[Senate Hearing 115-846]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 115-846
HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS: THE IMPACT ON
OUR NATION'S WATERS
=======================================================================
HEARING
before the
SUBCOMMITTEE ON OCEANS, ATMOSPHERE, FISHERIES, AND COAST GUARD
of the
COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE,
SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
AUGUST 28, 2018
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available online: http://www.govinfo.gov
______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
57-491 PDF WASHINGTON : 2025
SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
JOHN THUNE, South Dakota, Chairman
ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi BILL NELSON, Florida, Ranking
ROY BLUNT, Missouri MARIA CANTWELL, Washington
TED CRUZ, Texas AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota
DEB FISCHER, Nebraska RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut
JERRY MORAN, Kansas BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii
DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska EDWARD MARKEY, Massachusetts
DEAN HELLER, Nevada TOM UDALL, New Mexico
JAMES INHOFE, Oklahoma GARY PETERS, Michigan
MIKE LEE, Utah TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin
RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois
SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia MAGGIE HASSAN, New Hampshire
CORY GARDNER, Colorado CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO, Nevada
TODD YOUNG, Indiana JON TESTER, Montana
Nick Rossi, Staff Director
Adrian Arnakis, Deputy Staff Director
Jason Van Beek, General Counsel
Kim Lipsky, Democratic Staff Director
Chris Day, Democratic Deputy Staff Director
Renae Black, Senior Counsel
------
SUBCOMMITTEE ON OCEANS, ATMOSPHERE, FISHERIES,
AND COAST GUARD
DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska, Chairman TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin, Ranking
ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi MARIA CANTWELL, Washington
DEB FISCHER, Nebraska RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut
JAMES INHOFE, Oklahoma BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii
MIKE LEE, Utah EDWARD MARKEY, Massachusetts
RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin GARY PETERS, Michigan
CORY GARDNER, Colorado
TODD YOUNG, Indiana
C O N T E N T S
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Page
Hearing held on August 28, 2018.................................. 1
Statement of Senator Sullivan.................................... 1
Statement of Senator Baldwin..................................... 2
Statement of Senator Nelson...................................... 4
Letter to U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan from James M. Sullivan,
Ph.D., Executive Director, Florida Atlantic University--
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute...................... 4
Letter from Terry Gibson, Principal, North Swell Media &
Consulting................................................. 5
Letter dated August 10, 2018 from Christine Miller, Snook Hut
Bait & Tackle.............................................. 6
Letter dated August 22, 2018 from Paul Laura, Chair, Treasure
Coast Democratic Environmental Causus...................... 7
Letter dated August 23, 2018 from Virginia Barker, Director,
Brevard County Natural Resources Management Department..... 7
Letter dated August 23, 2018 from Joyce Wasserman, Space
Coast Chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby................... 8
Letter dated August 24, 2018 from Sandy Gilbert, Chairman/
CEO, START................................................. 11
Letter dated August 24, 2018 to Hon. Bill Nelson from
Christine Hansen, CIPS, CRB, GRI, 2018 Florida Realtors
President.................................................. 11
Letter dated August 25, 2018 from Kimberly R. Streiber,
Resident & Parent, Martin County, FL....................... 14
Letter dated August 26, 2018 to Hon. John Thune and Hon. Bill
Nelson from Graham A.J. Worthy, Department Chair and
Pegasus Professor, Director, National Center for Integrated
Coastal Research Provost's Distinguished Research Professor
of Biology, and Hubbs-Sea World Endowe Professor of Marine
Mammalogy.................................................. 15
Letter dated August 26, 2018 to Senator Bill Nelson from Sean
T. Sullivan, Executive Director, Tampa Bay Regional
Planning Council........................................... 16
Letter dated August 26, 2018 from Anne Harvey Holbrook, Staff
Attorney, Save the Manatee Club............................ 17
Letter dated August 27, 2018 to Senators John Thune, Bill
Nelson, Dan Sullivan and Tammy Baldwin from Rich Innes,
Association of National Estuary Programs................... 17
Letter dated August 27, 2018 from Marisa Carrozzo, Senior
Environmental Policy Specialist, Conservancy of Southwest
Florida.................................................... 23
Letter dated August 27, 2018 from Gary F. Goforth, P.E.,
Ph.D....................................................... 24
Letter dated September 5, 2018 from Kathy Hope Erickson,
Tribal Chairman, Sitka Tribe of Alaska..................... 41
Statement of Senator Peters...................................... 80
Statement of Senator Markey...................................... 83
Witnesses
Dr. Donald M. Anderson, Senior Scientist, Biology Department,
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; and Director, U.S.
National Office for Harmful Algal Blooms....................... 44
Prepared statement........................................... 46
Ivory B. Engstrom, Director, Special Projects, McLane Research
Labs, Inc...................................................... 61
Prepared statement........................................... 63
Bryan Stubbs, Executive Director, Cleveland Water Alliance....... 69
Prepared statement........................................... 71
Patrick Neu, Executive Director, National Professional Anglers
Association.................................................... 72
Prepared statement........................................... 74
Appendix
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department
of Commerce, prepared statement................................ 87
Response to written question submitted by Hon. Jim Inhofe to
Patrick Neu.................................................... 91
HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS: THE IMPACT ON
OUR NATION'S WATERS
----------
TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2018
U.S. Senate,
Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and
Coast Guard,
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
Washington, DC.
The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:35 p.m., in
room SR-253, Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. Dan Sullivan,
Chairman of the Subcommittee, presiding.
Present: Senators Sullivan [presiding], Wicker, Fischer,
Gardner, Young, Baldwin, Markey, and Peters.
Also present: Senator Nelson.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. DAN SULLIVAN,
U.S. SENATOR FROM ALASKA
Senator Sullivan. The Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmospheres,
Fisheries, and the Coast Guard will now come to order.
Good afternoon. And I want to welcome everybody.
Today is an important oversight hearing that we are having
to discuss harmful algae blooms, or HABs, as they are
frequently called, and the impact of HABs across our Nation in
coastal resources and coastal communities.
HABs are scientifically complex and economically damaging,
and almost every state in the country now experiences some kind
of HAB event, including my home state of Alaska. I'll give a
couple examples of what's happening in Alaska. And I know that
my colleagues here on the Committee are going to talk about
some of the things happening in their states.
Over the last 80 years in Alaska, HABs have actually killed
15 people and sickened hundreds. Given that shellfish is a
staple in many homes throughout Alaska, particularly for our
tribal communities, this is a serious concern. HABs have also
imposed serious financial consequences on our valuable seafood
industry, not just in Alaska, but throughout the country, and,
in recent years, conditions that are triggering HABs are
occurring more frequently. There are multiple types of HABs,
which create difficulties for monitoring, researching, and
responding to them. Paralytic shellfish poisoning, also known
as PSP, is a serious illness caused by eating shellfish
contaminated with the toxic algae. This is a concern
particularly as it can cause serious human illness and even
death at very small concentrations. Commercially harvested
shellfish is regularly tested, but PSP is a particular hazard
for many shellfish that are harvested for personal use or in
subsistence use. For example, in southeast Alaska, many tribal
members are particularly concerned with the lack of a PSP
testing available for subsistence and recreational shellfish
collection, which is very important in my state.
In 2013, the Southeast Alaska Tribal Toxin Network was
formed to coordinate efforts to monitor HABs and to develop a
deeper understanding of when and where these HABs are likely to
occur. With eyes on the water, each week partners from 17
tribes are able to inform their communities about the current
risk of harvesting subsistence shellfish.
PSP is a significant danger to our commercial shellfish
industry, as well. One example in southeast Alaska, in terms of
the Geoduck Clamfish Reef, worth over $5 million annually, is
in danger. This fishery has been plagued by unexplained PSP
toxicity, resulting in very significant economic losses.
Another growing HAP concern is the neurotoxin domoic acid,
which has been a major concern, not just in Alaska, but
entire--the entire West Coast, particularly in California,
Oregon, in the Washington Dungeness crab industry. This toxin
has recently been found in Alaska, in the waters at Kachemak
Bay, and is a growing concern for my state's $3-million-per-
year Dungeness crab industry. Although HABs have occurred in
Alaska's waters as far back as recorded history goes, the
increasing frequency of events has far-reaching impacts.
I have long supported HAB and hypoxia research so that we
can better understand these events and better prepare to
respond to them. This is why I cosponsored the bipartisan
Harmful Algae Bloom and Hypoxia Research Control Amendments of
2017, along with my Ranking Member, Senator Baldwin, and other
committee members, including Senator Peters and Senator Nelson.
HABs pose significant risks to our fishing community, our
economic and tourism community. Given the importance of the
ocean and our coastal resources to Alaska's economy, Florida's
economy, many other economies, it makes sense that we, as a
Nation, coordinate our HABs and hypoxia programs, led by the
National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration.
I will now give the floor to Ranking Member Baldwin for her
opening remarks. And we are glad to have the Ranking Member of
the entire Commerce Committee, Senator Nelson, here. I have
also asked, if he has time, Senator Rubio, who I know cares
about this issue, to stop by, as well.
Senator Baldwin.
STATEMENT OF HON. TAMMY BALDWIN,
U.S. SENATOR FROM WISCONSIN
Senator Baldwin. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
This summer, algae blooms are turning hundreds of
Wisconsin's sparkling blue lakes and rivers into green pea
soup, closing beaches and upending boating, fishing, and family
recreation plans. We're not even in peak bloom season, but
already, as of early August, there have been over 160 days of
beach closures in Dane County, my home county, alone, mostly
due to blue-green algae, more than any summer in over a decade.
Here is--oh, it's up already--here is a satellite, image
taken last week, showing algae blooms in Green Bay and in the
Lake Winnebago watershed, which would be right there. And Green
Bay is up there. Algae blooms are so bad in Green Bay that
they've caused a dead zone to persist in the Bay's deep waters
for over 20 years, slowly removing oxygen from the waters,
killing off fish and other aquatic life. A recent study led by
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee researchers shows that this
dead zone is only getting worse. Wisconsin's largest lake is
Lake Winnebago, and it's shown on the photo behind me. Lake
Winnebago has been plagued with a particularly bad algae bloom
this summer. It was so bad, in fact, that one of our witnesses
today, Mr. Neu, canceled his plans to attend a fishing
tournament on the lake because of the algae. Unfortunately, Mr.
Neu is not alone. There are over a million anglers in the state
of Wisconsin, and the state attracts the third-most non-
resident anglers in the country and generates the second-most
non-resident expenditures, only after Florida. From bass, pike,
walleye, trout, to musky, Wisconsin is home to over 160
different fish species and is a top destination for fishing.
But, algae blooms threaten our freshwater sport-fishing
paradise by not only making the fish sick, but by posing risk
to anglers, also.
Fishing is just one activity that algae blooms impact. The
blooms spoil so much of what defines a great Wisconsin summer:
boating, swimming, and beach-going activities. These are
activities that define summertime in Wisconsin. But, these
activities become dangerous to human health during algae bloom
events.
With over 15,000 lakes and rivers, we have a lot to lose
from harmful algal blooms in Wisconsin. Many thousands of
residents live on or near waterfronts, many businesses rely on
healthy waterfronts for their revenue. A case in point, next we
have a photo of Lake Menomin, which is at Menominie, Wisconsin.
This lake is clogged with algae throughout the warmer months,
at a substantial cost to the community. Students at the
University of Wisconsin--Stout estimated that a clean lake
could provide a $36 million boost to the local economy, a city
of 16,000, and could lead to students wanting to stay in the
area year-round. These stinky, toxic, persistent blooms are on
the rise in Wisconsin and the rest of the United States.
They're increasing in frequency, in duration and extent.
Climate change is making it worse by creating more favorable
conditions for algae blooms.
Recently, an unprecedented harmful algal bloom greened the
shorelines of Lake Superior, which has waters that are famous
for being cold and crisp and clear. These harmful algal blooms
stretched 50 miles from Superior to the Apostle Islands, which
is a popular destination for kayakers, canoers, and hikers, and
me. As waters warm, unprecedented events like this may become
the new normal. Scientists are trying to figure out exactly
what is driving this new pattern in blooms, and they've linked
it to periods of heavy rainfall, which increases nutrient-rich
runoff. Climate change will only make things worse.
The National Harmful Algae Bloom and Hypoxia Program
expires in just over one month, on September 30. I want to
voice my support for the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia
Research and Control Act, which would reauthorize this crucial
program. I worked with my colleagues to include amendments to
this bill to ensure that we're not only studying these harmful
events, but we are arming local communities with the tools to
address their water quality challenges. The Senate has taken
action and passed this bill, and now we need to get it across
the finish line. We need to acknowledge and act on the urgency
of our national harmful algae bloom crisis.
I look forward to hearing from our expert witnesses about
the increasing challenges of harmful algal blooms and what we
can do to best respond, from the local to the national level.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Sullivan. Thank you, Senator Baldwin.
And we have the Ranking Member of the entire Commerce
Committee, Senator Nelson. I know this is an issue that he
cares about.
So, Senator Nelson, if you would like to make an opening
statement, as well, the floor is yours.
STATEMENT OF HON. BILL NELSON,
U.S. SENATOR FROM FLORIDA
Senator Nelson. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And may we insert into the Committee record letters that we
have received from Floridians, which will document the extent
that the harmful algae blooms have suddenly enveloped Florida
into a green slime that then, when it goes down some of the
freshwater streams and rivers, meets with a phenomenon that
occurs of bacteria out in the Gulf of Mexico, called red tide,
which appears periodically in the Gulf, but, when it moves
close to shore, as the red tide has this year, and then is
fueled by the extra nutrients in the water, causing the algae
growth of the freshwater river, that supercharges the bacteria
into what we are now experiencing, and that most people have
seen, the dead fish and the dead mammals, which has been an
additional plague on Florida this year.
Senator Sullivan. Without objection, with regard to the
letters.
[The information referred to follows:]
Harbor Branch--Florida Atlantic University
U.S. Senate,
Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard,
U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (Chairman).
Regarding: Hearing on Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)
Dear Chairman and Honorably Committee members,
I would like to state for the record that I firmly believe the
state of Florida is likely the most HAB impacted region in the United
States in terms of 1) the variety of harmful algal species that
routinely occur in Florida waters; 2) the number of major HAB events
that occur on a yearly basis (with many different HAB species blooming
in different areas of the state simultaneously); 3) both the areal size
and duration of the different HAB events; and 4) the resultant range of
different algal toxins (e.g., brevetoxin, microcystin, saxitoxin, etc.)
and other negative effects that occur with the blooms (e.g., hypoxia/
anoxia, massive fish/wildlife kills, seagrass and habitat loss,
fisheries and recreational water closures, economic losses, etc.). And
whiie the environmental and economic damage from these reoccurring HABs
in Florida are both massive and devasting, and have garnered national
media attention, I also believe there is a hidden (and likely major)
public health crisis associated with these HABs that we are not close
to understanding: we do not fundamentally understand how the many
different toxins produced by the many different HABs in Florida waters
are directly affecting the short and long term health of our local
human populations. Exposure routes to toxins can come through the air,
water and the food supply, and many people who live and work in active
HAB regions may have added exposure through occupational or
recreational routes. In my opinion, in addition to increasing the
technological capabilities and scientific research into a better
understanding of the environmental drivers and monitoring of HABs, for
the state of Florida, State and Federal agencies need to provide much
greater resources into understanding the direct threat to public health
with human epidemiology studies linked to our basic HAB research. My
Institute and University (FAU-HBOI) is on the front line of what we
believe is the first of such an effort in the state. We have founded
the Florida Center of Coastal and Human Health to address the direct
link between HAB exposure and human health. However, this is only the
start, and without adequate resources, we will not be able to
adequately protect and warn our populations about the potential risks
to their health.
Sincerely,
James M. Sullivan, Ph.D.,
Executive Director,
Florida Atlantic University--Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.
______
North Swell Media & Consulting
Jensen Beach, FL
Dear Senators,
Thank you for the opportunity to provide written testimony before
the Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast
Guard hearing entitled ``Harmful Algal Blooms: The Impact on Our
Nation's Waters.''
My home state of Florida is currently ground zero for all things
algae, and as a Floridian I believe this hearing presents a chance to
bring to light this environmentally harmful event currently plaguing
the state of Florida, while also discussing solutions that will provide
relief to our businesses suffering financially, our aquatic life that
is dying in record numbers, and Floridians and visitors experiencing
health issues due to this environmental crisis.
This is neither the first nor the last occurrence of harmful algal
blooms in Florida. In 2016, Florida had record rainfall that triggered
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to release tons of polluted water East
and West into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries. The Federal
Government is considering a WRDA bill that includes authorization for a
reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee, which will eventually clean and
send much of this water south, reducing the size and frequency of
polluted discharges into our rivers. However, it will not solve the
underlying issue of the water being polluted in the first place.
One legislative solution would be to reauthorize the Harmful Algal
Bloom and Hypoxia Research Control Act. Originally signed into law by
President Clinton (P.L. 105-383) in 1998, HABHRCA and its subsequent
reauthorizations have ``reaffirmed and expanded the mandate for the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to advance the
scientific understanding and ability to detect, monitor, assess, and
predict HAB and hypoxia events.'' \1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Harmful Algal
Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act Legislative History.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
While the Senate unanimously passed its version of reauthorizing
legislation in September 2017, I implore each of you at the hearing
today to have conversations with your respective delegations and to
quickly take up and pass this legislation in the House of
Representatives.
But while legislative solutions can bring about the necessary
policy changes that will ultimately save our public's health, our
fisheries, and Florida's unique tourism industry, overall funding
levels for these programs must not be continuously debated and put on
the chopping block.
As citizens concerned with the future of our environment and
constantly running defense on environmental attacks by the current
administration, we are counting on our Federal Government to protect
our bedrock environmental laws and those agencies responsible for
carrying out these laws. This year, President Trump's Fiscal Year 2018
Budget Proposal proposed a 25 percent cut to the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), and over a billion dollars in cuts to NOAA.
Agencies like the EPA and NOAA provide science-based actions to
protect our waterways, and decreased funding only undercuts
preparedness and resilience. Thankfully, the President's budget
proposal is just that-a proposal. House and Senate champions must
continue to plus up agencies like the EPA and NOAA in order to continue
our ability to actively defend against events such as harmful algal
blooms and red tide. When the science isn't there, neither are the
solutions to effectively get the region to ``ounce back.''
Sincerely,
Terry Gibson,
Principal.
______
August 10, 2018
To whom it may concern,
I am writing you this letter in concern for my family business,
Snook Hut Bait & Tackle in Cape Coral, FL. My husband and I just bought
our bait and tackle shop back in February of this year. We made this
decision because up until then, he worked for a very large restaurant
chain and the days/hours were very long tothe point we hardly ever saw
him. We have 3 amazing children and they want and need their father
around. So we decided to take what little we had saved up and buy the
shop. Our family loves to fish, we wanted to have our family work
together and to teach our children life values along with
responsibility, dedication, loyalty and to show them bard work pays
off. These days. kids think they are entitled to everything, nope, not
in my house! We felt buying the shop was a win, win for us. We would
get to be together working hard for a passion that we all have,
fishing!
Our business was originally established back in 2014 and since
then, there has been a continuous growth in revenue each year. Looking
back through the books we are now at $30K+ LESS than that of the
previous years (for the months of May through present). The red tide
and algae bloom is destroying our business and has been for the past
few months. If our business is not making money neither are we. This is
a double edge sword for us.
It was mid season when we opened the store so things were going
fairly well. We knew that summer time was coming and business would
slow down so we knew that we would need to budget accordingly. However,
we did not see or prepare to be where we are today. Today, I am
panicking. We have lost so much money due tothe water quality and the
fish die oft: We have had days not a sing1e customer to walk through
our doors. This is heartbreaking and terrifying at the same time. We
don't even have the money to pay our rent for the shop, let alone all
the other monthly bills that are due every month. This shop is my
family's livelihood and these past few months we have not been able to
bring any money home. We are not only on the verge of losing our
business but we are now facing possibly loosing our home. The business
money i, not there and we used what litt1e we had of our personal money
to help with the businesses bills but now we are drained, both personal
and business. We need help!!!! Please help us!
On days that we do get a customer in, they are here on vacation and
they tell us how they will never come back down here. This is
devastating to hear. It's this time of the year where you rely on your
loyal customers. But none of them are out fishing because of the
conditions of the water, so the only people that occasionally come in
are people visiting. So to hear them talk about how horrible our area
is, and how they will never be back is disturbing. If things remain the
way that they are, we wont be open for them to come back even if they
decided to give our area a second chance.
All those hundreds and thousands of dead fish due to the red tide
and algae bloom decided not to go alone, they have taken all my
business along with them along with many other businesses in the area.
I am really hoping and begging for relief down here. This is
drastically affecting so many small businesses and families in so many
ways. Our bait and tack1e shop is all my family has.
Every bit of what has taken place here ALL stems from the
Okeechobbee release water. That water being released has caused a MAJOR
CRISIS, to small businesses like mine and we all need your help. Please
help as!
Truly,
Christine Miller,
Snook Hut Bait & Tackle.
______
Treasure Coast Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida
Stuart, FL, August 22, 2018
Senate Commerce Subcommittee,
Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard,
Washington, DC.
Senators,
I am writing to you in an effort to address the current algae bloom
occurring on both Florida's East and West Coast due to discharges from
Lake Okeechobee. The bloom species on both coasts are toxic. More than
300mt of marine fish, dolphins, manatees, turtles have died.
