Management of toxic Blue-Green algae (cyanobacteria) in Australia

Blue-Green algae (cyanobacteria) have long been recognized as a source of o bjectionable taste and odors in drinking water. In recent years, there has been increasing concern regarding toxic metabolites produced by some specie s. The species of most concern in Australia are Microcystis aeruginosa and Nodularia spumigena, which produce hepatotoxic peptides, Anabaena circinali s, which produces the same neurotoxins that cause paralytic shellfish poiso ning, and Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, which produces an alkaloid toxin associated with liver and kidney damage. There is also some concern that li popolysaccharides, which may be produced by a number of blue-green algae, m ay be involved in human illness. Management strategies for water supplies s hould include measures in the catchments, source waters, and the distributi on systems. An ability to monitor the organisms and their toxins in the sou rce waters and the distribution systems is essential to determine the need for control measures and to determine their effectiveness. This article dis cusses the management approaches currently used in Australia and the areas of potential future development. (C) 1999 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.