWRI Book 9)
7.5 Cyanobacteria In Lakes And Reservoirs: Toxin And Taste-And-Odor Sampling Guidelines U.S. Geological Survey Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations, Graham, J.L., Loftin, K.A., Ziegler, A.C., and Meyer, M.T., 2008, book 9, chap. A7, section 7.5;
Chapter A7. Biological Indicators -- Cyanobacteria in Lakes and Reservoirs: Toxin and Taste-and-Odor Sampling Guidelines, 9/2008 (3MB PDF)

Comparison of Two Cell Lysis Procedures for Recovery of Microcystins in Water Samples from Silver Lake in Dover, Delaware, with Microcystin Producing Cyanobacterial Accumulations:Loftin, K. A., Meyer, M.T., Rubio, F., Kamp, L., Humphries, E., Whereat, E., 2008, U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Open-File Report 2008–1341,9 p.

Guidelines for design and sampling for cyanobacterial toxin and taste-and-odor studies in lakes and reservoirs: Graham, J.L., Loftin, K.A., Ziegler, A.C., and Meyer, M.T., 2008, U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5038, 39 p.

Microcystin distribution in physical size class separations of natural plankton communities, Graham, J. L. and J. R. Jones, 2007, Lake and Reservoir Management, v. 23, p. 161-168.

Harmful algal blooms, Graham, J.L., 2006, U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2006-3147, 2 p.

Microcystin in Midwestern Lakes, Graham, J. L., J. R. Jones, and S. B. Jones, 2006, LakeLine, v. 26, p. 32-35

Water quality and relation to taste and odor compounds in the North Fork Ninnescah River and Cheney Reservoir, South-Central Kansas, 1997-2003, Christensen, V.G., Graham, J.L., Milligan, C.R., Pope, L.M., and Ziegler, A.C., 2006, U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2006-5095, 49 p.

Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Microcystin in a Missouri Reservoir, Graham, J.L, Jones, J.R., Jones, S.B., and Clevenger, T.E., 2006, Lake and Reservoir Management, v. 22, p. 59-68

Environmental Factors Influencing Microcystin Distribution and Concentration in the Midwestern United States, Graham, J.L., Jones, J.R., Jones, S.B., Downing, J.A., Clevenger, T.E., 2004, Water Research, v. 38, p.4395-4404.

Surface-Water-Quality Conditions and Relation to Taste-and-Odor Occurrences in the Lake Olathe Watershed, Northeast Kansas, 2000–02, Mau, D.P., Ziegler, A.C., Porter, S.D., and Pope, L.M., 2004, U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2004-5047, 95 p.

Method of Analysis and Quality-Assurance Practices by U.S. Geological Survey Organic Geochemistry Research Group--Determination of Geosmin and Methylisoborneol in Water Using Solid-Phase Microextraction and Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry, Zimmerman, L.R., Ziegler, A.C., and E.M. Thurman, 2002, U.S. Geological Survey Open File Report 02-337, 12 p.

Education and Outreach

• Introduction to Cyanobacteria, Toxins, and Taste-and-Odor Compounds
• Guidelines for Design and Sampling for Cyanobacterial Toxin and Taste-and-Odor Studies in Lakes and Reservoirs
• Analytical Methods for Cyanotoxin Detection and Impacts on Data Interpretation
• Algal Laboratory Methodology

Additional Information

• Ohio Department of Health Public Information Video on Harmful Algal Blooms
• Australian Research Network For Algal Toxins (ARNAT)
• Cyanosite
• Department of Health and Human Services Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Harrness (National Plan for Algal Toxins and Harmful Algal Blooms)
• Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (EPA)
• Health Canada
• International Symposium on Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms (ISOC-HAB)
• Kansas Department of Health and Environment
• MERHAB-LGL
• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
• NALMS Blue Green Initiative
• New York State Department of Health
• USGS Human Health
• USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Program
• World Health Organization: Toxic cyanobacteria in water
• World Health Organization: Water-related diseases

THE USGS KANSAS ALAGAL TOXIN TEAM:

Jennifer Graham
U.S. Geological Survey
4821 Quail Crest Place
Lawrence, KS 66049-3839
Telephone: (785) 832-3511
Fax: (785) 832-3500
Email: jlgraham@usgs.gov

Keith Loftin
U.S. Geological Survey
4821 Quail Crest Place
Lawrence, KS 66049-3839
Telephone: (785) 832-3543
Fax: (785) 832-3500
Email: kloftin@usgs.gov

Mike Meyer
U.S. Geological Survey
4821 Quail Crest Place
Lawrence, KS 66049-3839
Telephone: : (785) 832-3544
Fax: (785) 832-3500
Email: mmeyer@usgs.gov

Andy Ziegler
U.S. Geological Survey
4821 Quail Crest Place
Lawrence, KS 66049-3839
Telephone: (785) 832-3539
Fax: (785) 832-3500
Email: aziegler@usgs.gov