We have yet to fully understand the short and long term effects of
these toxic algal blooms to human health but the increase in emergency
room patients during this timeline is discerning. The toxic algae has
been linked to hepatic cancer and neurological diseases as Alzheimer
and Lou Gehrig's disease.
The lost of tourism and fishing has been devastating. We do not yet
know of the long term loss to fishing & tourism which are ranked Nr. 1
and 2 in the state as people look to alternate vacation plans in the
future.
We do not expect the current bloom to subside until November 2018,
when the dry season begins. This means that full time residents will
have been exposed to the algal toxins for approx \1/2\ year.
We are asking the Senate for:
1. Pass the Bill to provide funds as part of the Federal
Government's 50:50 partnership to build Southern Reservoir,
south of Lake Okeechobee.
2. To include in the directive to the Army Corps of Engineers, that
a component of their decision should be the health of citizens
who are exposed to polluted water when discharges to the East
and West occur. It cannot only be the safety for the citizens
living near the Lake Okeechobee dike from a breech.
3. Additional funding for monitoring nutrient runoff a main source
of food for the algae to local communities.
Thank you for your consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
Paul Laura,
Chair,
Treasure Coast Democratic Environmental Caucus.
______
Brevard County Board of County Commissioners
Viera, FL, August 23, 2018
Re: Impact of Harmful Algal Blooms on the Indian River Lagoon, Brevard
County, Florida
Dear Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and
Coast Guard,
Thank you for holding this hearing on the impacts of Harmful Algal
Blooms (HABs) to our Nation's precious water resources and the
citizens, businesses, communities and who depend on clean water for
healthy living and prosperous economies.
Brevard County has experienced direct impacts of HABs over the past
several years resulting in the rapid decline in health of the Indian
River Lagoon (IRL), an estuary of national significance and local
ecological treasure. Algal blooms, fueled by excessive levels of
nutrients in the IRL, appear to be increasing in frequency and
magnitude and have manifested in expansive seagrass loss, increased
occurrence of fish kills, and greater potential for toxin exposure in
the aquatic environment. A suite of HAB species in the IRL have
contributed to the detrimental impacts endured by Brevard County in
recent years, including a ``superbloom'' of green algae and
cyanobacteria in 2011, a recurring brown tide (Aureoumbra lagunensis)
that has bloomed six of the last eight years in Brevard waters, and
interspersed major blooms of the potential toxin-producing red tide
species Pyrodinium bahamense.
Prolonged blooms of these harmful algal species have severely
impacted light penetration in the IRL, resulting in the loss of tens of
thousands of acres of vital seagrass. As the ``lifeblood of the
lagoon'', the reduction in seagrass habitat represents an estimated
$235 to $470 million in commercial and recreational fisheries losses in
the IRL since 2011. Additionally, elevated biomass of algal blooms has
increased the occurrence of hypoxic and anoxic events in the IRL as
oxygen in the water column is consumed during algal die-offs. In 2016,
Brevard experienced a record breaking fish kill and has endured
numerous localized fish kills and other marine species mortalities
during the past 8 years. Brevard also faces the increased potential for
toxin exposure in the IRL as saxitoxin-production by the dinoflagellate
species Pyrodinium bahamense poses a potential threat to human health.
There is currently an IRL-wide ban on the taking of pufferfish due to
human ingestion of toxins from pufferfish caught in Brevard waters in
2002.
HABs in Brevard have also affected public perception regarding
quality of water in the IRL, potentially affecting tourism and property
values. The IRL is an important economic resource to the state,
providing an annual economic value of $7.6 billion, supporting over
71,000 IRL-related jobs and providing recreational opportunities for
7.4 million people annually, according to a 2016 economic valuation
update.
The ecological crisis facing the IRL spurred Brevard County voters
in 2016 to impose upon themselves a half-cent sales tax to raise funds
to implement projects identified as critical to IRL restoration. While
the half-cent sale tax for the lagoon is expected to generate nearly
$500M over the next decade, State and Federal matching funds are
essential to fully fight this problem and restore the health of the
IRL. The longer it takes to raise funds and implement projects, the
greater the risk of surpassing the ecological tipping point where-after
HAB impacts may be unstoppable or significantly more difficult to
mitigate.
We greatly appreciate the renewed interest in researching HABs. We
need to better understand their causes, their impacts, and how to stop
them. We need better tools to monitor HABs, more research on the
harmful epidemiological impacts to humans and wildlife, better
communication for informing people of human health concerns, and better
technologies for preventing and mitigating blooms current and future
blooms.
Thank you again for the opportunity to provide input on this topic
of high interest and importance to our community. We will do our best
to answer any questions you may have regarding local impacts of HABs on
Brevard County.
Sincerely,
Virginia Barker,
Director,
Brevard County Natural Resources Management Department.
______
Cocoa Beach, FL, August 23, 2018
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity present my concerns to
the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans; Atmosphere, Fisheries and
Coast Guard about Harmful Algae Blooms (HABs).
I live in Brevard County, one of the areas effected by harmful
algae blooms. I am co-leader of the Space Coast Chapter of Citizens'
Climate Lobby. I am a concerned environmental voter.
When deciding where to retire, my husband and I chose Cocoa Beach
in Brevard County because of its natural beauty. We wake up to the
sunrise over the Atlantic and in the evening we can see the sunset over
the Banana River lagoon. Regrettably, more than the beauty of nature is
threatened by HABs. The invasion by HABs into the Indian River Lagoon
(IRL) has reached a point of ecological crisis, threatening marine
life, human health and drinking water.
The situation can be seen easily in the following photos:
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Fish Kill March 25, 2016.(CNN)
https://www.cnn.com/2016/03/25/us/florida-fish-kill/index.html
``In the preceding January, parts of central Florida received
triple the amount of rain they normally do for the month. All that
rainwater eventually made its way into estuaries via urbanized
neighborhoods, picking up fertilizer and other pollutants along the
way. But that's not all.
Temperatures were warmer than usual during the winter, allowing a
toxic algae bloom and brown tide to deplete the water of oxygen.''
A second smaller fish kill occurred in April 2018. Current levels
of bacteria are comparable to the levels that accompanied the 2016 fish
kill.
The next photo was published in Florida Today on March 2, 2018.
The third picture from Florida Today 5/7/2018 shows red algae that
turned the lagoon the color of tomato soup.
Unfortunately, these pictures are typical of the color of the
lagoon in recent years. HABs are much worse now than ever previously
recorded. NOAA, http://www.noaa.gov/what-is-harmful-algal-bloom, gives
us explanations as to the ways human activity has set the stage for
HABs.
``HABs occur naturally, but human activities that disturb
ecosystems seem to play a role in their more frequent occurrence and
intensity. Increased nutrient loadings and pollution, food web
alterations, introduced species, water flow modifications and climate
change all play a role. Studies show that many algal species flourish
when wind and water currents are favorable. In other cases, HABs may be
linked to ''overfeeding.'' This occurs when nutrients (mainly
phosphorus and nitrogen) from sources such as lawns and agriculture
flow into bays, rivers, and the sea, and build up at a rate that
``overfeeds'' the algae that exist normally in the environment. Some
HABs appear in the aftermath of natural phenomena like sluggish water
circulation, unusually high water temperatures, and extreme weather
events like hurricanes, floods, and drought.''
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
My request is that when you look into what needs to be done to
restore the IRL to health that you consider the role climate change has
on the lagoons' and oceans' ability to sustain life.
Not only do we need to restrict overfeeding of nutrients and
upgrade our aging sewage infrastructure, but we have to lessen the
effects of climate change. The science is simple. Climate change causes
droughts which change the flow of water in the lagoons. Additionally
climate change causes short intense periods of deluges. These sudden
intense periods of rain stress sewer systems and exacerbate nutrient
runoff.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Atmospheric levels of CO2 need to be brought down to 350
ppm. Laws need to be passed that would make fossil fuel consumption
more expensive. The best way to achieve this would be to put a revenue
neutral price on carbon.
I thank you for your efforts to study and find solutions that will
repair our endangered waterways.
Joyce Wasserman,
Space Coast Chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby.
______
August 24, 2018
Subject: Comments from START (Solutions to Avoid Red Tide)
Dear Senator Nelson
As the Chairman/CEO of START (Solutions To Avoid Red Tide), I am
very concerned about the prolonged toxic red tide bloom that has
plagued the west coast of Florida since February. It now stretches from
Sanibel Sound to Tampa Bay. In its wake the beaches are piled with dead
sea life from fish to sea turtles and manatees. Beach goers are a rare
sight as people stay away to avoid the chronic coughing and running
eyes from the airborne toxins. Local restaurants and hotels are
reporting a 40 percent drop in business. Red tide now an environmental,
social and economic disaster.
Many environmentalists and others involved with the marine
environment attribute the longevity and severity of this bloom to the
release of nutrient rich water from Lake Okeechobee. This obvious major
source of unwanted nutrients is especially suspicious this year because
the west coast is now also getting slimy green algae, a fresh water
variety that is a signature of Lake Okeechobee.
For years, environmentalists and scientists have advocated for a
``Water South'' policy that ends the dumping of Lake Okeechobee's
polluted water into our rivers. The current crisis requires the
initiation of an integrated water system that runs future Lake releases
through Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) on purchased sugar land that
will filter it so it can be effectively used as a much needed water
source for the drying portions of the Everglades.
It's time for our Federal and state policy makers to work with the
sugar industry to create the necessary land access that can support the
water management system that will end these perennial disasters.
Sandy Gilbert,
Chairman/CEO,
START.
______
Florida Realtors
Tallahassee, FL, August 24, 2018
ATTN: Honorable Bill Nelson,
United States Senate,
Washington, DC.
Dear Senator Nelson,
On behalf of more than 185,000 REALTORS in Florida, represented by
local REALTOR boards, we write to lend our strong support for this
year's Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA) package, S. 2800,
America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018. This legislation includes
funding authorization for critical pieces of the Central Everglades
Restoration Plan (CERP) which will help address the blue green algae
blooms contaminating Florida's waterways and beaches.
The algae blooms are creating an environmental disaster that is
causing difficulties for constituents in our great state. These blooms
are hurting local economies, impacting housing markets, and causing
health concern for numerous Floridians. The crisis is real, and we need
your help to prevent it from growing.
If the WRDA legislation is brought to the U.S. Senate floor, and
ultimately passed, it would assist with the algae crisis by advancing
the planning, design, and construction of the Everglades Agricultural
Area Storage Reservoir project. This project will significantly
increase water manager's capacity to divert damaging discharges away
from the coasts for storage, treatment, and release into the
Everglades.
As you and many of your colleagues know, the solution to America's
largest environmental restoration plan does not hinge on one specific
project. However, the passage ofWRDA is a key piece of a larger
initiative to bring normalcy to Florida's citizens and the businesses
that line the impacted waters. The WRDA bill needs to be brought to a
vote in the U.S. Senate to provide Florida with access to the
additional Federal resources needed to help solve this crisis. We stand
ready to assist you in any way possible to make this happen.
The State of Florida has recently established a dedicated funding
source to pay its portion of CERP. Now we need your help to spur
Congress into action on WRDA bill. This bill has the capacity to
provide relief for millions of Floridians and their communities, and we
look forward to your support in achieving its passage.
Sincerely,
Christine Hansen, CIPS, CRB, GRI,
President,
2018 Florida Realtors
CH:ds
Eric Sain, CIPS, GRI, 2018 Florida Realtors President-Elect
Barry Grooms, 2018 Florida Realtors Vice President
Cheryl Lambert, SFR, 2018 Florida Realtors Treasurer
Christina Pappas, 2018 Florida Realtors Secretary
Bill Martin, RCE, 2018 Florida Realtors CEO
L. Michele Holbrook
Amelia Island-Nassau County Association of REALTORS
Erin Clements
Bartow Board of REALTORS
Joseph Pavich Sr.
Bonita Springs-Estero REALTORS
Marvin Puryear
Central Florida Commercial Association of REALTORS
John McCrory
Central Panhandle Association of REALTORS
Lars Kier
Central Pasco Association of REALTORS
Debra Callahan
Daytona Beach Area Association of REALTORS
Robin Schwartz
Dixie-Gil-Levy County Board of REALTORS
Adam Grenville
East Pasco Association of REALTORS
Manuel Quiros
East Polk County Association of REALTORS
Liz McMaster
Emerald Coast Association of REALTORS
Kathi Obendorfer
Englewood Area Board of REALTORS
Steven Klein
Fla Gulfcoast Commercial Association of REALTORS
G. Martin Brabham
Flagler County Association of REALTORS
Rhonda Brewer
Florida Keys Board of REALTORS
Susan McQuillan
Gainesville-Alachua County Association of REALTORS
Mari Colgan
Greater Tampa REALTORS
Rona Port
Heartland Association of REALTORS
Edward Hirst
Hernando County Association of REALTORS
Will Langley
Key West Association of REALTORS
William Golightly
Lake City Board of REALTORS Heidi Gravel
Heidi Gravel
Lake Wales Association of REALTORS
J Kyle Vreeland
Lakeland Association of REALTORS
David Grego
Marathon & Lower Keys Association of REALTORS
Gary Elliott
Marco Island Area Association of REALTORS
H B Warren
Martin County REALTORS of the Treasure Coast
George Jalil
Miami Association of REALTORS
Richard Baranski
Naples Area Board of REALTORS
Lorie Coogle
Navarre Area Board of REALTORS
John Schmidt
New Smyrna Beach Board of REALTORS
Ben Bates
Northeast Florida Association of REALTORS
Steve Rudnianyn
Ocala/Marion County Association of REALTORS
Cristie Schmidt
Okeechobee County Board of REALTORS
Louis Nimkoff
Orlando Regional REALTORS Association
Daniel Hernandez
Osceola County Association of REALTORS
Suzanne Frisbie
Palm Beach Board of REALTORS
Deborah Mays
Pensacola Association of REALTORS
Paul Hendriks
Pinellas Suncoast Association of REALTORS
Rosemary Mahoney
Punta Gorda/Port Charlotte/North Port Association of REALTORS
Christopher Dixon
REALTORS Association of Citrus County
Sabrina Burke
REALTORS Association of Franklin & Gulf Counties
Hollie Billero Buldo
REALTORS Association of Indian River County
Abigail Carr
REALTORS Association of Lake & Sumter Counties
Ronald Lennen
REALTORS of the Palm Beaches & Greater Fort Lauderdale
Greg Owens
REALTORS Association of Sarasota and Manatee
Donna Guido
Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association
Dustyn Corace
Sanibel & Captiva Islands Association of REALTORS
Donald Sarley
South Broward Board of REALTORS
Michael Artelli
Space Coast Association of REALTORS
M. Dianne Pittman
St. Augustine & St. Johns County Board of REALTORS
Will Shepherd
Tallahassee Board of REALTORS
Steven LaFountain
Venice Area Board of REALTORS
Kenneth Anderson
West Pasco Board of REALTORS
Candace Cecil
West Volusia Association of REALTORS
______
TO: Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and
Coast Guard
FROM: Kimberly Streiber--Martin County FL Resident & Parent
August 25, 2018
Hello,
I am a fifth generation Native of Florida who has always loved and
enjoyed nature and the outdoors. I am approaching my 43rd Birthday. I
have watched water conditions deteriorate in my hometown my entire life
because of lake Okeechobee discharges. Entire sea grass beds have died,
oyster populations have been decimated to nonexistence and fisheries
that once flourished have become decimated. The worst impact has been
over the last 10 years with the onset of harmful toxic algal blooms,
which are in fact Cyanobacteria blooms that contain a toxin called
Microcystin. This toxin has been tied to ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease)
Alzheimer's disease, liver cancer, and nonalcohol related liver
failure. It has also been noted as causing cancer in humans by the
International Agency for Research. Our economy is suffering, businesses
that rely on the water, especially during the summer no longer have a
prosperous season to look forward to each year. The dangers and affects
these blooms have had on our own, the health of the residents who live
here,. 8nd the economy show more and more each year. We no longer call
the time from May to October Summer here, we call it Algae Season!
We pray that the toxic green slime that covers our waterways will
not poison us or our children beyond recovery, but have educated
ourselves enough to know better. Many people have moved away to avoid
it, many who have just moved here and bought water front property for
high dollar prices are extremely upset they were not warned about
existence and issues that come with fresh water discharges from Lake
Okeechobee. We have a higher rate of liver cancer, and several cancers,
here on the Treasure Coast than many other places in the country. I
myself have suffered with and battled the disease on three separate
occasions within the last 5 years. My first experience was with thyroid
cancer, then a bone tumor that caused me to require a full hip
replacement at the age of 40, and lastly a brain tumor that also
required invasive surgery that has left me unable to do the same work
and earn the same level of income that I once did. As a single mother,
I am left struggling to provide the life that my son was promised and
doesn't fully understand why at only 11. Our largest local healthcare
provider Martin Health Systems has posted signs in all facilities
asking patients if they have been exposed to the water or to the
Cyanobacteria and has incorporated in into standard intake questioning
for all patients. Our local authorities have placed permanent signage
at all public beach and recreational water access points warning people
to stay away if algae are visible in the water. Most of our public
beaches are closed this weekend due to the issue. You can't go to a
park near the water because the toxins are airborne, and you will come
home with a raw sore throat, itchy red eyes, stomach issues, and stiff
joints, at least those are the symptoms I experience immediately upon
breathing air near bodies of water containing the discharges.
These discharges and the toxic cyanobacteria that comes with them
have devastated every town they touch, and they are quite literally
killing what was once deemed the happiest Seaside town in FL. Please,
we beg of you, make it stop! Do whatever you can to help us, it is your
civic duty to protect the people of this country. We are desperate for
help here!
Sincerely,
Kimberly R. Streiber.
______
National Center for Integrated Coastal Research
University of Central Florida
August 26, 2018
Hon. John Thune,
Chairman,
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
Washington, DC.
Hon. Bill Nelson,
Ranking Member,
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Thune and Ranking Member Nelson,
Coastal and waterfront communities depend on clean water as the
foundation of a healthy and growing economy. Tourists from around the
world are drawn to clean and pristine beaches, lakes, and other
waterways, and local communities benefit from the economic boost that
tourists spend in hotels, restaurants, and shops. Similarly, residents
of waterfront communities regularly use beaches and other waterways for
recreation and community-building. In short, clean water is the thread
that ties waterfront communities together, drives their economies, and
provides a high quality of life for residents and an unforgettable
experience for visitors.
In many waterfront communities across Florida, widespread Harmful
Algal Blooms (HABs) are severely impacting water quality and are having
a deleterious chain impact on local economies and human health. HABs
occur when colonies of photosynthetic microorganisms that live in fresh
or saltwater grow out of control and produce toxins that can have
harmful effects on people or wildlife. In recent years, the state of
Florida has experienced several HABs, most notably outbreaks of red
tide (Karenia brevis), brown tide (Aureoumbra lagunensis) and blue-
green algae (Microcystis spp. and Anabaena spp.).
While our coastal communities have proven resilient to HABs in the
past, the current blooms appear to be larger and more devastating than
previous events. On Florida's southeast coast, massive blooms of blue-
green algae emerged in June and have clogged waterways on and off since
then. Satellite imagery from NOAA has shown that the bloom of blue-
green algae first emerged on Lake Okeechobee, and locals attribute the
emergence of the bloom to discharges from Lake Okeechobee into the St.
Lucie River. The latest NOAA satellite image-from August 17-shows that
blue-green algae continues to flourish in Lake Okeechobee, with algae
visible in nearly 50 percent of the lake's surface, and that in the
past few days it has reappeared in the St. Lucie River threatening a
repeat of 2016.
The situation on Florida's southwest coast is even worse.
Discharges from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee River have also
taken the blue-green algae to west Florida's beaches and waterways,
creating a similar situation as in the southeast coast. However, the
situation is compounded by an unprecedented outbreak of red tide that
has moved into the region's beaches and waterways from the Gulf of
Mexico.
Communities in southwest Florida are experiencing two different
types of HABs: blue-green algae originating inland in Lake Okeechobee,
and red tide originating offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Visit Florida,
the state's tourism development agency, recently started surveying
businesses in affected southwest Florida counties to gauge their levels
of economic losses. So far, $8 million in losses attributable to the
current HABs have been reported. In addition, local governments and
volunteer organizations have cleaned up more than 2,000 tons of sea
life-fish, manatees, dolphins, and turtles--that have washed up on the
region's beaches.
This year's unprecedented HABs on both coasts have significantly
impacted local economies, public health, and the environment. A crisis
that our partners on the ground describe as ``the hurricane that has
stayed with us for months'' is likely to have long-lasting impacts on
residents' well-being and may also damage Florida's brand as a world-
class tourism destination. The crisis is already taxing local
governments that are still in recovery mode from last year's hurricane
Irma. And the worst part is that we don't know when the blooms will
end. Furthermore, members of our group, and others, have recently shown
that there is a direct relationship between blue-green algae and marine
pathogenic bacteria from a family that includes the bacterium that
causes cholera and another flesh-eating bacterium native to coastal
Florida. We are legitimately concerned that these algal blooms might
subsequently lead to the proliferation and dispersal of these
pathogenic bacteria in our coasts or potentially contaminate our water
supply during hurricane season.
