Abstract
Recent increases in the frequency and severity of toxic algae blooms in freshwater lakes has been a major concern for small communities that rely on them for drinking water supply. A hazard quotient approach to risk characterization is employed to analyze the effectiveness of five conventional treatment methods for removal of cyanotoxins. The application of the method for risk assessment and mitigation is demonstrated for five case studies, including Lake Champlain (Quebec), Coal Lake (Alberta), Butte Lake (Alberta), Kubbani Lake (Nigeria) and Bomo Lake (Nigeria). Key words: Cyanotoxins, human health, hazard quotient, lake water intake, water quality.
Highlights
Agricultural non-point source pollution combined with global warming have caused major algal blooms in our freshwater rivers and lakes (Asnaashari et al, 2015; Stang et al, 2016; Gazendam et al, 2016)
The objective of this study is to evaluate the use of conventional treatment options and riverbank filtration for managing cyano-toxins, to assess the vulnerability of existing municipal drinking water facilities using surface water sources
The results indicate that a combination of conventional treatment and membrane filtration used in Picture Butte (Table 4) is an efficient technique for removing cyanotoxins
Summary
Agricultural non-point source pollution combined with global warming have caused major algal blooms in our freshwater rivers and lakes (Asnaashari et al, 2015; Stang et al, 2016; Gazendam et al, 2016). Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic prokaryotes that thrive well in various kinds of habitats ranging from freshwater and marine environments to hot springs and deserts (Duy et al, 2000; Ballot et al, 2003, 2010; Baxa et al, 2010; Bogialli et al, 2013; Chia et al, 2009, Chia and Kwaghe, 2015). They are popularly referred to as blue-green algae but their physiological, morphological and metabolic structures clearly identify them as bacteria. The following factors are responsible for cyanobacteria blooms in aquatic habitat: aquatic temperatures above 25°C, low light intensity in water, and low nitrogen-to-phosphorous ratios (Hans and Timothy, 2013; Heisler et al, 2008; Hrudey et al, 1999; Griffiths and Saker, 2003; Kaushik and Balasubramanian, 2013; Paerl et al, 2011; Tencalla and Dietrich, 1997)
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