California Cyanobacteria and Harmful Algal Bloom (CCHAB) Network

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Report A Bloom

Announcements

Mission

  • To work towards the development and maintenance of a comprehensive, coordinated program to identify and address the causes and impacts of cyanobacteria and harmful algal blooms (HABs) in California.

Background and Description

The CCHAB Network, formerly the Statewide Blue-Green Algae Working Group, was established in 2006 in response to record-setting toxin producing blooms in the Klamath River reservoirs. Since its establishment, the CCHAB Network has developed guidance for responding to HABs, including action levels for cyanotoxins; held trainings on HAB identification and sampling; and funded a number of grant projects. These efforts demonstrated a need for the development of a long-term vision and strategic plan for identifying and managing HABs in California. Four key goals were identified – prioritization of management questions, synthesis of existing data, identification of data gaps, and the development of communication tools.

Adopted Charter

Objectives of the CCHAB Network?

Develop a unified multi-entity program to identify and address HABs in California's freshwater ecosystems.

Promote improvements in, and coordination of monitoring assessment, reporting, and management of HABs in California.

Develop collaborative relationships among entities (e.g. federal, tribal, state, and local agencies, academic researchers, end-users and stakeholders) responsible for addressing HAB concerns and impacts on beneficial uses.

Coordinate with the California Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring and Alert Program (CalHABMAP).

Make efficient use of federal, tribal, state, regional, and academic resources to address cyanobacteria and HAB concerns by sharing information to avoid duplicative efforts; promoting research, monitoring, and assessment; identifying technical and policy gaps; and communicating HAB concerns to the public.

Work collaboratively toward public awareness of the risks associated with HABs to people, pets, livestock and wildlife

CCHAB's Relation to the Monitoring Council?

The CCHAB Network is a workgroup of the California Water Quality Monitoring Council. The Monitoring Council establishes common policies and guidelines for the workgroups and the programs they represent, acts as a clearinghouse for standards, guidelines, and collaboration; resolves key issues that affect multiple workgroups; provides support for workgroup actions, and improves visibility of workgroup efforts. The CCHAB Network will keep the Monitoring Council apprised of progress towards workgroup goals and will raise issues to the Monitoring Council that cannot be resolved within the workgroup or that may affect multiple workgroups of the Monitoring Council.

Subcommittees

Contact the current CCHAB Network co-chairs listed below for a current list of active subcommittees and contact information for the corresponding subcommittee leads.

Products

CyanoHAB Guidance for Recreational Water Uses

The California Cyanobacterial and Harmful Algal Bloom Network (CCHAB) provides guidance to assist environmental and public health managers in responding to inland harmful algal blooms (HABs). Inland HABs include blooms occurring in freshwater and estuarine environments. The primary audience for the guidance are public health officials, environmental health officials, resource managers, and other interested persons who require a streamlined approach to address the risks posed by HABs as well as templates for advisory signs.
Participating agencies - State Water Resources Control Board, Office of Environmental Health Hazard and Assessment (OEHHA), and California Department of Public Health (CDPH) - have developed and are further refining guidelines for addressing human and animal health concerns for cyanobacteria HABs in recreational waters.

Membership

California Cyanobacteria and Harmful Algal Bloom Network is made up of a diverse group of stakeholders that address, research, manage, and/or regulate cyanoHAB concerns in California. The CCHAB Network is composed of federal agencies, state agencies, tribal governments, local agencies, academics and researchers, and other stakeholders.

Co-Chairs (Summer 2022 - Summer 2024)

Karen Odkins
Freshwater and Estuarine Harmful Algal Bloom Program Lead
Phone: (916) 413-9592
Email: Karen.Odkins@Wildlife.ca.gov

Jayme Smith
Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
Phone: 714-755-3220
Email: jaymes@sccwrp.org

Sarah Ryan
Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians
Phone: 707-263-3924 x132
Email: sryan@big-valley.net

Participating State Agencies

State Water Resources Control Board
and Regional Water Quality Control Boards

California Department of Public Health (CDPH)

Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA)

California Department of Fish and Wildlife

California Department of Water Resources


Participating Federal Agencies

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) HABs

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

US Fish and Wildlife Service

U.S. Geological Survey


Participating Tribes

Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians

Elem Indian Colony

Karuk Tribe

Yurok Tribe


Other Participating Organizations

BABCOCK Laboratories, Inc

Blankinship & Associates, Inc.

California State University, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories

Clear Lake Environmental Research Center

City of Watsonville Public Works

City of San Mateo

Defenders of Wildlife

Del Norte County Department of Health and Human Services

East Bay Regional Park District

Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services

Lake County Environmental Health

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

PacifiCorp

San Francisco Estuary Institute

Santa Clara Valley Water District

Siskiyou County Public Health

Solano Irrigation District

Sonoma County Environmental Health and Safety

Southern California Coastal Water Research Project

Thomas Gast & Associates Environmental Consultants

University of California (UC Davis) Clear Lake Aquatic Website

University of California (UC Santa Cruz) Monterey Bay Harmful Algal Blooms

University of Southern California

Meetings

Meeting notices and agenda (as well as other HAB-related news and resources) are distributed via the CCHAB Network list serve. See the More Information section below for information on how to subscribe.

2024

  • November 20th, 9AM, Teleconference
    • Agenda
    • Minutes
    • Meeting Recording
  • August 14th, 9AM, Teleconference
    • Agenda
    • Minutes
    • Meeting Recording
  • April 24th, 9AM, Teleconference
    • Agenda
    • Minutes
    • Meeting Recording
  • January 31th, 9AM, Teleconference
    • Agenda
    • Minutes
    • Meeting Recording

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

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2017

2016

2014


Other CCHAB Presentations

Western Regional Epidemiology Network – May 21, 2015

Monitoring and Assessment Partnership Webinar – May 19, 2015

For More Information

listserv  Subscribe online to receive updates by email regarding activities of the California Cyanobacteria and Harmful Algal Bloom Network under the General Interests tab.

For general questions, please email cyanoHAB.reports@waterboards.ca.gov. For specific questions, please consult the table of state agency contacts for HAB response and email direct inquiries to the appropriate staff person.