The mission of the National Center for Integrated Coastal Research,
located at the University of Central Florida, is to assess natural and
human-related impacts to the health, restoration, and sustainability of
our coastal systems and to conduct long-term, integrated,
interdisciplinary research and we stand ready to assist in any way we
can. The Center brings together over 40 faculty in 12 Departments and 7
Colleges including biologists, chemists, engineers, and biomedical
researchers working together with anthropologists, sociologists,
political scientists, planners, emergency managers, and economists. Our
ultimate goal is to integrate science with societal needs and thereby
guide more effective economic development and planning, environmental
stewardship, hazard mitigation planning, and public policy development.
In the end we aim to ensure the economic and ecological health of
coastal communities.
We applaud the Committee's willingness to take on this important
issue, and ask Congress to provide assistance to our state agencies and
local governments in their clean-up and recovery efforts.
Sincerely,
Graham A.J. Worthy,
Department Chair and Pegasus Professor, Director,
National Center for Integrated Coastal Research,
Provost's Distinguished Research Professor of Biology, and
Hubbs-Sea World Endowed Professor of Marine Mammalogy,
University of Central Florida.
______
Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council
Pinellas Park, FL, August 26, 2018
Senator Bill Nelson,
Senate Office Building,
Washington, DC.
RE: Harmful Algal Blooms
Dear Senator Nelson,
The Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council remains concerned about
Harmful Algal Blooms in the Gulf of Mexico along Florida's west coast.
We have conducted research indicating that the Tampa Bay regional
economy would be significantly impacted by such an event and that
prolonged exposure of such blooms would negatively impact the
competitiveness of the region's economy.
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs), otherwise known as Florida Red Tide,
have direct impacts on the Tampa Bay regional economy. While direct
impacts occur primarily In Gulf coast areas, there are also indirect
impacts on the region's economy, the second largest in the State
Florida at 157 billion dollars.
According to a Florida Department of Health summary report. HABs
impact Floridian's through respiratory illnesses, pneumonia and
gastrointestinal Illnesses that often times require hospital stays.
These hospital stays also result in loss of work that is exacerbated by
losses to tourism due to beach closures and recreational marine
activity. Fish kills reduce fishery sales and require clean up by local
government. Together, these impacts result in millions of dollars of
losses. The report's findings are based on collected survey data. We
used the report's estimates to extrapolate an inflation adjusted
estimate of HAB's economic impacts to the Tampa Bay region. Each week
HAB's are present they inflict an estimated $1 million dollars of
direct and indirect damage to the Tampa Bay economy, especially the
economies of Pinellas and Manatee counties.
Sincerely,
Sean T. Sullivan,
Executive Director.
______
Save the Manatee Club
Maitland, FL, August 26, 2018
Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast
Guard
Honorable Senators,
I write to you today on behalf of Save the Manatee Club's 33,000
nationwide members who are gravely concerned about the impacts of
harmful algal blooms on Florida's threatened manatees.
As of August 20th, 103 manatees are believed to have died from the
red tide that continues to threaten roughly 145 miles of shoreline
along the coasts of Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, and Collier
counties in Southwest Florida. Still more manatees are victims of the
toxic cyanobacterial bloom associated with discharges from Lake
Okeechobee. Together, these algae blooms consume oxygen from the water,
cause respiratory and neurological distress, and kill acres of aquatic
vegetation essential to manatee survival. A third harmful algal bloom
periodically occurs and contributes to unusual manatee mortality events
in the Indian River Lagoon.
It is imperative to acknowledge that while red tides do occur
naturally, the frequency a, intensity of recent events are firmly
attributable to human activity. Land-based nutrients feed red tides,
which are further exacerbated by the deluge released from Lake
Okeechobee. The sources of these nutrients are many. Septic systems,
agricultural fertilizer, animal waste, and urban runoff are poorly
managed throughout the state and end up in our lakes, springs, rivers,
and coastal systems where they fuel the toxic bloomers that threaten
both natural and economic resources.
These blooms have been brewing for years. The root cause of both is
poor management of water resources. It is essential that robust
nutrient management schemes be implemented alongside measures to
conserve water to maintain the integrity of natural systems. Clean
water and the protection of our Nation's wildlife are nonpartisan
issues, and we need leaders who understand the importance of preserving
these resources.
Please accept our sincere thanks for your attention to this matter,
with particular gratitude to Senator Nelson for seeking the public's
input for this hearing.
Regards,
Anne Harvey Holbrook,
Staff Attorney,
Save the Manatee Club.
______
Association of National Estuary Programs
Washington, DC, August 27, 2018
Senator John Thune,
Chairman,
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
United States Senate.
Senator Bill Nelson,
Ranking Member,
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
United States Senate.
Senator Dan Sullivan,
Chairman,
Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard,
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
United States Senate.
Senator Tammy Baldwin,
Ranking Member.
Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard,
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
United States Senate.
Dear Chairmen Thune and Sullivan, and Ranking Members Nelson and
Baldwin,
On behalf of the Association of National Estuary Programs we write
to strongly commend your efforts to better understand and address the
crippling impacts of harmful algal blooms (HABs) on coastal waters and
coastal communities along all of our coasts, including the Great Lakes.
By convening a panel of renowned experts on this topic for your
August 28th hearing, you are underscoring the serious nature of HABs
and their potentially devastating impacts on coastal economies as well
as wildlife. Reported human health impacts include coughing and
irritation, and can pose a particular problem among those with asthma
or other respiratory ailments.
We are attaching a fact sheet that we hope you find helpful as you
examine the underlying causes of HABs, especially the red tide
impacting the Florida coasts, and most importantly what steps must be
taken to prevent the most serious impacts of these phenomena.
The Association of National Estuary Programs coordinates efforts of
the 28 National Estuary Programs, a unique, voluntary, non-regulatory
program established in 1987 and reauthorized in 2016 through the Clean
Water Act and administered by the Environmental Protection Agency to
protect and restore water quality and ecological integrity of estuaries
of national significance.
In the 2016 reauthorization of the NEP, Congress directed EPA to
establish a competitive fund to, among other things, specifically
address recurring HABs. In 2018 Congress provided $1 million for this
competitive fund.
Several NEPs have played a pivotal role in helping communities,
states, and private citizens address the impact of HABs. Currently two
NEPs in particular, the Sarasota Bay National Estuary Program and the
Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program, find themselves on the front
lines in confronting this complex phenomena. Both are in the stretch of
Florida coast that is experiencing one of the longest and most serious
red tide events, a type of harmful algal bloom (HAB), resulting from
the proliferation of Karenia brevis, an algal species typically found
in low concentrations in off-shore coastal waters.
It is widely accepted that human activities can exacerbate most
harmful algal blooms, including red tides. Habitat degradation and
loss, nutrient pollution in runoff from developed landscapes (urban,
residential, and agricultural), and other factors may stimulate and
worsen HABs.
As noted in the attached fact sheet, when we invest in America's
estuaries through the National Estuary Programs, we get cleaner water
and thus minimize nutrient pollution that can worsen the frequency,
duration, and extent of red tides and other harmful algal blooms in the
future. These investments include:
1. Reducing nutrient pollution entering our waters from all sources:
runoff from urban, suburban, and agricultural landscapes,
point-source discharges; & atmospheric deposition on land &
water (i.e., air pollution that falls, often in rain, snow, and
dusts).
2. Conserving and creating natural coastal habitats like oyster
reefs, mangroves, marshes, and fresh-water wetlands that remove
nutrient pollution and provide other valuable ecosystem
services.
3. Investing in water infrastructure such as sewage treatment, and
engineering stormwater facilities that mimic the ecosystem
services provided by natural habitats to remove nutrient
pollution from runoff before it can reach our coastal waters.
Again, we applaud your focus on HABs as a major environmental
problem found in all 50 states across the Nation. HABs are taking their
place alongside global coral bleaching, ocean acidification, rising sea
levels and extreme weather events as having severe impacts on human
health, fresh and salt water ecosystems, and the economies that depend
on them.
ANEP and its 28 programs stand ready to assist you and your
committee as you confront this daunting challenge.
Rich Innes,
Association of National Estuary Programs.
______
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
______
Conservancy of Southwest Florida
August 27, 2018
Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard,
Washington, DC.
RE: Harmful Algal Blooms: The Impact on Our Nation's Waters
Dear Members of the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and
Coast Guard:
The Conservancy of Southwest Florida, on behalf of our more than
7,000 supporting families, appreciates the opportunity to provide the
following comments for the record during the Senate Subcommittee on
Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard hearing on ``Harmful
Algal Blooms: The Impact on Our Nation's Waters'' on August 28th, 2018.
We have reached a critical juncture for the health and wellbeing of our
waterways. Harmful algal blooms are on the rise, and do not show any
indication of ending without drastically changing the way we control
pollution, restore our waterways, and manage water resources.
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) cause a number of significant negative
impacts which include damage to the overall health of the environment
that has a ripple effect on other sectors, including the economy and
our quality of life. These blooms harm the natural ecosystem, our
tourism-based economy in southwest Florida, and can cause detrimental
short and long-term health impacts to humans.
Southwest Florida is currently suffering from the impacts of two
major harmful algal bloom events: a nearly year-long bloom of the
marine dinoflagellate karenia brevis (red tide) and an over two-month
long freshwater cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) bloom that began in
Lake Okeechobee, and then made its way to the coast via the discharges
from the lake into the Caloosahatchee River and Estuary.
Economic Impacts
Coastal communities depend on the health of the local rivers,
estuaries, and ocean to supply food, preserve quality of life, and
support our tourism-based economy. Without this tourism industry, many
local businesses and people suffer. Recreational fishermen, the hotel
industry, the restaurant industry, and home owners alike all suffer
economically as a result of the unfavorable effects harmful algal
blooms have on the economy. Those that have homes or businesses along
the coastal waterways experience a significant decrease in property
value when water quality is diminished, as documented by a 2015 Florida
Realtors Report. The economic impacts of the 2018 blooms are still
being collected and quantified but the preliminary numbers indicate
this will be a disastrous event for southwest Florida's economy.
Environmental Impacts
As colonies of algae grow out of control and produce toxins, the
toxins can cause direct mortality to aquatic life. Proliferation of
algae can also cause the water to become depleted of dissolved oxygen.
As a result of both direct toxicity and/or lack of oxygen, massive fish
kills occur, piling up in local waterways and beaches. HABs create
imbalances in the aquatic ecosystem by smothering and killing submerged
aquatic vegetation, which are a vital habitat to countless other plant
and animal species. Not only have thousands of pounds of dead fish
washed ashore during these southwest Florida HAB events, so have larger
marine animals such as manatees and sea turtles-many of these species
are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species
Act.
Human Health Impacts
Not only is the smell of dead animal carcasses washed ashore and
floating in nearby water nauseating, exposure to the HABs from both the
red tide and the blue-green algae also cause serious health issues for
humans. The toxins released from red tide into the air cause severe
respiratory problems, including trouble breathing, burning eyes, and
coughing/wheezing. Ingesting shellfish contaminated by red tide can
also cause severe illness. Long term effects from the blue-green algae
blooms are still being studied but include heightened risks for liver
cancer and gastrointestinal illnesses, as well as neurological diseases
like ALS and Alzheimer's. Both the red tide and the blue-green algae
HABs produce unsafe conditions for people.
Conclusion
HABs can be caused or exacerbated by nutrient pollution (nitrogen
and phosphorus) from agricultural, urban stormwater, and wastewater
sources. Although red tide occurs on a regular basis in the Gulf of
Mexico, once the bloom moves closer to the coast it can utilize
anthropogenic sources that can prolong the bloom and strengthen its
severity. Blue-green algae blooms are strongly correlated with
increasing levels of nutrient pollution in our watersheds and
waterways.
In order to secure a better future for generations to come, it is
crucial to have a regulatory framework to enforce solutions to Jimit
the reoccurrence of these HABs.
Strong, enforceable fertilizer ordinances and restricting or
eliminating the use of fertilizer can greatly reduce nutrient
pollution--as can stricter laws on compliance and enforcement of
agricultural best management practices, and on untreated sewage and
leaking septic tanks. It is imperative that the standards for water
quality are met and are at levels that keep waterways safe for drinking
water supplies, recreational use, and for aquatic life to thrive.
To better prepare for future blooms and instill as many
preventative measures as possible, it is vital to have the research,
the monitoring, and funding resources in place in order to address
these escalating HAB events.
Thank you for your time and consideration in addressing this
critically important issue.
Sincerely,
Marisa Carrozzo,
Senior Environmental Policy Specialist.
______
Stuart, FL, August 27, 2018
Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast
Guard
Subject: Hearing on Harmful Algal Blooms
Honorable Subcommittee Members:
Thank you for addressing the critical public health, economic and
environmental impacts of the toxic blue-green algae blooms affecting
the St. Lucie Estuary, the Caloosahatchee Estuary and Lake Okeechobee.
I am an environmental engineer with over 30 years of experience, and
have dedicated my professional career to the improvement of the
environment in Florida. I've been honored to work on the Kissimmee
River Restoration, Everglades Restoration and numerous projects in the
Lake Okeechobee and estuary watersheds.
For more than 90 years, the economy, environment and public health
of the estuarine regions have been sacrificed as polluted overflow from
Lake Okeechobee has been diverted away from its natural southerly
course and discharged to the estuaries. These discharges contain toxic
algae, as well as millions of pounds of nutrients and sediment.
It is essential that discussions of the harmful algae blooms
affecting the Lake and estuaries fully recognize that the source of the
algae this year and in prior years is a very polluted Lake Okeechobee.
Scientists have known about the source of this pollution for almost 50
years: excessive levels of nutrient loads in stormwater from the
surrounding watershed. The Lake Okeechobee watershed consists of
approximately 3.5 million acres. The water quality of the lake is at an
all-time crisis level, and human health is suffering as polluted lake
water is discharged to the estuaries. For calendar year 2017, the
phosphorus loading to the lake was the highest ever recorded, and the
5-yr average phosphorus loading to the lake was more than 5 times the
pollution allocation established for the watershed (the ``Total Maximum
Daily Load'' or ``TMDL.'') The result: an algae bloom covered 90
percent of the lake this summer. While the estuaries' watersheds also
contribute excessive nutrients in stormwater runoff, the source of the
toxic algae is Lake Okeechobee.
I have recently drafted a paper describing the pollution of Lake
Okeechobee and this is attached for your information. Please contact me
if I can be of assistance.
Sincerely,
Gary F. Goforth, P.E., Ph.D.
______
Attachment
A Brief Discussion of Lake Okeechobee Pollution
G. Goforth--8/27/2018
The source of the toxic blue green algae currently damaging
estuarine ecosystems, regional economies and human health is a very
polluted Lake Okeechobee \1\ (TCPalm 2018a). As a result of this
pollution, on July 2, 2018, NOAA satellite image indicated that 90
percent of the surface of Lake Okeechobee was covered with a blue green
algae bloom (Figure 1). Members of every branch of Florida government,
state agencies and others have known about the source of this pollution
for almost SO years: excessive levels of nutrient loads in stormwater
from the surrounding watershed. Lake Okeechobee is one of the largest
lakes in the United States, with a surface area of approximately 730
square miles. The lake is approximately 9 ft deep. The watershed that
contributes flow and nutrients to Lake Okeechobee is approximately 3.5
million acres in size and consists of nine hydrologic sub-watersheds
(Figure 2). Only 12 percent of the watershed is residential or built-
up, while fifty-six percent is agricultural and rangeland, with the
rest in wetlands and other water bodies (SFWMD 2018). The lake is
almost completely enclosed by a 143-mile earthen dam (the Herbert
Hoover Dike) with 36 major water structures that control flow into and
out of the lake. Fisheating Creek is the only remaining unregulated
natural connection to the lake.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Nutrient loading to the estuaries from local stormwater runoff
is also excessive, however toxic algae blooms occur almost exclusively
in association with large discharges from Lake Okeechobee (LaPointe et
al., 2015, TCPalm 2016, TCPalm 2018b).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
For more than 4 decades state and Federal agencies have implemented
activities designed to reduce the pollution entering the lake,
including conducted research, monitored water flow and water quality,
established regulatory (i.e., permitting) programs, constructed
regional storage and treatment systems, offered extensive dairy
buyouts, and assisted agricultural landowners with best management
practices (BMPs). However, the state continues to allow landowners to
discharge high levels of nutrients with little to no enforcement, and
the pollution of Lake Okeechobee and the estuaries continues. The water
quality of the lake is at an all-time crisis level, and human health is
suffering as polluted lake water is discharged to the estuaries. For
calendar year 2017, the phosphorus loading to the lake was the highest
ever recorded, and the 5-yr average phosphorus loading to the lake was
more than 5 times the pollution allocation established for the
watershed. This pollution target is called the ``Total Maximum Daily
Load'' or ``TMDL.'' The result: an algae bloom covered 90 percent of
the lake this summer (NOAA 2018). In addition, the state's annual
``progress report'' on efforts to reduce pollution of the lake
underestimates the actual loading to the lake. For the last two years
the FDEP has published reports indicating phosphorus loading to the
lake has decreased -yet these claims conflict with the measured loads
to the lake, e.g., the average load measured in 2017 was almost 61
percent higher than reported by FDEP.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Historical Inflows to Lake Okeechobee (1963-2017)
Historical surface \2\ inflows to the lake can be separated into
two timeframes:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ Surface inflows exclude direct rainfall on the lake.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Prior to 1983
2. From 1983 to the present
Prior to 1983, stormwater runoff containing excessive levels of
phosphorus and nitrogen from the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) was
routinely discharged into the lake. During that period, flows from the
EAA and the remainder of the South Sub-watershed \3\ made up
approximately 16 percent of the total lake inflow (Figure 3). However,
due to the elevated nutrient concentrations of this runoff, nitrogen
loads from the South Sub--watershed made up 43 percent of the total
nitrogen entering the lake (Figure 4). With 49 active dairies, the
Taylor Creek/Nubbin Slough Sub-watershed was the single largest source
of phosphorus with 34 percent of the total lake inflow loads for the
period 1973-1982 (Figure 5).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ The South Sub-watershed includes the EAA, the S-4/Industrial
Canal basin and discharges from Ch. 298 Districts along the southern
shore of the lake.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flows entering the lake from the Upper Kissimmee Sub-watershed
(i.e., that area from Lake Kissimmee north to Orlando) and the Lower
Kissimmee Sub-watershed (Kissimmee River valley) during this time
period comprised 45 percent of the inflows to the lake, 21 percent of
the nitrogen loads and 22 percent of the phosphorus loads.
As a way to reduce the nutrient pollution entering the lake,
beginning in 1979 the operations of the major structures (pump stations
S-2 and S-3 and hurricane gate structure no. 5) were changed to divert
nutrient laden runoff from the EAA to the Everglades. By the end of
1982 these operations, referred to as the interim Action Plan, were
complete. Although currently the EAA discharges are less than 3 percent
of the total inflows to the lake, historical discharges from the EAA
contributed significant nutrient loads. A cursory estimate of these
loads can be approximated by assuming the runoff from the EAA began in
1960, and further assuming that flows and loads from the EAA from 1960
to 1973 occurred at the 1973-1982 average annual levels. Using these
rough assumptions, it can be approximated that between 1960 and 1982,
the EAA contributed approximately 140 million pounds (63,350 metric
tons) of total nitrogen to the lake, and approximately 2.9 million
pounds (1,300 metric tons) of total phosphorus. Some of those loads may
still be present in the lake sediment.
From 1983 to the present, the flow to the lake from the EAA has
been reduced by approximately 82 percent compared to pre-1983. Between
1983 and 2017, flows from the South Sub-watershed made up approximately
5 percent of the total lake inflow, 15 percent of the total nitrogen
entering the lake and 7 percent of the total phosphorus entering the
lake. Despite the diversion of most of the EAA runoff away from the
lake, the average annual inflow to the lake from all basins has
increased by about 9 percent since 1982. Approximately SO percent of
the flow entering the lake comes from the Upper Kissimmee and Lower
Kissimmee Sub-watersheds, along with 35 percent of the nitrogen loads
and 31 percent of the phosphorus loads.
A wide range of state and Federal nutrient control programs have
been implemented in the Lake Okeechobee Watershed (Table 1). In August
2001, the State developed a total maximum daily load (TMDL) of
phosphorus for the lake's watershed, established specifically to reduce
the frequency of algal blooms in the lake. State legislation (the 2000
Lake Okeechobee Protection Act 373.4595, F.S.) established a January
2015 deadline for achieving compliance with the TMDL. In December 2014,
the Department adopted the Lake Okeechobee Basin Management Action Plan
(BMAP) for total phosphorus. Hundreds of millions in public funds have
been spent on dairy buyouts, agricultural best management practices,
regional water quality treatment projects, and other efforts. However,
the state continues to allow landowners to discharge high levels of
nutrients with little to no enforcement or accountability, and the
pollution of Lake Okeechobee and the estuaries continues. The water
quality of the lake is at an all-time crisis level, and human health is
suffering as polluted lake water is discharged to the estuaries. The
2016 Florida Water Law deleted the January 2015 deadline to achieve
compliance with the TMDL, and replaced it with a 20-yr time-frame tied
to the BMAP. In addition, the 2016 law replaced the regulatory program
that would have held individual landowners accountable for pollution
from their land (i.e., the Works of the District permitting program)
with the BMAP process, a process that does not hold individual
landowners accountable for pollution from their land.
While 5-yr flow-weighted mean nitrogen concentrations into the lake
have decreased since the diversion of the EAA runoff, the average
annual loads have steadily increased since 2010 (Figures 6-8). The 5-yr
average annual phosphorus load has steadily increased since 2010.
