Amid Drought, Connecticut Water Utilities On Alert For Cyanotoxins

Water utility officials in Connecticut are on high alert for cyanotoxins as they contend with the effects of a serious drought.

"Quality is a concern as well as quantity when reservoirs are getting low," Lori Mathieu, public health section chief, said of Connecticut's drinking water supplies, per the Hartford Courant. Cyanotoxins are “one of the many things that [water] utilities must keep an eye on.”

So far, there is no evidence cyanotoxins have infiltrated public drinking water systems, a prospect that prompted water bans in other cities, including Toledo, OH. Cyanotoxins are produced by blue-green algae. They thrive in warm, slow bodies of water, including drought-plagued reservoirs.

Algae may be on the rise across the country as a result of drought.

“Evidence is mounting that harmful algal blooms (HABs) are increasing in both frequency and intensity. Drought conditions brought on by climate change can depress lake levels, concentrating nutrient-rich agricultural runoff in areas of low turbidity,” Scientific American reported this month.

California utilities have also been vigilant about algae during the record-breaking drought in that state.

Cyanotoxins have “been detected in lakes, reservoirs and streams across the state. But because standard treatment processes usually get rid of cyanotoxins, water officials say it’s unlikely a similar crisis would unfold here. Still, the risk exists,” the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reported.

In Connecticut, the U.S. Drought Monitor says no portion of the state is completely free of drought conditions. Connecticut water managers are resorting to restrictions to rein in water use by consumers. At least six Connecticut communities have taken that route, according to the Courant. Other towns have asked for voluntary conservation.

“Connecticut officials say several local water systems have had to resort to trucking in water to meet resident's demands,” the report said.

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