Central Valley Water Board Cyanobacteria and Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)

• NEW! Role of benthic overwintering cyanobacteria seed stock on estuarine bloom dynamics published in Harmful Algae. (3/1/25)
• Central Valley Water Board staff will serve on a team of co-investigators for NOAA Monitoring and Event Response for Harmful Algal Blooms (MERHAB) project. (9/1/23)
  • Advancing an Integrated HAB Detection and Monitoring System Across the San Francisco Estuary
• How to Keep your Family and Pets Safe as Harmful Algal Bloom Threat Increases during Summer Months (6/23/23)

• Central Valley Water Board (CVWB) HAB Projects
• Central Valley HAB Programs and Organizations
• Central Valley Water Board (CVWB) HAB Documents
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Many of the Central Valley Water Board’s regulatory programs work to reduce nutrient inputs into the Region’s waterbodies. In addition to these programs, the Board participates in the state’s efforts to address HABs across California through the Freshwater and Estuaring Harmful Algal Bloom (FHAB) Program. The statewide FHAB Program was developed and implemented by the State Water Resources Control Board’s Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program to address the issue of cyanobacteria and HABs in surface waters across California.

Some of the work CVWB does to address HABs in our region includes:

• Collecting information on blooms
• Sampling and analyzing HABs
• Providing information on blooms to local waterbody managers and health officers
• Establishing community partnerships for HAB monitoring
• Conducting outreach and education to the general public
• Collaborating with academia and interested stakeholders to better understand the causes of HABs

For more information on the statewide HAB program, visit the California Harmful Algal Blooms Portal.

• Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP)
• Delta Water Quality
• Tribal Beneficial Uses Designations