During calendar year 2017 the phosphorus loading was the highest ever
recorded, while the 5-year average annual phosphorus loading to the
lake was more than 5 times the TMDL allocation for the watershed. In
addition, during 2017 the concentration rose to almost 250 parts per
billion, the highest observed in 35 years. The result: an algae bloom
covered 90 percent of the lake this summer (2018).
In addition, the state's annual BMAP '' progress report''
describing efforts to reduce pollution of the lake significantly
underestimates the actual loading to the lake (Figures 9-10). For the
last two years the FDEP has published reports indicating phosphorus
loading to the lake has decreased--yet these claims conflict with the
measured loads to the lake, e.g., the measured 5-yr average annual load
in 2017 was almost 60 percent higher than reported by FDEP.
SFWMD reports that perhaps 30,000 metric tons of total phosphorus
may reside in the top 10 cm of sediments of Lake Okeechobee, which
creates an internal loading source that may equal or exceed the
external loading source.
Summary: The water quality of the lake is at an all-time crisis
level, and human health, the environment and the regional economy is
suffering as polluted lake water is discharged to the estuaries. During
calendar year 2017 the phosphorus loading was the highest ever
recorded, while the 5-year average annual phosphorus loading to the
lake was more than 5 times the TMDL allocation for the watershed. The
result: an algae bloom covered 90 percent of the lake this summer.
The nutrient concentrations and loads vary significantly among the
nine sub-watersheds. For the period since 1982, approximately 45-55
percent of the nutrient loads came from those sub watersheds directly
north of the Lake (Upper Kissimmee, Lower Kissimmee and Taylor Creek/
Nubbin Slough). Approximately 35 percent of the nutrient load came from
the sub watersheds located northwest of the Lake (Lake lstokpoga,
Indian Prairie and Fisheating Creek/Nicodemus Slough). The remaining
sub-watersheds east, south and west of the Lake contributed
approximately 10-20 percent of the nutrient loads.
Note: Some parties have stated that 90-95 percent of the water
entering the lake comes from the ``north'', with some parties
specifically indicating the Upper and Lower Kissimmee Sub watersheds.
This is incorrect. The confusion stems from the FDEP permit which
defines the ``North Region'' as containing multiple sub-watersheds,
including the Upper Kissimmee, Lower Kissimmee, Taylor. Creek/Nubbin
Slough, Lake lstokpoga, Indian Prairie and the Fisheating Creek/
Nicodemus Slough sub-watersheds. As shown in Figure 3, during 1983-2017
just 50 percent of the water entering the lake comes from the Upper and
Lower Kissimmee Sub watersheds.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Partial 2018 Inflows to Lake Okeechobee
The following is a preliminary summary of partial 2018 flows and
phosphorus loading for the period January 1-July 31, 2018.
Based on preliminary data, basins showing the greatest percent
increase in 2018 inflows compared to 2017 include the Taylor Creek/
Nubbin Slough (478 percent), Indian Prairie (330 percent) and Lake
lstokpoga (304 percent) (Figure 12). The basin with the largest volume
increase over last year is the Upper Kissimmee, with approximately
175,000 acre feet more than last year; nevertheless, the Upper and
Lower Kissimmee sub-watersheds have contributed less than half of the
total inflows so far this year. The basins contributing the largest
phosphorus loads are Indian Prairie and Taylor Creek Nubbin Slough,
which together account for almost half the phosphorus loading to the
lake so far this year (Figure 13). Changes in nutrient concentrations
between historical averages and 2018 are shown in Figure 14. Generally,
nitrogen concentrations have been lower than average. The largest
increases in phosphorus concentrations occurred in the Fisheating
Creek/Nicodemus Slough and South subwatersheds.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
References
FDEP 2017. Final 2016 Progress Report for the Lake Okeechobee Basin
Management Action Plan. June 2017
FDEP 2018. Florida Statewide Annual Report on Total Maximum Daily
Loads, Basin Management Action Plans, Minimum Flows or Minimum Water
Levels, and Recovery or Prevention Strategies. June 2018.
Goforth et al. 2013. Draft--Technical Support Document: Lake
Okeechobee Watershed Performance Measure Methodologies. Gary Goforth,
Inc., L. Hornung Consulting, Inc., Soil & Water Engineering Technology,
Inc. in association with South Florida Water Management District.
February 2013.
Goforth 2017. DRAFT. Watr Quality Assessment of th St. Lucie River
Watershed--Water Year 2017. December 2017.
LaPointe et al 2015.
SFWMD 2018. South Florida Environmental Report. March 2018.
TCPalm 2016. ``Scientists Agree: Lake Okeechobee Discharges not
Septic Systems, Cause Algae Bloms.'' July 8, 2016.
TCPalm 2018a. ``Algae blooms keep popping up in St. Lucie River as
Lake Okeechobee discharges continue.'' June 11, 2018.
TCPalm 2018b. ``Again: Go time for green slime.'' August 22, 2018.
______
Sitka Tribe of Alaska
Sitka, AK, September 5, 2018
U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard,
Washington, DC.
Re: Statement before the United States Senate Commerce Subcommittee on
Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard Harmful
Algal Blooms: The Impact on Our Nation's Waters
Dear Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast
Guard,
Sitka Tribe of Alaska is the federally recognized tribal government
for more than 4,400 enrolled tribal citizens in Sitka, Alaska,
organized under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 as amended. As a
tribal government, STA is responsible for the health, welfare, safety,
and culture of its citizens. STA respectfully submits the following
comments on the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and
Coast Guard hearing on Harmful Algal Blooms: The Impact on Our Nation's
Waters.
Thank you for accepting our written testimony. STA has a vested
interest in protecting traditional natural resources from harmful algal
blooms and the health of local harvesters from biotoxins. STA formed
the Southeast Alaska Tribal Ocean Research (SEATOR) partnership in 2013
to unify Tribal governments as the frequency of harmful algal blooms
and the risks to Tribal Citizens have increased. The SEATOR partnership
now includes 16 Tribal governments in Southeast and Southcentral
Alaska, the University of Alaska, State, Federal, and non-profit
partners. STA serves as the partnership's regional coordinator and
analyzes all partners' samples in its Environmental Research Lab. STA
and SEATOR now routinely monitor shellfish biotoxins, shellfish
populations, ocean chemistry conditions, and phytoplankton assemblages
at more than 30 sites throughout the region.
Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) is a real and recurring risk in
rural Alaska. From 2010-2012, there were 26 reported cases of PSP and 2
deaths in Southeast Alaska alone, with potentially more cases going
unreported. Alaska is the only state the does not have a consistent
state run PSP monitoring program and it is the only state where
fatalities still occur from PSP events. STA's marine research program
was built on the pressing need to reduce the instances of PSP in
harvesters, but many of our findings further underscore the risks
harvesters face. Paralytic shellfish toxins are routinely detected in
shellfish samples from the SEATOR partnership. In 2017, STA found
measurable paralytic shellfish toxins at all of its partner communities
and toxin levels above the FDA regulatory limit at 11 of 16 partners
sampling sites. During the 2017 summer season, 8 of those communities
had active paralytic shellfish toxin producing harmful algal blooms.
Fear of PSP and uncertainty around the changing ocean conditions
contributing to harmful algal blooms now keep many would-be harvesters
from participating in subsistence shellfish gathering. Long coastlines,
dispersed populations, and the lack of a State-run recreational
shellfish testing program further compound the risks.
All participating SEATOR partners monitor one or more community
harvesting sites by collecting and analyzing weekly phytoplankton
samples, filtering water samples to test for particulate toxins, and
shipping bi-weekly shellfish samples to STA's Environmental Research
Lab for paralytic shellfish toxin analysis using the Receptor Binding
Assay (RBA, AOAC Method 2011.27). Shellfish toxicity results are sent
to partners, State regulators, and researchers immediately after
testing, typically within 48 hours of sample harvesting. Any shellfish
with toxin levels above the FDA's regulatory limit of 80 mg toxin per
100 grams of shellfish tissue (0.8 ppm) trigger public service
announcements on local media stations and on SEATOR web pages. With
weekly ``eyes on the water'' and prompt biotoxin results, SEATOR
partners can communicate real time risk assessments to their
communities as well as monitor for emerging biotoxin threats such as
domoic acid. All SEATOR data is made publicly available by STA on the
SEATOR website (seator.org) and the Alaska Harmful Algal Bloom network
site (aoos.org/alaska-hab-network) and is used by resource managers and
subsistence harvesters.
While the Environmental Research Lab's biotoxin work is most
focused on traditional and recreational shellfish harvesters, it is
also available to support Alaska's commercial shellfish industry. STA
is currently working to become an FDA-certified shellfish testing lab
and to validate the RBA as an Interstate Shellfish Sanitation
Conference-approved testing method for geoduck. We anticipate full
validation of the RBA within 6 months and FDA certification of the lab
in the next 18 months. As with subsistence harvesters, Alaska's
mariculture and dive industries are threatened by the increase in
harmful algal blooms. Increasing Alaska's commercial testing capacity
will help Southeast Alaskan divers and oyster growers to reduce their
testing costs in the face of rising toxin levels.
STA's Environmental Research Lab is also instrumental in harmful
algal bloom research in the region. Currently, STA is partnering with
the Southeast Alaska Regional Dive Fisheries Association and the
University of Alaska Fairbanks to better understand persistent and
recurring winter toxicity in geoducks that have been curtailing fishing
opportunities. We have also partnered with the University of Alaska
Southeast to develop a predictive model for harmful algal blooms and
shellfish toxicity in the region that will be accessible to managers
and researchers.
Funded largely by competitive Federal research grants, STA and its
SEATOR partners have been successful at reducing the risk of PSP to
subsistence harvesters, despite having found shellfish with potentially
lethal levels of toxin in Ketchikan in 2017 and in Kake in 2018. We
have continued to grow and leverage our monitoring program to better
respond to additional marine threats facing traditional harvesters,
most notably evidence of domoic acid production in Sitka in July of
2018 and increasing evidence of ocean acidification. Domoic acid and
ocean acidification sampling are now integrated into our standard
sampling procedures, allowing STA to generate more comprehensive risk
assessments for our communities and commercial industries.
STA would like to underscore the importance of Federal funding to
Alaska's harmful algal bloom capacity. Without a large population base
of other states and access to State funding sources, we cannot
currently fund Alaska's necessary harmful algal bloom monitoring
efforts without competitive grants. As we increase our lab and
environmental monitoring capacity, the SEATOR program's current
reliance on soft funds makes it increasingly vulnerable to reductions
in funding opportunities. I£ Federal support of Alaska harmful
algal bloom monitoring does not continue, the program will suffer while
shellfish harvesters in Alaska will again revert to harvesting without
phytoplankton or shellfish toxin information, greatly increasing their
risk of PSP. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach
out to our STA Resource Protection Director, Jeff Feldpausch at 907-
747-7469.
Sincerely,
Kathy Hope Erickson,
Tribal Chairman.
Senator Nelson. And so, Florida is facing an environmental
and economic harm, where toxic algae is coating--it's coating
both coasts. The lifeguards are having to declare that you can
stay at the beach on the sand, but you can't go in the water.
It's killing all manner of sea life, and it is making people
sick, and it is obviously, as a result, hurting businesses.
On the East Coast, a town called Stuart, which is the mouth
of the St. Lucie River, I've talked to the parents who have
worried about letting their children play outside. I've met
with the business owners, who are worried about the algae and
what it will mean for their bottom lines. How about bait and
tackle shops? How about anything associated with the beach? How
about anything associated with fishing?
The stack of letters that I handed to you, let me just read
one line from one of the letters. Christine Miller, the new
owner of the Snook Hut Bait and Tackle Shop in Cape Coral, on
the west coast, quote, ``All those hundreds and thousands of
dead fish due to the red tide and algae bloom decided not to go
alone. They've taken all my business along with them.'' That's
a bait and tackle shop.
Our storied sugary white beach sands should be, right now,
lined with tourists, but, instead, they are lined with dead and
rotting sea life, casualties from the massive toxic red tide
event that has now lasted 10 months. Over 2,000 tons of dead
fish and sea life have been removed from nearly 150 miles of
Florida's world-renowned beaches. Dead tarpon, dead manatees, a
dead whale shark. The pictures are certainly horrifying enough,
but, in person--and I'm a native Floridian, five generations--
it breaks my heart to see our beaches and rivers fouled like
this.
And it's not a partisan issue. That bill that you talked
about, that I introduced a year ago, we passed it. We could
never get the House to get off of dead center to pass it.
Senator Rubio and I are on that bill together. It's not a
partisan issue. We've worked with colleagues, regardless of
party, for the good of our states. And we want to secure
funding for research on the algae blooms and the projects to
restore things like the River of Grass, the Florida Everglades,
which sends the water south, as Mother Nature intended, instead
of having to dump it to the east and to the west. And when it
goes through that River of Grass, it is cleansed, so, when it
comes out into Florida Bay, down by the Keys, or when it goes
in the Shark River Slough and comes out on the west coast in
the Gulf of Mexico, it's clean water. And that's why we're
pushing so hard. Let's get the House off the dime to pass
exactly what you said, Mr. Chairman. Senator Portman and I
introduced that bill last year, and it passed the Senate
unanimously. And last week, I joined my colleague, Senator
Rubio, in filing a bill to require a coordinated scientific
strategy to address the toxic algae in Florida.
These are pieces of a broader puzzle. And, as we act at the
Federal level to restore and try to clean up the environment,
the state--the states--have to do their part, because states
are invested with the responsibility of water quality.
And so, I want to thank the Chairman for convening this
hearing today. And I also want to welcome our witness, Patrick
Neu. He lives in Wisconsin, but he also comes down to Florida
to fish. And I know he's----
Senator Sullivan. I hope he gets up to Alaska to fish, as
well.
Senator Nelson. And I know he's going to have a great
perspective on this.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Sullivan. Thank you, Senator Nelson.
And, as you indicated, we do have four outstanding
witnesses. I want to thank them all for, essentially, again,
giving us insights on an oversight hearing that we think's very
important, and, as Senator Nelson mentioned, very bipartisan.
So, I want to welcome our witnesses. First, we have Mr. Don
Anderson, who's a Senior Scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution and Director of the U.S. National Office for
Harmful Algal Blooms.
Welcome, Mr. Anderson.
Next is Mr. Ivory Engstrom, Director of Special Projects
and lead engineer, McLane Research Labs. We also have Mr. Bryan
Stubbs, who is the Executive Director and President of the
Board, the Cleveland Water Alliance; and Mr. Patrick Neu, the
Executive Director, the National Professional Anglers
Association.
Each of you will have 5 minutes to deliver an oral
argument, or an oral statement, and a longer written statement
may be included for the record, if you so choose.
So, Mr. Anderson, we'll begin with you. The floor is yours,
sir.
STATEMENT OF DR. DONALD M. ANDERSON, SENIOR
SCIENTIST, BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT, WOODS HOLE
OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION; AND DIRECTOR,
U.S. NATIONAL OFFICE FOR HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS
Dr. Anderson. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the
Subcommittee.
As you said, I am a Senior Scientist in the Biology
Department of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and I'm
a scientist who has been studying red tides and harmful algal
blooms for over 40 years. I am also Director of the U.S.
National Office for Harmful Algal Blooms.
The key message for me, for you, a takeaway message today,
is that HABs, or H-A-Bs, in their various forms, are a truly
national problem that requires a comprehensive national
research, monitoring, and mitigation strategy. When events like
the red and green tides happening in Florida capture the
attention of the public, the media, and Congress, there's a
temptation to target funding on the problem at hand. But, to do
so ignores the need for balanced, sustained, national support
that will enable other regions to respond to similar outbreaks
that will inevitably occur elsewhere in the country.
So, prominent in everyone's mind right now are these
ongoing Florida red and green tides that are causing so much
devastation in the state. And I fully understand and am
sympathetic there. But, we only need to look at a few recent
cases to see the diversity and the complexity and the severity
of HAB outbreaks nationally. Several of you have mentioned
some. I'll mention a few others.
In 2015, a bloom of one HAB species stretched from Alaska
to central California. That species produces a neurotoxin that
causes brain damage and permanent memory loss in humans and
wildlife who eat contaminated seafood. That bloom closed the
Dungeness crab and shellfish fisheries, with economic losses on
the order of $30 million in California and $23 million in
Washington, alone. And the next year, that very same organism
bloomed for the first time in New England, causing extensive
shellfish closures in three states.
And of direct interest to the Chairman is the apparent
spread of toxic HAB species within Alaska, including into the
Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean. Someone from my lab just
returned from a cruise above into the Chukchi Sea, we were
finding Alexandrium and the PSP-causing organisms up there.
Looking inland, 2014, algal toxins in the Toledo water
supply left nearly 500,000 people without drinking water for
several days. And, more recently, a similar event occurred in
Salem, Oregon, affecting 150,000 people.
So, resource managers nationwide are facing increasing
threats from multiple HAB species and poisoning syndromes, but
these occur in different habitats, at different times, and in
different scales. And most states lack the resources to
adequately respond, and so are in need of new approaches and
tools. And so, recognizing this and other challenges, my
colleagues and I have worked with Federal agencies and Congress
to establish a National HAB Program, and the funding for NOAA's
base and competitive research programs has led to a number of
accomplishments that I describe in detail in my written
testimony. These include: new sensors to support detection and
monitoring and early warning of HAB cells and toxins, greater
understanding of bloom causes and dynamics leading to
forecasting systems, operational forecasting systems, and
promising new bloom control and mitigation strategies.
Now, I could go on, but, in the interest of time, I'm just
going to close with a few summary comments and recommendations.
First of all, HABs are a serious and growing problem in the
U.S., affecting every state in the Union. And these HAB
problems will not go away, and are increasing in severity and
diversity. A U.S. HAB Program exists, but the level of funding
for competitive and internal programs has fluctuated
significantly. And even with the recent increases over the last
several years, it remains well below what is needed for an
appropriate response.
Targeting scarce resources on each new HAB outbreak is
inefficient and limits the responses elsewhere. What we need is
a coordinated national effort to focus research, personnel,
facilities, and financial resources to the common goal of this
comprehensive national strategy, and the support should be
consistent and sustained. Freshwater HABs cannot be
comprehensively addressed in NOAA programs, other than in the
Great Lakes. Current legislation authorizes EPA to address
HABs, but does not provide a clear path, and does not authorize
funding.
NOAA also requires additional funding for operations in
support of HAB management, and Congress needs to authorize
these activities with specific language and specific funding.
That's for internal NOAA operations in support of HABs. And,
likewise, a clear mandate and funding for a national HAB
observing system are needed, possibly under NOAA's IOOS, or
Integrated Ocean Observing System.
So, to close, I can speak on behalf of the HAB science and
management communities in voicing appreciation to Congress for
recent increases to HAB research funding, for proposed
increases in the FY19 appropriations, and to the Senate
specifically for passing the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia
Research and Control Amendments. This commitment needs to grow,
however. And we believe that a strengthened competitive
research program, working in coordination with enhanced agency
core funding, is the way to ensure the best expertise,
technology, and strategies are brought bear on this national
problem.
And, Mr. Chairman, that concludes my testimony.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Anderson follows:]
Prepared Statement of Dr. Donald M. Anderson, Senior Scientist, Biology
Department Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; and Director,
U.S. National Office for Harmful Algal Blooms
Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee. I am Donald M.
Anderson, a Senior Scientist in the Biology Department of the Woods
Hole Oceanographic Institution, where I have been active in the study
of red tides and harmful algal blooms (HABs) for over 40 years. I am
here to provide the perspective of an experienced scientist who has
investigated many of the harmful algal bloom (HAB) phenomena that
affect coastal waters of the United States and the world. I am also
Director of the U.S. National Office for Harmful Algal Blooms, a former
co-Chair of the National HAB Committee, and have been actively involved
in formulating the scientific and legislative framework and the agency
partnerships that support and guide our national program on HABs. Today
my testimony will summarize the national scale of the HABs problem in
the U.S.--their distribution, impacts, and trends as well as the
challenges that face those responsible for monitoring and managing
these phenomena. I will also highlight recent research accomplishments
as well as developments that are needed to improve the national
response to HABs, and will provide my perspective on the programmatic,
legislative, and funding needs of the national HAB program.
A key take-away message is that HABs, in their various forms, are a
national problem that requires a comprehensive national research,
monitoring, and mitigation strategy. Their increasing frequency and
intensity are impacting the economics and environmental health of
communities, states, tribes, and regions around the Nation. Congress
has responded by increasing HAB funding for some agencies, in
particular for NOAA's base and competitive programs, which is essential
if we are to improve our understanding of how these blooms develop and
strategies to mitigate their impacts. These increases, however, do not
fully restore major funding cuts made in previous years, and back then,
the national HAB problem was much smaller than what we face now.
Clearly, sustained funding at a higher level is a critical need.
Enhanced support is also needed for HAB programs in the EPA, USGS, and
multiple other agencies with mandates that include HAB issues. When
major HAB events like the current Florida red tide, the drinking water
crises that occurred in Toledo, OH in 2014 and Salem, OR in 2018 and
the 2015 west coast HAB that stretched from Alaska to Mexico capture
the attention of the public, the media, and Congress, the temptation to
target funding to that one problem ignores the need for balanced,
sustained national support that will allow other regions to respond to
the inevitable outbreaks that will occur elsewhere in future years.
Background
HABs and Their Impacts. HABs are caused by simple aquatic plants
called algae and cyanobacteria, the latter commonly referred to as
blue-green algae. Many of them are microscopic and form the base of
most aquatic food webs. The vast majority of algae are beneficial, but
a number of species can cause harm to humans and ecosystems through
``blooms'' of cells that can result in one or more of the following:
discolored water (hence the frequent use of the term ``red tide'');
illness and death of humans who have consumed contaminated shellfish or
fish, drunk contaminated water, or come in contact with blooms through
recreational activities; mass mortalities of fish, seabirds, and marine
mammals; and respiratory problems caused by breathing aerosolized
toxins. HAB impacts are serious and diverse, and include the following:
Filter feeders like shellfish can accumulate algal toxins to
levels that can be lethal or cause serious illness in humans,
aquatic animals, and wildlife. The syndromes are referred to as
paralytic, diarrhetic, neurotoxic, amnesic, or azaspiracid
shellfish poisoning (PSP, DSP, NSP, ASP, and AZP respectively),
depending on the causative organism(s) and the toxins they
produce. Poisonings are also possible from the consumption of
fish, seabirds or other animals that have accumulated HAB
toxins through the food chain. This latter pathway is of
particular concern in areas such as the Alaskan Arctic where
these are critical food resources.
A sixth human illness, ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP), is
caused by biotoxins produced by certain HAB species that grow
on seaweeds and other surfaces in coral reef communities.
Ciguatera toxins are transferred through the food chain from
herbivorous reef fishes to larger carnivorous, commercially
valuable finfish.
Some algal toxins become airborne in sea spray, causing
respiratory irritation and more serious illness in those with
respiratory diseases.
Fish, seabirds, manatees, sea lions, turtles, whales, and
dolphins are among the many animals commonly affected by HABs.
These animals, as well as humans, can be exposed to algal
toxins through the food they eat, the water they drink or swim
in, or even the air they breathe. Oftentimes mortalities occur
because of algal-produced compounds that are not toxic to
humans, but nevertheless can kill fish, shellfish, and other
aquatic animals.
Negative impacts to ecosystems can occur when large and
dense blooms form. These can degrade habitat through shading of
aquatic vegetation on the ocean floor that serves as
critically-important habitat for juvenile commercially
important fish and shellfish. A related impact occurs when
these high-biomass blooms terminate and the algae decay,
removing oxygen from the water.
High-biomass blooms can also be a nuisance to humans as they
wash up on beaches, causing foul odors as they decay and
providing a habitat for harmful bacteria to grow and produce
toxins (e.g., avian botulism). These blooms can also threaten
important infrastructure (e.g., power plants, desalination
plants).
Macroalgal or seaweed blooms also fall under the HAB
umbrella. Excessive seaweed growth, often linked to pollution
inputs, can displace natural underwater vegetation, cover coral
reefs, and wash up on beaches, where the odor of masses of
decaying material is a serious deterrent to tourism.
Freshwater systems like lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams
are also subject to HABs,\1\ primarily caused by cyanobacteria
(blue-green algae) that can turn the water green and slimy,
endangering humans through exposures from drinking water and
recreational activities. Cyanobacteria are found in virtually
all ecosystems, but are primarily a problem (termed cyanoHABs)
in fresh and brackish waters. CyanoHABs are increasingly
affecting waterbodies in all 50 states, making these events a
national crisis. Recently, however, it is becoming clear that
the toxins in these systems are also making their way to
coastal marine waters, where shellfish and other marine animals
can be exposed, adding yet another HAB threat to those areas.
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\1\ Hudnell, H.K. ed., 2008. Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms:
state of the science and research needs (Vol. 619). Springer Science &
Business Media.
CyanoHABs often consist of dense scums or aggregations of cells
floating on the water surface, causing the water to become the
consistency of paint. The most serious human health concern associated
with these events is that cyanobacteria produce some of the most potent
natural toxins known to man; these include the microcystins, formerly
known as ``fast-death factor'' and anatoxins, formerly known as ``very
fast-death factor.'' Freshwater HABs thus pose serious risks for human
and animal health, aquatic-ecosystem sustainability and economic
vitality. One example of how blooms can be significant public health
threats occurred in 2014 when a cyanoHAB near Toledo, Ohio's drinking
water intake source in Lake Erie resulted in 500,000 water customers
being advised not to drink their tap water for nearly three days. A
similar event just occurred in Salem, Oregon, this year, affecting a
similar number of people but for a longer interval. The scale of these
blooms can be massive, evidenced by the largest bloom in recorded
history in western Lake Erie in 2015--an event that produced a surface
scum that covered nearly 300 square miles. A secondary problem that
arises from cyanoHABS is that these huge masses of organic material
create serious environmental problems by reducing water transparency,
resulting in light limitation that can inhibit the growth of suspended
and bottom-dwelling plants, and by depleting oxygen as the blooms
collapse, killing fish and other organisms that are unable to escape to
oxygenated waters. Every single state has experienced CyanoHAB events.
Another important freshwater HAB problem is caused by the ``golden
algae'' Prymnesium parvum which blooms in reservoirs, rivers, and
lakes, and causes large fish kills. These blooms have killed millions
of fish in Texas year after year, and to date have impacted nearly half
of the U.S. states (Figure 1)
Causative mechanisms. As noted above, HABs are highly diverse in
the U.S. in terms of species, habitats, and impacts. While we know that
the underlying causes leading to HAB development vary between species
and locations, we do not have a full understanding of all the factors
involved. In general, algal species grow best when environmental
conditions (such as temperature, salinity, nutrients, and light) are
optimal for cell growth. Other biological and physical processes (such
as predation, disease, toxins and water currents) determine whether
enhanced cell growth will result in bloom formation. The challenge for
understanding the causes of HABs stem from the complexity and
interrelationship of these processes for individual species and
habitats. Knowledge of how these factors control the initiation,
development, and decline of a bloom is a critical precursor for
advancing HAB management.
Human activities are thought to contribute to the increased
frequency of some HABs, but certainly not all HABs. Of considerable
concern, particularly for coastal resource managers, is the
relationship between the apparent increase in HABs and accelerated
anthropogenic eutrophication of coastal marine and freshwaters, also
known as human-influenced nutrient pollution.\2\ Overall, there is a
strong scientific consensus that links marine and freshwater HABs to
human-influenced eutrophication.\3\,\4\ Coastal marine and
freshwaters are receiving massive and increasing quantities of
industrial, agricultural and sewage effluents through a variety of
pathways. Just as the application of fertilizer to lawns can enhance
grass growth, algae and cyanobacteria can grow in response to various
types of nutrient inputs. Shallow and restricted coastal waters that
are poorly flushed appear to be most susceptible to nutrient-related
algal problems in marine systems.
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\2\ Heisler, J., Glibert, P.M., Burkholder, J.M., Anderson, D.M.,
Cochlan, W., Dennison, W.c., Dortch, Q., Gobler, C.J., Heil, C.A.,
Humphries, E., Lewitus, A., Magnien, R., Marshall, H.G., Sellner, K.,
Stockwell, D.A., Stoecker, D.K., and Suddleson, M. 2008. Eutrophication
and Harmful Algal Blooms: A Scientific Consensus. Harmful Algae 8(1):
3-13.
\3\ Anderson, D.M., Burkholder, J.M., Cochlan, W.P., Glibert, P.M.,
Gobler, C.J., Heil, C.A., Kudela, R.M., Parsons, M.L., Rensel, J.J.,
Townsend, D.W. and Trainer, V.L., 2008. Harmful algal blooms and
eutrophication: examining linkages from selected coastal regions of the
United States. Harmful Algae, 8(1), pp.39-53.
\4\ EPA. 2009. National water quality inventory: report to
Congress, 2004 reporting cycle. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
EPA 841-R-08-001, Washington, D. C., pp. 37.
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Freshwater HABS are also frequently enhanced by excess nutrient
inputs, often as a result of fertilizer applications on land. Recent
assessments by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency indicate that
44 percent of river and stream miles and 64 percent of lake and
reservoir acres are impaired pursuant to section 303(d) of the U.S.
Clean Water Act.\4\ However, these numbers are likely to be
conservative, as since that assessment, many other systems have been
added to the 303d list including parts of the Great Lakes, our Nation's
largest and most important surface freshwaters. The open waters of
western Lake Erie, where the large cyanoHABs generally occur, were not
deemed impaired until 2016 when Michigan declared its portion of
western Lake Erie to be impaired based on impacts of cyanoHABs to
aquatic life and other wildlife. In 2018, Ohio also declared its
portion of the open waters to be impaired for recreational use after
consulting with a team of scientists to develop the Nation's first
standard methodology to designate a waterbody as impaired by cyanoHABs,
per the Clean Water Act sections 305(b) and 303(d).
Climate change will almost certainly influence HABs since many
critical processes governing HAB dynamics such as temperature, water
column structure, upwelling and water circulation patterns, and
nutrient inputs are influenced by climate. Freshwater cyanoHABs are
expected to worsen as temperatures rise, as the causative species are
strong competitors at high temperatures.\5\ The interactive role of
climate change with the other factors driving the frequency and
severity of HABs is in the early stages of research, but climate change
is expected to exacerbate the HAB problem in some regions and shift
species distributions geographically.
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\5\ O'Neil, J.M., Davis, T.W., Burford, M.A., Gobler, C.J., 2012.
The rise of harmful cyanobacteria blooms (CHABs): The potential roles
of eutrophication and climate change. Harmful Algae 14: 313-334.
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One area where this is of particular concern is in the Alaskan
Arctic. With present-day warming leading toward major reductions in ice
cover and changes in regional hydrography, biogeographic boundaries of
a wide range of marine species at all trophic levels will be greatly
impacted, particularly in summer ice-free shallow waters. Although many
organisms may spread into Arctic waters or become more abundant there
as a result of warming trends, few present such significant threats to
human and ecosystem health as HAB species. If this occurs, human health
and ecosystem impacts will be significant in a region where traditional
monitoring programs for toxins in shellfish, fish, or other animals are
not feasible, and where the ecosystems and human populations have no
prior exposure to these toxins. There is now clear evidence that
multiple HAB toxins are present in the Arctic food web at dangerous
levels, and a strong likelihood that the problems will worsen. For
example, recent surveys have found two different families of HAB toxins
in many harvested or stranded marine mammals (Figure 1).\6\ Notably,
all species tested contained the toxin domoic acid, in spite of
different foraging strategies. Some toxin levels were comparable to
those found in marine mammals that were diagnosed with HAB poisoning
during severe blooms along the U.S. West Coast. Impacts from these
toxins have been devastating to regions elsewhere in the world, and now
threaten the safety of the subsistence diet and the health of wildlife
in Arctic waters.
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\6\ Lefebvre, K.A., Quakenbush, L., Frame, E., Huntington, K.B.,
Sheffield, G., Stimmelmayr, R., Bryan, A., Kendrick, P., Ziel, H.,
Goldstein, T. and Snyder, J.A., 2016. Prevalence of algal toxins in
Alaskan marine mammals foraging in a changing arctic and subarctic
environment. Harmful algae, 55, pp.13-24.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
HAB distribution in the U.S. All coastal and inland states
experience HABs (Figure 2), including all five of the North American
Great Lakes, but the specific organisms and thus the nature of the
impacts differ dramatically from region to region. All of the human
poisoning syndromes and other HAB impacts described above are known
problems within the U.S. and its territories, affecting large expanses
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of coastline.
PSP occurs on a near-annual basis in all coastal New England
states as well as New York, extending to offshore areas in the
Northeast such as Georges Bank, and along much of the West
Coast from Alaska to Southern California. The current
distribution of PSP in the U.S. has greatly expanded over the
past several decades, with areas like Long Island, Puget Sound,
and Florida (both coasts) now affected. Overall, PSP affects
more U.S. coastline than any other marine algal bloom problem.
NSP occurs along Gulf of Mexico coasts, with the most
frequent outbreaks along western Florida and Texas. Outbreaks
are near-annual, with some lasting for as long as a year.
Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and Alabama have also
been affected in recent years, causing extensive losses to the
oyster industry and killing birds and marine mammals.
ASP has been a problem for all of the U.S. Pacific coast
states since it was first discovered in 1987 in Canada.\7\
Outbreaks are episodic, and some can be massive, as in 2015
when a bloom extended along the entire West Coast of the U.S.,
including Alaska, following a year of unusually warm offshore
water temperatures.\8\ The bloom resulted in enormous economic
losses due to closure of recreational harvesting of shellfish
in three states, as well as targeted closures for Dungeness
crab, anchovy, and sardines. Toxin levels were the highest ever
reported for anchovy, mussels and crabs--10 times the
regulatory limits. Shortly thereafter in 2016, extensive
shellfish closures were implemented in Maine, Massachusetts,
and Rhode Island due to the first-ever recording of ASP toxins
in that region. The ASP toxin, which can cause permanent brain
damage and memory loss in affected consumers, has recently
caused shellfish closures in Gulf of Mexico waters as well.
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\7\ Trainer, V.L., Bates, S.S., Lundholm, N., Thessen, A.E.,
Cochlan, W.P., Adams, N.G. and Trick, C.G., 2012. Pseudo-nitzschia
physiological ecology, phylogeny, toxicity, monitoring and impacts on
ecosystem health. Harmful Algae, 14, pp.271-300.
\8\ Trainer, V., Moore, S., Mccabe, R., Hickey, B., Kudela, R.,
Marin, R., Mickett, J. and Mikulski, C., 2017. A massive harmful algal
bloom on the U.S. West Coast and the future of monitoring for early
warning.
Until recently, DSP was virtually unknown in the U.S., but a
major outbreak was reported along the Texas coast in 2008,
resulting in an extensive closure of shellfish beds in that
area.\9\ Since then, DSP toxins have been reported on both the
East and West Coasts.
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\9\ Campbell, L., Olson, R.J., Sosik, H.M., Abraham, A., Henrichs,
D.W., Hyatt, C.J. and Buskey, E.J., 2010. First harmful dinophysis
(dinophyceae, dinophysiales) bloom in the U.S. is revealed by automated
imaging flow cytometry1. Journal of Phycology, 46(1), pp.66-75.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
CFP is the most frequently reported non-bacterial illness
associated with eating fish in the U.S. and its territories,
but the number of cases is probably far higher since reporting
is voluntary and there is no confirmatory laboratory test. In
the U.S. Virgin Islands, it is estimated that nearly 50 percent
of the adults have been poisoned at least once, and some
estimate that 20,000--40,000 individuals are poisoned by
ciguatera annually in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
alone. CFP occurs in virtually all sub-tropical to tropical
U.S. waters (i.e., Florida, Texas, Hawaii, Guam, Virgin
Islands, Puerto Rico, and many Pacific Territories). As
tropical fish are increasingly exported to distant markets,
ciguatera has become a problem for consumers far from the
tropics. For example, poisonings of restaurant patrons in the
Washington DC area and elsewhere were linked to fish caught in
the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf
of Mexico south of Texas.\10\
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\10\ https://flowergarden.noaa.gov/visiting/ciguatera.html
CyanoHABs occur in freshwater systems of all 50 states,
including all five of the North American Great Lakes (Figure
3). The primary cyanotoxins of concern in many of these events
are microcystins. There have been many examples of how
microcystins impact human and animal health as mentioned
previously. However, it should be noted that several other
emerging toxins of concern are becoming more prevalent in
freshwaters across the Nation. These include anatoxins
(neurotoxins), saxitoxins (PSP toxins) and cylindrospermopsins.
Anatoxin-a has been the confirmed cause of deaths in dogs that
have ingested toxic waters in California and elsewhere in North
America. The 2007 National Lakes Assessment (NLA) revealed that
7 percent percent of U.S lakes were impacted by saxitoxins,\11\
consistent with a recent California survey that detected STX in
7 percent of wadeable streams.\12\ Regionally though, the
problem may be much worse. For example, in 2016 the Ohio EPA
detected saxitoxins at 18 drinking water intake sites (15
percent of all sites sampled). Furthermore, low levels of
saxitoxins were detected in the finished drinking water at
eight Ohio public water systems, indicating a potential risk to
human health.
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\11\ Loftin, K. A., J. L. Graham; E. D. Hilborn, S. C. Lehmann, M.
T. Meyer, J. E. Dietze, C. B. Griffith. 2016. Cyanotoxins in inland
lakes of the United States: Occurrence and potential recreational
health risks in the EPA National Lakes Assessment 2007. Harmful Algae.
56:77-90. DOI: 10.1016/j.hal.2016.04.001.
\12\ Fetscher, A. E., M. D. A. Howard, R. Stancheva, R. M. Kudela,
E. D. Stein, M. A. Sutula, L. B. Busse, and R. G. Sheath. 2015.
Wadeable streams as widespread sources of benthic cyanotoxins in
California, USA. Harmful Algae. 49:105-116. DOI: 101.1016/
j.hal.2015.09.002.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Recent Trends. The nature of the HAB problem has changed
considerably over the last 50 years in the U.S. Virtually every coastal
state is now threatened by harmful or toxic marine algal species,
whereas 30--40 years ago, the problem was much more scattered and
sporadic (Figure 4). In inland states, HABs in rivers, lakes,
reservoirs, and other water freshwater bodies have increased
dramatically as well. Overall, the number of toxic blooms, the economic
losses, the types of resources affected, and the number of toxins and
toxic species have all increased dramatically in recent years in the
U.S. and around the world.\13\
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\13\ HARNESS 2005. HARRNESS--a framework for HAB research and
monitoring in the United States for the next decade. Ramsdell, J.S.,
D.M. Anderson, and P.M. Glibert (Eds.). Ecological Society of America,
Washington D.C. 96 pp.
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There are many reasons for this expansion, some of which involve
human activities, such as nutrient pollution as noted above. Some new
bloom events likely reflect newly discovered populations from better
detection methods and more observers rather than new species
introductions or dispersal events. Other ``spreading events'' are most
easily attributed to dispersal via natural currents, while it is also
clear that man may have contributed to the global HAB expansion by
transporting toxic species in ship ballast water or in aquaculture
species. The U.S. Coast Guard, EPA, and the International Maritime
Organization are all working toward ballast water control and treatment
regulations that will attempt to reduce the threat of HAB species
introductions worldwide.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Economic and Societal Impacts. HAB events have a wide array of
economic impacts, including the costs of conducting routine monitoring
programs for shellfish and other affected resources, short-term and
permanent closure of harvestable shellfish and fish stocks, reductions
in seafood sales (including the avoidance of ``safe'' seafoods as a
result of over-reaction to health advisories), mortalities of wild and
farmed fish, shellfish, submerged aquatic vegetation and coral reefs,
impacts on tourism and tourism-related businesses, and medical
treatment of exposed populations. A conservative estimate of the
average annual economic impact resulting from marine HABs in the U.S.
is approximately $82 million (Hoagland and Scatasta, 2006). However,
single events can sometimes approach this annual average. For example,
in 2005, a HAB event in New England resulted in a loss of $18 million
in shellfish sales in Massachusetts alone.\14\ Furthermore, harvesting
closures in Maine (soft-shell clams, mahogany quahogs, and mussels) are
estimated to cost $2.9 million each week, with typical closures ranging
from 4 to 16 weeks, and occurring nearly every year.\15\ Likewise, the
direct economic impact from commercial closures due to the West Coast
ASP outbreak in 2015 was estimated to be approximately $30 million for
the Dungeness and rock crab fisheries in California alone, in addition
to the substantial but unquantified impacts to other fisheries.\16\
That same outbreak caused an estimated $23 million loss in the state of
Washington.\17\
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\14\ Jin, D., Thunberg, E., and Hoagland, P. 2008. Economic Impact
of the 2005 Red Tide Event on Commercial Shellfish Fisheries in New
England. Ocean and Coastal Management. 51(5): 420-429.
\15\ K. Ahearn. 2008. Economic losses from closure of shellfish
harvesting areas in Maine. Prepared for the Maine Department of Marine
Resources.
\16\ http://www.oceansciencetrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/
HABs-and-CA-Fisheries-Science-Guidance-10.25.16.pdf
\17\ D. Ayres, personal communication.
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The economic impacts from freshwater HABs is also substantial, with
some estimates exceeding several billions of dollars per year when the
decline in property values is included. One example is the closure of
Grand Lake St. Marys in Ohio in 2011 due to toxic cyanoHAB blooms. That
event cost the local community an estimated $200 million in lost
tourism income. In addition, countless fish, waterfowl, and pets were
sickened and killed by the lake's toxic conditions. The state of Ohio
confirmed seven illnesses (and potentially 21 additional cases) were
linked to exposure to toxins in lakes, including a case in which an
individual was temporarily blinded. A recent report on the economic
benefits of reducing HABs in Lake Erie \18\ found that the annual
economic impacts of the 2011 bloom (second largest in recorded history)
and 2014 (the year of the Toledo water crisis) were $71 million and $65
million, respectively. Notably, 2014 data did not include the direct
economic losses associated with the water crisis so that value is
likely a gross underestimate. The study also estimated the 30-year
economic impact to the region if blooms that range between the size of
the 2011 and 2014 events continue to occur to be between $1.3 and $1.5
billion. Furthermore, another recent study from The Ohio State
University found that people who wanted to use western Lake Erie for
recreational purposes spent $800,000-$1 million more in travel costs to
avoid the bloom-impacted areas.\19\ Cumulatively, the costs of HABs
have exceeded 10-20 billion dollars over the last several decades, and
these estimates do not include the application of ``multipliers'' that
are often used to account for the manner in which money transfers
through a local economy.
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\18\ M. Bingham, S. K. Sinha and F. Lupi . 2015. Economic Benefits
of Reducing Harmful Algal Blooms in Lake Erie'', Environmental
Consulting & Technology, Inc., Report, 66 pp,
\19\ https://theconversation.com/whats-the-value-of-a-clean-beach-
heres-how-economists-do-the-numbers-
94805?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=twitterbutton
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In addition to impacting public health, ecosystems, and local
economies, HABs can also have significant social and cultural
consequences. For example, along the Washington and Oregon coasts, tens
of thousands of people visit annually to participate in the
recreational harvest of razor clams. However, a series of beach
closures in recent years due to high levels of the ASP toxin domoic
acid prevented access to this recreational fishery. These harvesting
closures have not only caused economic losses, they have also resulted
in an erosion of community identity, community recreation, and a
traditional way of living for native coastal cultures.
HAB Program Development
Marine HABs. To better understand the nature of the national
approach to researching and managing HABs, the following background is
offered on the development of the suite of activities, facilities, and
funding programs that constitute our national strategy for dealing with
this significant problem.
The national HAB ``program'', or strategy, is viewed by many
colleagues in other disciplines as a model program that has succeeded
because of its organization, structure, and planning. As recently as 30
years ago, this was not the case, as there was very little research on
HABs, and that being conducted in the academic community was scattered
and unfocused. To rectify this problem, we formulated a National Plan
for Marine Biotoxins and Harmful Algae (Anderson et al., 1993) that
guided activities in this field for the next 10-15 years. The National
Plan was broadly based, and encompassed ecology, physiology,
toxicology, human health, economics, ecosystem health, and a variety of
other issues. This breadth of topics exceeded the mandate and resources
of any single agency or program, and therefore for implementation
purposes, it was necessary to break the plan into a series of programs
based on complementary topics. The first thematic area was the Ecology
and Oceanography of HABs, which was addressed by the ECOHAB program.
This was followed by MERHAB (Monitoring and Event Response of HABs),
and then by Prevention, Control and Mitigation of HABs (PCMHAB) and
then the Ocean and Human Health (OHH) programs. The latter began with a
partnership between the National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), who have
supported multiple Centers for Oceans and Human Health (COHH) that
conduct significant HAB research and outreach activities.
In 1998, Congress recognized the severity of these threats and
authorized the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act
(HABHRCA 1998; embedded in Public Law 105-383). The Harmful Algal Bloom
and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2004 (HABHRCA 2004,
Public Law 108-456) and 2014 (HABHRCA 2014, Public Law 113-124)
reaffirmed and expanded the mandate for NOAA to advance the scientific
understanding and ability to detect, monitor, assess, and predict HAB
and hypoxia events. Another HABHRCA reauthorization is currently moving
through Congress, and I strongly support passage of this legislation. I
do have comments on some sections of the draft legislation, and would
be pleased to provide details if requested.
The 2014 reauthorization called for Federal agencies to provide
integrated assessments on the causes and consequences of and approaches
to reducing HABs and hypoxia nationally, with particular emphasis on
the Great Lakes. This led to the creation of the Interagency Working
Group on HABHRCA (IWG-HABHRCA), tasked with coordinating and convening
Federal agencies and their stakeholders to discuss HAB and hypoxia
events in the U.S., and to develop action plans and assessments of
these situations. NOAA co-chairs the IWG-HABHRCA with EPA. Other member
agencies include FDA, USDA, CDC, USACE, NASA, NPS, USGS, BOEM, Navy,
NIEHS, and NSF. A detailed report was recently issued,\20\ providing an
assessment of the U.S. HAB problems and recommendations for action.
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\20\ National Science and Technology Council Subcommittee on Ocean
Science and Technology. 2016. Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia
Comprehensive Research Plan and Action Strategy: An Interagency Report.
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The 1993 National Plan provided the initial guidance and
perspective that led to the creation of several multi-agency
partnerships and individual agency initiatives, many of which continue
to this day. Together, ECOHAB, MERHAB, and PCMHAB have funded nearly
$140 million in marine and freshwater (Great Lakes) HAB research since
the programs began in 1996, 2000, and 2010 respectively. Significant
funding in excess of $45 million has also been provided by the NSF--
NIEHS COHH program, with another $25 million anticipated over the next
five years. Smaller contributions have been made by other programs and
agencies, including Sea Grant, NASA, EPA and the NSF geoscience core
programs.
After more than 10 years of strong program growth and diverse
research activities, the 1993 National Plan became outdated, and was
replaced by HARRNESS (Harmful Algal Research and Response: A National
Environmental Science Strategy 2005-2015 \21\). Several hundred
scientists and managers, from a wide array of fields, contributed to
the knowledge base on which this new national science and management
strategy was developed. HARRNESS is continuing to guide U.S. HAB
research and monitoring, though updates to the program are now under
consideration.
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\21\ HARNESS 2005. HARRNESS--a framework for HAB research and
monitoring in the United States for the next decade. Ramsdell, J.S.,
D.M. Anderson, and P.M. Glibert (Eds.). Ecological Society of America,
Washington D.C. 96 pp.
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At the conceptual level, HARRNESS is a framework of initiatives and
funding programs that identify and address current and evolving needs
associated with HABs and their impacts. ECOHAB is a critical, core
program that is needed to address the fundamental processes underlying
the impacts and dynamics of HABs. ECOHAB's research results have been
brought into practical applications through MERHAB, a program
formulated to transfer technologies and foster innovative monitoring
programs and rapid response by public agencies and health departments,
as well as through PCMHAB, a program dedicated to HAB prevention,
control and mitigation. All of these programs serve important topic
areas, and collectively form a strong basis for progress.
The COHH initiative of NIEHS and NSF fills an important niche by
creating linkages between members of the ocean sciences and biomedical
communities to help both groups address public health aspects of HABs.
The partnership between NIEHS and NSF clearly needs to be sustained and
expanded in order to provide support to a large network to address the
significant problems under the OHH umbrella. This is best accomplished
through additional funds to these agencies, as well as through the
involvement of other agencies with interests in oceans and human
health, including, for example, EPA, NASA, FDA, and CDC.
Freshwater HABs
With the exception of the Great Lakes, which fall under NOAA's
jurisdiction, freshwater systems that are impacted by HABs have not
been comprehensively addressed in ECOHAB, MERHAB, or the COHH programs.
This is because NOAA's mandate includes the Great Lakes and estuaries
up to the freshwater interface, but does not include the many rivers,
ponds, lakes, and reservoirs that are subject to freshwater HAB
problems.
The reauthorization of HABHRCA in 2004 expanded the Act to include
blooms in all U.S. freshwaters. The Act mandated an assessment of
freshwater HABs,\22\ leading to an interagency monograph that described
science and research needs.\23\ This effort to address freshwater HABs
at the national level was hampered because the Act did not contain a
mandate or funding authorization for the EPA, which is the appropriate
Agency to establish and maintain such a plan. All U.S. freshwaters are
within the purview of the EPA, as defined in the Clean Water Act (2002)
and the Safe Drinking Water Act (2002). The Agency acknowledges its
mandate for safe and clean water in Goal 2 of the 2006-2011 EPA
Strategic Plan (EPA, 2008), ``Ensure drinking water is safe. Restore
and maintain oceans, watersheds, and their aquatic ecosystems to
protect human health, support economic and recreational activities, and
provide healthy habitat for fish, plants, and wildlife.'' Because of
this, many studies of inland HABs are funded through state programs
such as the Ohio Department of Higher Education Harmful Algal Bloom
Research Initiative as one example or by Sea Grant in states that have
Sea Grant programs.
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\22\ Lopez, C.B., Jewett, E.B., Dortch, Q., Walton, B.T. Hudnell,
H.K. 2008. Scientific Assessment of Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms.
Interagency Working Group on Harmful Algal Blooms, Hypoxia, and Human
Health of the Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology.
Washington, D.C., 65 pp.
\23\ Hudnell, H.K. (Ed.). 2008. Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal
Blooms: State of the Science and Research Needs, Advances in
Experimental Medicine and Biology, Vol. 619, Springer Press.
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As detailed in the 2016 IWG-HABHRCA report, in 2010, the
interagency Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) was created to
protect and restore Great Lakes natural resources, including HAB
projects. After the 2014 Lake Erie HAB, $12 million in GLRI funding was
provided to Federal and state programs to minimize HABs and hypoxia in
the western basin of Lake Erie. Specific projects supported by this
funding include upgrading controlled drainage systems, funding best
management practices (BMPs) at livestock facilities, and planting cover
crops. It also provides funding for the Environmental Quality
Incentives Program, a voluntary program through USDA NRCS that provides
financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers to plan
and implement conservation practices that improve soil, water, plant,
animal, air, and related natural resources on agricultural land and
non-industrial private forestland.
In 2015, EPA announced the award of 14 GLRI grants totaling over
$17 million, to fund projects that will improve Great Lakes water
quality by preventing phosphorus runoff and solid erosion that
contribute to algal blooms, and by reducing suspended sediments in
Great Lakes tributaries. These projects focus on high-priority
watersheds and receiving waters with high potential or known risk for
HABs and hypoxia.
NOAA and EPA have shared responsibility under HABHRCA for the Great
Lakes. HABHRCA gives EPA responsibility for inland freshwaters, but in
reality, multiple agencies conduct intramural research in freshwater,
however none are funded specifically for research on inland HABs.
Recent Research Accomplishments
Given the challenges above, it is worth highlighting some of the
recent accomplishments that show how properly administered and directed
research funding can lead to big strides in our ability to understand
and manage HAB phenomena. Progress has been rapid in many areas, and
new approaches and technologies for research and management are now
available, a few of which are listed here.
DNA technology has led to the development of species-or
strain-specific ``molecular probes'' that can label HAB cells
of interest so they can rapidly be detected visually,
electronically, or chemically. Progress has been significant
and probes and assays of multiple types are available for many
HAB species, with this technology now routinely employed in HAB
research and monitoring programs \24\
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\24\ Anderson, D.M., Keafer, B.A., McGillicuddy Jr, D.J.,
Mickelson, M.J., Keay, K.E., Libby, P.S., Manning, J.P., Mayo, C.A.,
Whittaker, D.K., Hickey, J.M. and He, R., 2005. Initial observations of
the 2005 Alexandrium fundyense bloom in southern New England: General
patterns and mechanisms. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in
Oceanography, 52(19-21), pp.2856-2876.
New optical-and DNA-based sensors are now available that can
be moored in open waters or placed on docks and other
structures where they can monitor the water for HAB cells and
toxins continuously. These in situ sensors are dramatically
changing the nature of research and monitoring as they open the
door to an era where remote, subsurface, near real-time
detection of HAB species and toxins can be envisioned. One
example is an array of IFCBs (Imaging FlowCytobots, or
underwater microscopes) that take hundreds of thousands of
images of algal cells every day, identifying and counting HAB
species autonomously, and sending that data to shore 24/7. IFCB
sensors in the Gulf of Mexico have provided early warning of
seven HABs in the Texas region in recent years,\25\ \26\ with
text messages and e-mail alerts being sent to managers and
scientists automatically when HAB species exceed specified cell
concentration thresholds. Because they can be located in the
water and thus in close proximity to the cells in a bloom,
these instruments have also begun to reveal details of HAB
dynamics that were not possible before. In one series of
deployments in New England, IFCBs have revealed that the cells
responsible for PSP outbreaks grow faster, swim faster, and are
much more toxic than was previously thought on the basis of
laboratory studies.\27\
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\25\ Campbell, L., Olson, R.J., Sosik, H.M., Abraham, A., Henrichs,
D.W., Hyatt, C.J. and Buskey, E.J., 2010. First harmful dinophysis
(dinophyceae, dinophysiales) bloom in the U.S. is revealed by automated
imaging flow cytometry1. Journal of Phycology, 46(1), pp.66-75.
\26\ Jochens, A.E. and Watson, S.M., 2013. The Gulf of Mexico
Coastal Ocean Observing System: An integrated approach to building an
operational regional observing system. Marine Technology Society
Journal, 47(1), pp.118-133.
\27\ Brosnahan, M.L., Velo-Suarez, L., Ralston, D.K., Fox, S.E.,
Sehein, T.R., Shalapyonok, A., Sosik, H.M., Olson, R.J. and Anderson,
D.M., 2015. Rapid growth and concerted sexual transitions by a bloom of
the harmful dinoflagellate Alexandrium fundyense (Dinophyceae).
Limnology and oceanography, 60(6), pp.2059-2078.
Technological advances have expanded our capabilities for
research and monitoring of HABs, but the blooms will always be
under sampled because of the large space and time scales over
which they occur. As a result, numerical models are being used
to help extrapolate and interpret these sparse observations.
ECOHAB regional programs all developed large-scale models of
the HABs in those study areas, and many of these are now adding
greatly to our understanding and management of these phenomena.
In particular, some are the basis of operational HAB forecast
systems that are providing information to managers and the
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public on daily, weakly, and seasonal scales.
Sustained ecosystem studies of the causes and impacts of
HABs is leading to the ability to predict when and where HABs
will occur. Forecasts for Karenia brevis on the Gulf Coast and
cyanobacterial blooms in Lake Erie have been operationalized in
NOAA, so that forecasts are offered every few days during
blooms seasons. Other forecasts are in pilot stages, including
Alexandrium in the Gulf of Maine and Pseudo-nitzschia on the
Washington-Oregon coast and California. In all cases the
purpose is to provide early warning to protect human health and
help businesses dependent on these fish/shellfish or tourism to
be prepared.
Combining the previous highlights, a realistic vision for
the future would be that of arrays of moored instruments
capable of detecting HAB cells and their toxins and
transmitting this information to shore where the data can be
assimilated into numerical models and forecasts, to be used by
managers to make decisions for harvesting closures or other
mitigation strategies to reduce HAB impacts. An exciting
development in this regard is the advent of ocean observing
systems (OOSs), arrays or networks of moored and mobile
instruments that can collect and transmit data continuously
from remote locations to shore-based scientists and managers.
Just as networks of meteorological stations and numerical
models of atmospheric dynamics greatly improved our ability to
provide accurate forecasts of weather events, OOSs and their
associated numerical models of ocean dynamics have the
potential to document long-term patterns and changes in the
sea, to detect infrequent events that previously went
unobserved, and to make predictions or forecasts about these
and other phenomena that directly affect human populations and
marine ecosystems. The HAB sensors described above are viewed
by many as an important component of the emerging ocean
observing system infrastructure worldwide.
One of the most frequent questions addressed to HAB
scientists is ``what can you do to stop these blooms?'' To
address this need, NOAA established the PCMHAB program in which
all funding applications fall within the same topic area,
ensuring that unfair comparisons between practical versus
fundamental science are not made during the peer review
process. The program is still young, but promising approaches
are already emerging, including some that can directly lead to
bloom prevention or even suppression. Some of the latter
approaches include water clarification using dispersed clay
solutions, and cell and toxin destruction using ozone. Progress
has been made, but this is a long-neglected area that can
benefit from enhanced, targeted funding.
One significant outcome of a number of regional HAB research
programs is the development of integrated research and response
communities that include scientists, Federal and state
agencies, tribes, and industry. In the past, many of these
individuals and groups worked independently and with little
exchange of ideas and data. The networks that now exist in many
parts of the country are active and productive, and should
continue to be a major element in the growing capabilities of
the national HAB program.
In this context, outreach and communication by HAB research
programs has led to greatly improved understanding of HAB
phenomena by the general public and stakeholders. HAB bulletins
are now produced and widely distributed in multiple regions of
the country.
The new technologies developed to study and manage HABs and
their impacts have had important commercial benefits. New
companies or product lines have been established to build
instruments, toxin test kits, and many other tools used in HAB
management. Research has also led to increased exploitation of
aquatic resources. One example is the opening of offshore hard
clam resources on Georges Bank that had been closed for nearly
two decades due to PSP toxins. An ECOHAB-funded regional
project called GOMTOX provided background data and samples that
helped in the development of an Onboard Screening, Dockside
Testing Program that allows fishermen to use new toxin testing
kits on board their vessels to determine if areas are safe for
harvesting in the offshore waters of Georges Bank, an area with
an estimated $10-15 million sustained fishery of surf clams and
ocean quahogs.\28\
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\28\ https://www.whoi.edu/news-release/Georges_Bank_fisheries
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Challenges in HAB Research, Monitoring and Management
As is evident from the diverse and large nature of the national HAB
problem described above, managers responsible for the protection of
human health and coastal resources are facing a growing and daunting
challenge. Many regions are now subject to multiple HAB species, with
many blooming at different times of the year, affecting multiple
resources. All states now have HAB problems which appear to be getting
worse, in part due to human activities. Monitoring programs that used
to focus on a single HAB poisoning syndrome are now struggling to cover
two, three, and even four different concurrent threats, greatly
stretching scarce personnel and financial resources. In some cases,
this has led to blanket harvesting closures in which entire coastlines
are quarantined for months at a time on an annual basis, even though
the affected resources may not be toxic across that entire expanse and
time.
Some species need to be present in very high abundances before
harmful effects occur, which makes it easier to detect and track those
HABs. However, other species cause problems at very low concentrations,
essentially being hidden among other benign algae, making them
difficult to detect and track. The factors that cause and control HABs,
from their initiation to their decline vary, not only by species, but
also by region due to differences in local factors such as the shape of
the coastline, runoff patterns, oceanography, nutrient regime, other
organisms present in the water, etc. This diversity in species, toxins,
habitats, and impacts means that there is no ``one size fits all''
approach to HAB research and management--each type of HAB needs to be
studied individually. An important conclusion in this regard is that it
is necessary to sustain multiple HAB research and monitoring
capabilities throughout the country. If funds are directed
predominantly to individual, high-visibility events such as the massive
2015 West Coast ASP event or the ongoing Florida red and green tides,
personnel and capabilities in other regions of the country will
diminish, making those areas less able to deal with the outbreaks that
will surely occur in future years. Consequently, a national approach to
coordination and funding is needed, following the framework that has
already been established through the programs described above.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
NOAA is the only agency with extramural funding programs devoted
solely to research on HABs. Within that agency, one significant
challenge has been that funding for HAB research has fluctuated widely,
greatly impacting the pace and extent of progress. Since 1999,
competitive funding for HAB research ranged from $3.3 to $12.8 million
per year \29\ (Figure 5). The number of research projects started
varied from 0 to 25 per year, with significant intervals with no new
starts (Figure 6). Figures 5 and 6 demonstrate how funding has
decreased dramatically since 2005-2006, even as the national HAB
problem has expanded. Recent increases are promising, but we are still
far below the levels of prior years. Even if the prior years' maximum
were re-established, however, the funding would not be enough to
address all of the HAB problems in the US. For example, one five-year
project to understand the causes of a single HAB in a single region
costs $5 million in order to develop the appropriate model and a
rudimentary HAB forecast, and more would be needed to refine the
forecast and move it into an operational environment. The fluctuation
in funding has meant that promising new technologies and approaches are
lost or delayed, scientific capacity is lost as research teams disband,
and new ideas do not get developed. As students and young professionals
trained to work in the field move on to other pursuits, as has happened
in recent low-funding years, our national response capabilities are
greatly weakened. Scientists in our field talk about the ``lost
generation'' of young HAB scientists who could not continue their
training during the gap years seen in Figure 6. Clearly, sustained
funding at a higher level is a critical need.
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\29\ It was not possible to obtain a separate funding history for
HABs since the competitive funding line within NOAA CSCOR is for HABs
and hypoxia research and data are not available in early years for each
program. Using the average percentage of the total that was used for
HAB funding since 2007 (63 percent), these values in Figure 5 were
calculated.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Another challenge is that funding is needed for a wider diversity
of activities. When HABHRCA was first passed in 1998, the only need was
for research. That research has been highly successful and needs to
continue, but now we are ready to move on to implementing the
technology and approaches that have been developed, hence the creation
of the MERHAB and PCMHAB programs. Each time HABHRCA has been
reauthorized there has been some wording about some of the other
activities that are needed, besides research, but none of these have
been explicitly authorized or funding provided.
Research: The foregoing emphasizes that the need for research
funding is greater than ever. There are emerging HAB species and toxins
in every part of the U.S. While we understand the causes of some HABs
in some regions, we do not understand why blooms terminate in any
region, and the current situation in Florida, with a devastating bloom
that has continued for over nine months, illustrates why this is
critically important. The human health impacts and, as a corollary, the
impacts on other animals, including endangered and threatened species,
has barely been studied. We are now confronted, for example, with the
possibility that shellfish may accumulate multiple diverse toxins, but
all monitoring in the U.S. is focused on the health impacts of single
toxins. This list could continue, but for those that ask, ``Haven't we
done enough research?'', the answer is no, because we cannot manage
what we do not understand and there is still very much that we do not
understand.
Operational HAB Forecasting: Research has led to the development of
HAB forecasts for specific HABs in specific regions.\30\ Several are
operational in NOAA and others are in various phases of transition to
operations. However, making HAB forecasts operational, like weather
forecasts, has taken funding away from research. There is no clear
mandate or funding for operational HAB forecasts, although NOAA is
implementing it slowly through its Ecological Forecasting Roadmap.
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\30\ https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/research/stressor-impacts-
mitigation/hab-forecasts/
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Operational HAB Observing: Research has led to the development of
innovative and powerful HAB sensors that can be deployed autonomously
at fixed locations and on a variety of mobile platforms. Some of these
are highlighted in the testimony of Ivory Engstrom from McLane
Laboratories for this hearing. These can provide states, tribes, and
local management agencies and tourism, aquaculture and wild fisheries
industries with HAB early warning and provide data for models that can
forecast HABs, much as weather instruments provide data to improve the
accuracy of weather forecasts. While the prices are likely to come down
as more instruments are deployed, they are still too expensive for the
agencies and industries that could most use them. There is a thus
critical need for a National HAB Observing Network, perhaps under the
auspices of the NOAA Integrated Ocean Observing System,\31\ and the
Regional Observing Associations, which would deploy these sensors as
part of the larger observing network. If states or industries wanted to
add additional sensors to meet their specific needs, they could do it
more cheaply and easily by becoming part of this larger network. There
is no clear mandate or funding for a national HAB observing system.
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\31\ https://ioos.noaa.gov/
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HAB Event Response: As we have seen from the events in Florida this
year, the West Coast in 2015, Lake Erie in multiple years, and many
other outbreaks, extensive and damaging HABs can occur at any time and
any place. There are immediate, short-term needs for predicting where
the bloom will go and how severe it will be, assessing the impacts, and
developing management responses, as well as longer-term needs for
economic assistance and efforts to improve future response. NOAA has
maintained a very small HAB Event Response Program,\32\ which is very
effective, but much more is needed. We want to thank the Senate for
passing S.1057, which includes an entire section on HAB and Hypoxia
Events of National Significance. This highlights the importance of
responding to events and is a great step forward. However, some
modification is required to make it effective for both short-term and
long-term response, and a funding mechanism is required that will allow
monies to be provided quickly. I can provide additional suggestions at
a later date, if requested, or recommend others who are more
knowledgeable about the mechanics.
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\32\ https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/research/stressor-impacts-
mitigation/rapid-response/
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Freshwater HABs: The problem of inland freshwater HABs has exploded
in the last five years and is only likely to get worse. While NOAA has
purview over marine and coastal HABs including the Great Lakes, EPA has
purview over inland freshwater HABs. No HAB funding is authorized or
appropriated for EPA so that it can fulfill the requirements, similar
to those of NOAA, for HAB programs.
Summary and Recommendations
HABs are a serious and growing problem in the U.S.,
affecting every state. HAB problems will not go away and are
currently increasing in severity and breadth nationwide.
HABs have a wide array of economic and social impacts,
including the costs of conducting routine monitoring programs
for shellfish and other affected resources, short-term and
permanent closure of harvestable shellfish and fish stocks,
reductions in seafood sales (including the avoidance of
``safe'' seafoods as a result of over-reaction to health
advisories), mortalities of wild and farmed fish, shellfish,
submerged aquatic vegetation and coral reefs, impacts on
tourism and tourism-related businesses as well as community
well-being, and medical treatment of exposed populations.
Cumulatively, the costs of marine and freshwater HABs exceed
$10-$20 billion over the last several decades.
The diverse nature of HAB phenomena and the hydrodynamic and
geographic variability associated with different outbreaks
throughout the U.S. pose a significant constraint to the
development of a coordinated national program. Nevertheless,
the combination of planning, coordination, and a highly
compelling topic with great societal importance has led to
integrated research and response communities that include
scientists, Federal and state agencies, tribes, and industry.
In the past, many of these individuals and groups worked
independently and with little exchange of ideas and data. The
networks that now exist in many parts of the country are active
and productive, and should be a major factor in the growing
capabilities of the national HAB program.
Progress thus far has been excellent, as the U.S. HAB
program is seen as a model for other scientific disciplines in
the U.S. and the world. The rate and extent of progress from
here will depend upon how effectively the skills and expertise
of government and academic scientists can be targeted on
priority topics. The HAB community in the U.S. is fully capable
of undertaking the new challenges inherent in an expanded
national program. This will be successful only if a coordinated
national effort can be sustained to focus research personnel,
facilities, and financial resources to the common goals of a
comprehensive national strategy
Additional recommendations are summarized as follows:
As the lead Federal agency for HABs, NOAA should retain the
mandate to coordinate, conduct, and fund research and response
efforts and levels of funding should reflect the importance of
this responsibility.
Funding needs to be sustained and enhanced for the existing
NOAA HAB competitive programs--ECOHAB, MERHAB, and PCMHAB.
These programs should be explicitly addressed in HABHRCA
reauthorizations and appropriations.
Given the breadth of environmental, economic, and human
health impacts from HABs, funding is also required across a
suite of Federal agencies with different mandates, including
NSF, NASA, EPA, NIEHS, and USGS.
Specifically, freshwater HABs are an important focus but
cannot be comprehensively addressed in NOAA programs other than
in the great Lakes. HABHRCA authorizes EPA to address HABs, but
does not provide a clear path and does not authorize funding.
EPA should be authorized and appropriated funding to address
freshwater HABs in a manner to similar to NOAA. Clear direction
should be provided so that EPA and NOAA move this program
forward in a productive and efficient manner. One way to
accomplish this is to require EPA to establish programs similar
to the NOAA ECOHAB, MERHAB, PCMHAB and Event Response, perhaps
in coordination with NOAA.
Recognize that NOAA will require funds for operations in
support of HAB management, such as HAB forecasting; authorize
these activities with specific language, and specific funding
allocations.
Likewise, a clear mandate and funding for a National HAB
Observing System are needed, possibly under NOAA's Integrated
Ocean Observing System (IOOS).
In the HABHRCA reauthorization that is moving through
Congress, the Event Response program requires some
modifications to make it effective for both short-term and
long-term response, and a funding mechanism is required that
will allow funding to be provided rapidly.
I would like to reiterate the importance of the national HAB
program's role in helping understand and address the increasing
frequency and intensity of bloom events. The extramural HAB science
community also appreciates Congress's recent increases in funding for
HAB work, and proposed increase in the FY'19 appropriation bills. We
believe that a strengthened competitive research program working in
coordination with enhanced agency core funding will ensure the best
expertise, technology, and strategies are brought to bear on this
growing problem.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes my testimony. Thank you for the
opportunity to offer information that is based on my own research and
policy activities, as well as on the collective wisdom and creativity
of numerous colleagues in the HAB field.
I would be pleased to answer any questions that you or other
members may have.
Senator Sullivan. Great, thank you, Dr. Anderson.
Mr. Engstrom.
STATEMENT OF IVORY B. ENGSTROM, DIRECTOR, SPECIAL PROJECTS,
McLANE RESEARCH LABS, INC.
Mr. Engstrom. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the
Subcommittee, for the opportunity to introduce myself, Ivory
Engstrom, the Director of Special Projects for McLane Research
Labs.
McLane Labs is a manufacturer of advanced ocean sensors and
samplers in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Roughly 50 percent of our
products are shipped internationally, earning us the
distinction of Massachusetts Small Business Exporter of the
Year for 2017. My job as a technologist for McLane is to
identify and commercialize promising technologies for wider use
in the oceanographic and environmental monitoring communities,
enabling broad deployment of innovative sensing systems.
As you've heard, harmful algal blooms are a growing threat
to our economy and our well-being. As such, McLane has made
significant investments in commercializing promising
technologies for use as early warning systems. Increased demand
for these products has required McLane to add new personnel and
new capabilities. In addition to jobs created at McLane, we are
proud to employ other local companies in various supporting
fields, such as welding, machining, optics, electronics, and
biotechnology. We are only one of the many small businesses
acquiring technology from independent labs for developing
instruments in-house that are critical to the rise of the Blue
Economy nationwide. McLane has been fortunate to build on the
successes of, and investments in, American ingenuity through
our work, bringing technologies out of the lab and into the
hands of new users.
This testimony will focus on two of the newer autonomous
biological sensing instruments that we manufacture for the
detection of harmful algal bloom species and their toxins. It
is important to note that development of these biosensors would
not have been possible without the support of government
funding and philanthropic contributions.
First is an instrument called the Imaging FlowCytobot, or
IFCB. It was developed at the Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, and licensed by
McLane. The IFCB is a ``smart'' underwater microscope that
takes pictures of microorganisms in the water. Image
recognition similar to the facial recognition technology used
in airports, identifies potentially harmful algae
automatically. Typically, these images are posted to the
Internet to facilitate scientific collaboration. Because the
IFCB identifies and counts individual cells, it can detect
harmful algal bloom species in very low concentrations. This
allows managers to make informed decisions quickly, based on
the existing organisms in the water.
In the summer of 2017, McLane partnered with a local
aquaculture farm to perform a pilot study of the usefulness of
this instrument to the growing U.S. aquaculture industry. Upon
deployment of the IFCB near their oyster nursery, a developing
harmful algal bloom was instantly detected in the water. Rapid
countermeasures enabled them to save their stock of juvenile
oysters. And, according to Dr. Daniel Ward, owner of the
aquafarm, ``If the IFCB wasn't deployed, I most likely wouldn't
have known the bloom started, and most of the seed oysters in
the nursery would have died.'' If the U.S. is to boost its
domestic aquaculture output while maintaining the highest
standards for seafood safety, we must consider how these tools
can assist in enhancing protection efforts and event response.
The second instrument I wish to introduce is the
Environmental Sample Processor, or ESP. It was developed at the
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in Moss Landing,
California, and is also licensed by McLane. The instrument is a
robotic fluidic system used to detect harmful algae and their
toxins. ESP is deployed underwater to perform genetic tests
autonomously, determining whether certain species are present,
and at what concentration. It also detects harmful algal bloom
toxins directly, having great benefit to drinking-water
protection and monitoring. ESP will generate data from the
field in a matter of hours after sampling, significantly faster
than traditional methods. ESPs are now routinely deployed in
the Pacific Northwest, the North Atlantic, and, most recently,
the Great Lakes. The ESP acts as both an early warning system
for harmful algal blooms and a critical data source for inputs
into predictive models and operational forecasts.
McLane has continued innovation on the ESP platform, with
direct support from NOAA's PCMHAB competitive research program.
McLane has also made significant investments in exploring these
new technologies, and we would like to thank our partners for
their enduring support and capacity for innovation.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee. I
hope that my testimony has been helpful in highlighting a
couple of these tools available for harmful algal bloom
detection and monitoring developed in cooperation with our
partners and research teams. I welcome any questions that you
or other members may have. And that concludes my testimony.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Engstrom follows:]
Prepared Statement of Ivory B. Engstrom, Director of Special Projects,
McLane Research Labs, Inc.
Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee. Thank you for the
opportunity to introduce myself: Ivory Engstrom, Director of Special
Projects for McLane Research Laboratories (MRL), Inc. As Director of
Special Projects for MRL, my job is to identify and commercialize
promising technologies for wider use in the oceanographic and
environmental monitoring communities, as well as to work with
researchers and developers to enhance existing technologies and enable
broad deployment of innovative sensing systems. While some of our
traditional product line of samplers have already been used to collect
and enumerate Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) species,\1\ this testimony will
focus on a couple of the newer biological sensing instruments that we
manufacture for the identification and detection of HAB species and
their toxins. I will also highlight some of the research that our users
are performing with these new biosensors.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Pilskaln, C.H., Anderson, D.M., McGillicuddy, D.J., Keafer,
B.A., Hayashi, K., Norton, K. Spatial and Temporal Variability of
Alexandrium cyst fluxes in the Gulf of Maine: Relationship to seasonal
particle export and resuspension. Deep-Sea Research II, Vol. 103, 2014
(40-54)
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McLane Research Labs, Inc., East Falmouth, Massachusetts, was
founded in 1983 to provide advanced time-series samplers and
engineering design services to the international oceanographic
community. MRL's product lines include a range of biogeochemical and
physical oceanography sampling and profiling instruments for use in
oceanographic research and environmental monitoring. MRL has grown
steadily over its 35-year lifetime, and much of our growth can be
attributed to the addition of new cutting-edge sensors and monitoring
tools.
Imaging FlowCytobot
Of particular relevance to this hearing are two of our
technologies, both developed at outside institutions and licensed to
MRL though the technology transfer process. The first technology is an
instrument called the Imaging FlowCytobot, or IFCB. Developed at the
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), Woods Hole, Massachusetts,
by Dr. Heidi Sosik and Dr. Robert Olson,\2\ the IFCB is designed to
operate continually, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The IFCB is
essentially an automated, underwater microscope and flow-cytometer with
a laser-based, phytoplankton detection system. The instrument acquires
images of cells in the water that are available for remote retrieval.
Electronically transmitted to shore, these data are processed by
performing automatic image recognition and quantification of
microorganisms in the water, similar to the facial-recognition
technology used in airports. Typically, these data are publicly
available via the Internet using a WHOI-developed software package
called the ``IFCB Dashboard.'' Provision of immediate access to high-
resolution information is critical when assessing the dynamic nature of
HAB events.
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\2\ Olson, R.J., Sosik, H.M. A submersible imaging-in-flow
instrument to analyze nano-and microplankton: Imaging FlowCytobot.
Limnol. Oceanogr.: Methods 5, 2007 (195-203)
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Figure 1: Imaging FlowCytobot
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Figure 2: IFCB Dashboard Mosaic
The IFCB was originally designed to study general phytoplankton
(algal) ecology, but it has quickly established itself as an effective
HAB monitoring tool. Because the IFCB detects and counts individual
cells, it has the capacity to discover HAB species in low
concentrations and enables researchers and resource managers to make
informed decisions quickly based on the existing organisms in the
water. Many HAB species can be identified by the imagery, although the
toxicity of individual cells may be unknown, as there are toxic and
non-toxic strains of some species. In general, the IFCB provides the
early warning necessary for resource managers to implement management
actions to quantify HABs and their associated toxins. As HAB toxins
often accumulate in shellfish, the possible impacts on aquaculture
production and seafood safety are serious and significant.
As an example of the manner in which this technology can assist the
aquaculture industry, in the summer of 2017, MRL partnered with a local
aquaculture farm, Ward Aquafarms, to perform a pilot study of the IFCB
technology. The species of interest in this case was the dinoflagellate
Cochlodinium polykrikoides, which causes larval and juvenile shellfish
mortality. Upon deployment of the sensor on July 28, 2017, C.
polykrikoides was instantly detected in the water. Dr. Daniel Ward, the
owner of the aquafarm, was immediately notified by the MRL project team
who were monitoring the IFCB dashboard and, as a result, juvenile
shellfish in the affected nursery area were moved to an alternate grow
site where the concentration of the HAB species was much lower.
According to Dr. Ward, ``I checked the IFCB, and sure enough, there was
C. polykrikoides at high densities, so we moved all of our seed oysters
out into deeper water to get away from the bloom. If the IFCB wasn't
deployed, I most likely wouldn't have known the bloom started, and most
of the seed oysters in the nursery would have died.'' \3\ This pilot
study confirmed that deployment of autonomous, in situ sensors such as
IFCB can have significant benefits for aquaculture production and
protection of valuable domestic sources of seafood. We look forward to
continuing our IFCB testing in aquaculture applications and to the
prospect of automating mitigation strategies at the grow site based on
IFCB data interpretation.
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\3\ McLane Research Labs, ``Imaging FlowCytobot Guides Operational
Response for Aquaculture Farm'' Environment Coastal & Offshore.
September 2017: 48-51. Print
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The IFCB has been in development at WHOI for over 10 years, and, in
that time, WHOI partners and early adopters have demonstrated the value
of this sensor in shellfish management. Dr. Lisa Campbell of Texas A&M
University, College Station, Texas, has been a user of the technology
from its earliest incarnation, even before MRL's acquisition of the
technology in 2012. Dr. Campbell has set up a monitoring system in Port
Aransas, Texas, using IFCB from September 2007 through August 2017. In
early February 2008, manual inspection of collected IFCB images
revealed that, unexpectedly, the water contained cells of the toxin-
producing dinoflagellate Dinophysis. Continuous monitoring by IFCB
showed the formation of a Dinophysis bloom and its subsequent
termination. Manual sampling of surface water near the intake of the
IFCB was performed, confirming the presence of Dinophysis. These
observations led to the first-ever closure and recall of oyster
harvests due to Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP) in the United
States. This closure and recall occurred shortly before the Rockport
Oysterfest event in the Port Aransas region, an event typically
attended by up to 30,000 people. Many people were prevented from
consuming contaminated shellfish and thus avoided potentially serious
health consequences.\4\
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\4\ Campbell, L., Olson R.J., Sosik, H.M., Abraham, A., Henrichs,
D.W., Hyatt, C.J., Buskey, E.J. First Harmful Dinophysis (Dinophyceae,
Dinohysiales) Bloom In The U.S. Is Revealed By Automated Imaging Flow
Cytometry. Journal of Phycology. Vol. 46, Issue 1, 2010 (66-75)
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Since its commercialization in 2013, MRL has manufactured over 30
IFCB instruments that are in use on the East, West, and Gulf Coasts of
the United States as well as in Japan, Finland, and Chile. Other orders
are expected from Hong Kong, Singapore, Germany, and Sweden.
Environmental Sample Processor
The second MRL technology relevant to this hearing is the
Environmental Sample Processor, or ESP.\5\ It was developed at the
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in Moss Landing,
California, by Dr. Chris Scholin and his team at MBARI. This
instrument--often called a ``Microbiology Lab in a Can''--is about the
size of a 55-gallon drum, and may be deployed in the water to collect
microorganisms and perform genetic testing on the sample to determine
whether certain species of interest are present and at what
concentration. Not only is this instrument able to detect certain
species in the water, it is also able to detect HAB toxins directly.
Traditional methods of toxin detection have relied on testing shellfish
tissue and do not necessarily characterize the actual amount of toxin
in the water.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ Greenfield, D.I., Marin III, R., Jensen, S., Massion, E.,
Roman, B., Feldman, J., Scholin, C.A. Application of environmental
sample processor (ESP) methodology for quantifying Pseudo-nitzschia
australis using ribosomal RNA-targeted probes in sandwich and
fluorescent in situ hybridization formats. Limnol. Oceanogr.: Methods
4, 2006 (426-435)
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
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Figure 3: Enviromental Sample Processor
This biosensor is an extremely powerful tool providing information
that would otherwise be difficult to obtain with traditional
techniques. Typically, a water sample would need to be collected onsite
using a small boat or research vessel, and then be brought back to the
lab for analysis. The delay associated with traditional sampling
methods means that stakeholders are less equipped to make informed
decisions in a timely manner, and weekly manual sampling may miss
important trends or spikes in toxins or associated species.
ESPs are routinely deployed in the Pacific Northwest,\6\ the North
Atlantic, and, most recently, the Great Lakes.\7\ The ESP acts as both
an early-warning system for HABs and a critical data source for inputs
into predictive models. With more deployments occurring each year, HAB
population models are being refined based on ESP data and observations
from other marine sensors. These data are not only valuable to
scientists and the public, but also to aquaculture stakeholders. Having
the ability to detect harmful species at low concentrations before they
become a problem can enable managers to implement countermeasures
quickly, mitigating the harmful effects of HAB species on their stocks.
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\6\ PSEMP Marine Waters Workgroup. 2014. Puget Sound marine waters:
2013 overview. S. K. Moore, K. Stark, J. Bos, P. Williams, J. Newton
and K. Dzinbal (Eds). URL: http://www.psp.wa.gov/downloads/psemp/
PSmarinewaters_2013_overview.pdf
\7\ Mikulski, C., Ritzenthaler, A., Ruberg, S., Davis, T.,
Doucette, G. Development of an Immunoassay for Autonomous, Subsurface
Detection of Particulate Microcystins in Lake Erie. USHAB 2015 Poster
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MRL development of ESP is ongoing and has enjoyed significant
Federal support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration's Prevention, Control and Mitigation of Harmful Algal
Blooms (PCMHAB) program.\8\ We were awarded a research grant to make
improvements to the ESP system and to increase the sample carrying
capacity of the instrument. As a result, the ESP received numerous
mechanical and electrical improvements as well as a 50 percent increase
in the number of available samples. In the spring of 2018, an initial
test of the new and improved ESP was performed in collaboration with
WHOI, under the leadership of Dr. Don Anderson (WHOI) and Dr. Mike
Brosnahan (WHOI). The ESP was deployed alongside an Imaging FlowCytobot
in a known HAB hotspot on Cape Cod.\9\ In this particular case, we were
monitoring for the presence of Alexandrium catenella, a toxic
dinoflagellate. The study site was chosen within the Cape Cod National
Seashore in anticipation of a recurring annual bloom that had
previously been observed and was expected to form again in 2018. There
were a number of technical challenges to overcome, but ultimately
Alexandrium catenella were observed and detected by ESP in reasonable
numbers and in general agreement with IFCB observations. In this case,
only species detection was performed, but MRL continues to work on
qualifying hardware and chemistry changes for toxin detection.
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\8\ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National
Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Prevention, Control and Mitigation
of Harmful Algal Blooms (PCMHAB) Award no. NA11NOS4780022.
Environmental Sample Processor (ESP) Development: Targeting Cost
Reductions, Robustness and an Improved User Interface.
\9\ Richlen, M.L., Erdner, D.L., McCauley, L.A.R., Libera, K.,
Anderson, D.M. Extensive genetic diversity and rapid population
differentiation during blooms of Alexandrium fundyense (Dinophyceae) in
an isolated salt pond on Cape Cod, MA, USA. Ecology and Evolution, Vol.
2, Issue 10, 2012 (2583-2594)
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Figure 4: Preliminary Results from ESP/IFCB Study, (M. Brosnahan &
T. Fougere, unpublished)
Collaborative Development
Much of MRL's success is owed to our customers, who we view as
partners. Our partners are the research scientists and technicians out
in the field deploying these sensors and identifying the challenges
associated with implementing such technologies and supporting
information systems. We maintain very close relationships with our
development partners as we continue to industrialize their designs and
support them in creating new functionality, new detection protocols,
and improved methods for data processing and visualization. In this
way, our partnerships are highly collaborative. In the process of
developing updates to hardware, software, and chemistry, we work
together with the original developers to ensure that they are able to
continue innovating on the platforms that MRL manufactures.
Indeed, it bears reiterating that the pioneering research is being
done by our customers. We view our role as that of supporting our
partners and providing high-quality instruments for their cutting-edge
research. Our core expertise is in technology transfer and
identification of new, innovative tools that may be beneficial to the
research and monitoring communities. Against this background, we rely
on the expertise of our partners and collaborators to guide our efforts
and, ultimately, to provide an evidence-based strategic model that
others may adopt.
Investment in HAB Sensing Technology
There is a budding industry in development of tools for HAB
monitoring. However, to my knowledge, there are currently few
commercial offerings capable of providing near real-time biological
data on HABs autonomously from remote locations. Experts such as Dr.
Don Anderson of WHOI will attest that marine HABs appear to be
increasing in severity and frequency, affecting nearly all coastal
states. Additionally, all 50 states experience freshwater HAB events in
one form or another. As these threats are increasing, there is a clear
need for innovative instrumentation that provides valuable information
for understanding, modeling, predicting, and finally mitigating the
effects of HAB events.
HABs are a growing threat to our economy and our well-being, and as
such, MRL has made significant investments in commercializing promising
technologies for use as HAB early-warning systems. Bringing new
technologies to market presents a number of challenges, both financial
and technical. Initial costs are incurred not only during the
technology transfer process itself, but also--and significantly--when
launching a new product. The manufacture and support of these new
products require increased resources, causing MRL to add new personnel
and new capabilities. New products require documentation for assembly,
testing, and user operation. Specialized equipment or expanded
facilities may be required to manufacture these instruments. Production
models must also be extensively tested before a product launch is
enacted. In addition to jobs created at MRL, we are proud to employ
other local companies in various supporting fields such as welding,
machining, optics, electronics, and biotechnology.
We are only one of the many small businesses critical to supporting
the research community. Other businesses are making similar investments
in HAB monitoring and testing tools. Either by acquiring technology
from independent labs or by developing instruments in-house, these
businesses are important components of the ``Blue Economy.'' MRL has
been fortunate to build on the past successes of and investments in
American ingenuity through our work in bringing technologies out of the
lab and into the hands of new users.
Recommendations
Development of the biosensors described above would not have been
possible without the support of government funding and private
philanthropic contributions. It is my sincere hope that HAB-related
funding will continue to be a priority. Competitive research programs
such as NOAA's PCMHAB program, among others, offer a unique opportunity
to push the limits of the current state of technology, and MRL is
excited to continue our support of and involvement in various proposals
and projects.
The deployment of new sensors and technology will create needs for
supporting infrastructure and personnel to handle data products,
interpret these products, and create notification systems to inform
managers, stakeholders, and the public of potential HAB events. Not
only are new information systems needed, but also deploying sensors on
a large scale requires technicians, engineers, and scientists to
service and maintain these sensors and information networks. New jobs
will be created to address these demands, requiring skilled workers in
varying disciplines.
The costs of maintaining a comprehensive network of sensors may be
significant. However, in my view, the benefits far outweigh the costs.
Consuming tainted seafood can result in serious human illness or death,
leading to lost wages, lost workdays, and significant costs for medical
treatment and ex post investigation.\10\ HABs are not only toxic to
humans, but also to other marine mammals, finfish, birds, dolphins,
manatees, and sea turtles.\11\ This has serious implications for
recreation and tourism; recreational and commercial fishing;
aquaculture production; and seafood safety. If the U.S. is to boost its
domestic aquaculture output while maintaining the highest standards of
seafood safety, we must consider how these tools can assist in
enhancing protection efforts and HAB mitigation.
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\10\ Hoagland, P., Anderson, D.M., Kaoru, Y., White, A.W. The
Economic Effects of Harmful Algal Blooms in the United States:
Estimates, Assessment Issues, and Information Needs. Estuaries, Vol.
25, No. 4b, 2002 (819-837)
\11\ Corcoran, A., Dornback, M., Kirkpatrick, B., Jochens, A. A
Primer on Gulf of Mexico Harmful Algal Blooms. October 2013. URL:
http://gcoos.tamu.edu/documents/HabPrimer-10162
013.pdf
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Summary
In conclusion, there are various types of tools available to
stakeholders for monitoring HAB species and bloom dynamics. In
particular, both the ESP and the IFCB have a proven track record of
success. The IFCB has demonstrated its value in our study at Ward
Aquafarms, in Dr. Campbell's monitoring efforts on the Texas Gulf
Coast, and in many other deployments and studies not mentioned in this
testimony. The ESP continues to be used in the Great Lakes and on the
East and West coasts, and is simultaneously undergoing further
development and optimization at MRL and with our scientific partners.
MRL has made significant investments in exploring these new
technologies, and we would like to thank our partners for their
enduring support and capacity for innovation.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee. It has
been a pleasure to introduce MRL and some of our technologies. I hope
that my testimony has been helpful in shining a light on just a couple
of the tools available for HAB detection and monitoring, developed in
cooperation with research teams in their studies of HABs. I welcome any
questions that you or other members of the Subcommittee may have.
Senator Sullivan. Great, thank you, Mr. Engstrom.
Mr. Stubbs.
STATEMENT OF BRYAN STUBBS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CLEVELAND WATER
ALLIANCE
Mr. Stubbs. Good afternoon, and thank you. I'm Bryan
Stubbs, Executive Director of the Cleveland Water Alliance. We
are a water-innovation Blue Economy economic-development
cluster consisting of a coordinated group of industry,
academic, research, water utility, and government partners. We
leverage our region's assets and resources to create a water
innovation ecosystem that harnesses technologies, spurs the
economy, and drives the research.
Much of our work centers on the challenges presented by
harmful algal blooms, or HABs. HABs and nutrient pollution in
the Great Lakes region presents a significant and complex
challenge that is directly impacting human, economic, societal,
and environmental health. In particular, the western and
central basins of Lake Erie, which includes source drinking
water for millions of our citizens while driving billions in
water-enabled industrial economic output, are impacted by
annual outbreaks of toxic algal blooms. In recent years, these
blooms involving a cyanotoxin called microcystin have led to
several temporary ``Do Not Drink'' warnings around the western
Lake Erie Basin. If left unchecked, the economic impact of HABs
on Ohio's Lake Erie Basin system drinking water utilities will
be in excess of $2.5 billion over the next two decades.
To begin to overcome this challenge, the Cleveland Water
Alliance, together with support from regional partners in Ohio
and Michigan, is spearheading a technical approach to
addressing HABs by making the Great Lakes ``smart,'' starting
with Lake Erie. A ``smart lake'' is instrumented with digital
and physical sensing infrastructure that transforms diverse
data streams into usable tools to enable more effective
management actions impacting the open waters of the Great Lakes
up through the watershed. We have launched a series of
innovation challenge to the--to support this effort.
In October 2017, we began work on a three-year project and
partner with the Great Lakes Observing System, funded by the
Integrated Ocean Observation System, or IOOS, a NOAA program,
to facilitate technology transition of a Lake Erie harmful
algal bloom early warning system from a prototype deployed
rapidly beginning in 2014 on the heels of the Toledo water
crisis to a sustainable long-term program with stable funding
and supported system operations and maintenance. This project
includes numerous buoys and land-based sensors, including
NOAA's ESP, or Environmental Sample Processor, for tracking the
levels of dangerous toxins produced by cyanobacteria that bloom
each year, along with specialized software, Web data products,
digital portals, and market-based solutions. The project works
with more than two dozen drinking-water utilities and is driven
to create a model to cost-effectively drive near-realtime
feedback on harmful algal blooms, including leveraging data to
provide predictive analytics for more effective and efficient
utility operations. This project also ties into NOAA's hypoxia
warning system.
In March of this year, in partnership with research and
private-sector partners, we submitted a $3 million proposal to
the National Science Foundation, entitled ``Smart and Connected
Infrastructure Nutrient Management Pilot,'' submitted through
the Smart and Connected Communities Program. The goal of the
smart-lake pilot is to leverage the urgency to address nutrient
loading, non-point-source nutrient loading, harmful algal
blooms, and watershed management actions by building a scale of
Lake Erie's first demonstration ``Smart Lake,'' a new breed of
Smart and Connected Infrastructure that enables intelligent
community water management. The proposal includes, one,
distributed sensors, satellite spectrometry, unmanned vehicles,
realtime telemetry, and advanced algorithms to understand
water-quality dynamics as it relates to nutrient loading and
provide realtime feedback for policy and management actions on
land; two, to leverage Smart and Connected Infrastructure to
identify hotspots, enable effective prioritization of future
projects, and allow realtime responses to events; and three,
develop user-facing Smart and Connected products to inform and
empower the actions of institutional users and the general
public.
In conclusion, solutions to this country's growing water
challenges lie, in part, with the development and adoption of
new tools, technologies, and approaches, yet investment in
water innovation, as compared to other sectors, is extremely
low. Well-managed, collaborative, and directed innovation has a
key role to play in addressing HABs and the HABs challenge. In
addition to dedicated technology-driven funding, priority
solutions should include IoT-based technology, new sensor
development--in particular, new and cost-effective
electrochemical phosphorous and microcystin sensors--advanced
networking solutions, ``Data as a Service'' market-driven
solutions, along with appropriate use of data and data
analytics, all leading to realtime feedback loop systems for
nutrient management actions along with creating tools that will
serve to educate informed citizens and policymakers. A
dedicated, organized, and funding effort will improve outcomes,
will reduce cost, will drive collaborative investment from the
private sector, will accelerate economic development and will
transform data into insight. As we like to say, ``Data is water
infrastructure.''
I appreciate this time, Mr. Chairman and the Subcommittee,
and am happy to answer any questions.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Stubbs follows:]
Prepared Statement of Bryan Stubbs, Executive Director,
Cleveland Water Alliance
Good afternoon and thank you Mr. Chairman for holding today's
hearing regarding Harmful Algal Blooms. I'm Bryan Stubbs, Executive
Director of the Cleveland Water Alliance. We are a water innovation
economic development cluster consisting of a coordinated group of
industry, academic, research, water utility and government partners. We
leverage our region's assets and resources to create a water innovation
ecosystem that harnesses technology, spurs the economy and drives
research.
Much of our work centers on the challenges presented by harmful
algal blooms, or HABs. HABs and nutrient pollution in the Great Lakes
region presents a significant and complex challenge that is directly
impacting human, economic, societal, and environmental health. In
particular the western and central basins of Lake Erie, which include
source drinking water for millions of our citizens while driving
billions in water enabled industrial economic output, are impacted by
annual outbreaks of toxic algal blooms. In recent years, toxic algae
blooms involving a cyanotoxin called microcystin have led to several
temporary ``do-not-drink'' warnings around the western Lake Erie basin.
If left unchecked, the economic impact of HABs on Ohio's Lake Erie
businesses and drinking water utilities alone will be in excess of
$2.5b over the next two decades.
To begin to overcome this challenge the Cleveland Water Alliance,
together with support from regional partners in Ohio and Michigan, is
spearheading a technical approach to addressing HABs by making the
Great Lakes Smart, starting with Lake Erie. A Smart lake is
instrumented with digital and physical sensing infrastructure that
transforms diverse data streams into usable tools to enable more
effective management actions impacting the open waters of the Great
Lakes up through the watershed. We have launched a series of initial
innovation challenges to support this including the Internet of
H2O challenge where we deployed five end-to-end solutions
for the monitoring and analyzing of nutrient loading into Lake Erie.
In October of 2017 we begun work on a 3-year project in partnership
with the Great Lakes Observing System, funded by the Integrated Ocean
Observing System (IOOS), a NOAA program, to facilitate technology
transition of the Lake Erie HABs early warning system from a prototype
deployed rapidly beginning in 2014 on the heels of the Toledo water
crisis, to a sustainable long-term program with stable funding and
supported system operations and maintenance. The project includes
numerous buoy and land-based sensors including NOAA's Environmental
Sample Processor (ESP) for tracking the levels of dangerous toxins
produced by cyanobacteria that bloom each year, along with specialized
software, web data products, digital portals and market-based
solutions. The project works with more than two dozen drinking water
utilities and a dozen soil and water conservation districts, and is
driven to create a model to cost effectively drive near real-time
feedback on harmful algal blooms including leveraging data to provide
predictive analytics for more effective and efficient utility
operations. This project ties into the related work of NOAA's Hypoxia
Warning System.
In March of this year, in partnership with Ohio State University's
Ohio Sea Grant program, Case Western Reserve University, along with
other research institutions plus industry partners, the Cleveland Water
Alliance submitted a $3m proposal to the National Science Foundation
(NSF) entitled `Smart and Connected Infrastructure Nutrient Mitigation
pilot' for the Sandusky Bay and Sandusky River Watershed. Submitted
through the Smart and Connected Communities program, the goal of this
Smart Lake pilot proposal is to leverage the urgency to address
nutrient loading, non-point source nutrient loading, harmful algal
blooms, and watershed management actions by building at scale Lake
Erie's first demonstration ``Smart Lake,'' a new breed of Smart &
Connected Infrastructure (S&CI) that enables intelligent community
water management. The proposal includes (1) distributed sensors,
satellite spectrometry, unmanned vehicles (UAF/USV/UUV), real-time
telemetry, and advanced algorithms, to understand water quality
dynamics as it relates to nutrient loading and provide real time
feedback for policy and management actions, (2) Leverage S&CI to
identify hotspots, enable effective prioritization of future projects,
and allow real time responses to events, and (3) Develop user-facing
Smart and Connected Products (S&CP) to inform and empower the actions
of institutional users and the general public.
In conclusion, solutions to the country's growing water challenges
lie, in part, with the development and adoption of new tools,
technologies and approaches. Yet investment in water innovation as
compared to other sectors including the electric power utility sector
is extremely low. Well managed, collaborative and directed innovation,
spread out to key regional HAB hotspots such as Ohio and Florida, has a
key role to play in addressing the harmful algal bloom challenge. In
addition to dedicated technology driven funding, priority solutions
should include IoT based technology, new sensor development (in
particular new and cost-effective electro/chemical phosphorous and
microcystin sensors), advance networking solutions, Data as a Service
market driven solutions, along with appropriate use of data and data
analytics. . .all leading to a real-time feedback loop systems for
nutrient management actions, along with creating tools that will serve
to educate and inform citizens and policy makers. A dedicated,
organized and funded effort will:
1. Improve Outcomes and Reduce Cost--Innovation leverages the
cutting-edge. The commercial and research-driven technologies
activated by this investment will improve outcomes at lower
costs. Enabling the inception, development, and implementation
of these new tools will ultimately bring greater value and
return on investment than an exclusive focus on maintaining or
bolstering traditional and localized practices;
2. Drive Collaborative Investment--Innovation activates ecosystems.
The excitement and opportunity created by new solutions attract
private sector and research partners looking to get in on the
ground floor and constituents looking to improve intractable
issues. Investments to water innovation will create a situation
where companies, institutions, and organizations can easily
share ideas and solutions. In this way, promising innovations
can serve as platforms that enable the construction of diverse
coalitions of companies, institutions, and residents with the
capacity to effect real change;
3. Accelerate Economic Development--Innovation begets
commercialization. Connections formed through collaborative
investment will lead to substantive working partnerships
between businesses, researchers, and regulators. These nodes of
collaboration are perfectly positioned to match developing
technologies with regulatory support, test beds for pilot
studies, and anchor clients as means to facilitate transfer to
the market. Additionally, a commitment to clean water improves
gross regional product and water innovation will help us better
tie environmental health into economic health and societal
benefit; and,
4. Transform Data into Insight--Innovation relies on information.
Without data to analyze and optimize risks and outcomes,
investments in water solutions lack intelligence. It is time
that we start to understand that data IS water infrastructure
and needs to see the same investments as our pipes and pumps.
Today, much of our water is not used into giving us insight
into long term health and opportunities. Further, rarely is
that data tied into broader big data analytics and trends that
speak to broader impacts. Investment in a robust data
infrastructure for our Great Lakes will help address these
challenges by enabling intelligent investment targeting and
improved evaluation of investment performance. Tying these
insights into broader impacts will lead to additionally lead to
improved articulation of Great Lakes investments and better
allow policy makers to justify past and future outlays.
I thank you for this opportunity and am happy to answer any
questions.
Senator Sullivan. Great, thank you, Mr. Stubbs.
Mr. Neu.
STATEMENT OF PATRICK NEU, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL
PROFESSIONAL ANGLERS ASSOCIATION
Mr. Neu. Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member
Senator Baldwin, and other members of the Subcommittee. Thank
you for the opportunity to testify today.
As a lifelong resident of Wisconsin, and now a part-time
resident of southwest Florida, I have been exposed to algae
blooms my entire life. For nearly 50 years, I've made my living
in the outdoor industry, and was recently inducted into the
National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. I'm Executive
Director of a group of anglers called the National Professional
Anglers Association, and President and founder of the Future
Angler Foundation.
Why have I followed this path? Because I have a passion for
the outdoors. Angling and the outdoors dominate my life and the
life of many others in the State of Wisconsin. I believe that,
of the 49 million anglers in this country, passion and concern
surrounding the future of our sport run rampant. I'm here today
to share my concerns.
Firsthand knowledge. Yesterday, as I was putting together
this oral statement, we had a heavy rainfall, four and a half
inches in an hour. I knew, as I sat there, that that rain was
going to end up in the Bay of Green Bay and in Lake Michigan,
and have a detrimental effect on the HABs in the future.
Growing up in Madison, it was--there's a chain of lakes there.
Lake Mendota, Lake Monona were lakes that I often frequented
when I was growing up. They were affected by algae blooms even
at the time I was a young child.
Recently, my wife, Sarah, and I went and fished on Lake
Winnebago during a walleye tournament during the first week of
July. It was not a pleasant experience. We had to go to find
areas to fish where we could actually fish and not have an
issue with the algae that was running rampant. My wife turned
to me, when we got done with that tournament, and said, ``We
are not going to come back here in 30 days for the championship
that we did qualify for.'' What's even more scary is, 35 of the
90 teams that qualified to fish that event chose not to fish,
as well, because of the algae bloom.
Algae blooms are naturally occurring. The Bay of Green Bay
was named Green Bay because there was an algae bloom when the
explorers found it at the--in the 1800s. But, warmer
temperatures, record rainfall have contributed to the worst
algae blooms in recent memory. Algae blooms that, in Florida
have likely contributed to this year's red tide event. I am not
a scientist. I am not here to testify as such. But, common
sense dictates that the increased nutrients in aquatic--in our
aquatic ecosystems are contributing to these algae blooms.
Algae blooms affect how we fish and where we fish. They
affect anglers, boaters, sports participants, like water
skiers, swimmers, and others. These blooms cause economic loss
to the communities that surround the bodies of water that have
the blooms. Algal blooms cause health issues, including
respiratory distress and infections. In Florida, the
Caloosahatchee, the St. Lucie, with discharges from Lake
Okeechobee and their blue-green algal blooms, have most likely
contributed to this red tide event that's going on, that's so
talked about.
Nationally, what's at risk? In my opinion, a percentage of
the $125 billion that angling and boating contribute to our
national economy.
In conclusion, I feel that algae blooms are something that
we all need to get together and figure out a solution to.
They're not new to our public waters. They have occurred
naturally for centuries. But, urban sprawl, commercial farming,
and climate change are causing these outbreaks to be more
severe. Programs like the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
and those directed under the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia
Research and Control Act are critical Federal programs that
advance the scientific understanding of harmful--HABs. I
applaud the Senate for passing S. 1057, the Harmful Algal Bloom
and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendment Act of 2017. And I
hope that the House will quickly pass a similar legislation.
I have a passion for angling, my entire life. It's what I
live to do, and many others. Our outdoor culture in this
country increases our quality of life and makes our country
unique. We all need to do our part to protect our aquatic
resources so that the future generations can utilize them.
It has been an honor to have been asked to testify in
behalf of those who cherish our public waters as much as I do.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Neu follows:]
Prepared Statement of Patrick Neu, Executive Director,
National Professional Anglers Association
Good morning, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Senator Baldwin, Senator
Johnson and Members of the Subcommittee. Thank you for the opportunity
to testify before you today on ``Harmful Algal Blooms and The Impact on
our Nation's Waters.''
As a lifelong Wisconsin resident and now a part time SW Florida
resident I have been exposed to algae blooms my entire life. With a
passion for angling that began very early in my life, I spent countless
hours on the Madison chain of lakes while growing up in Madison,
Wisconsin in the 60s and 70s. During those years I had first had
experience with the effects algae blooms had on those lakes.
Now 50 years later after having made my living in the outdoor
industry and having been recently inducted into the National Freshwater
Fishing Hall of Fame, I am more passionate than ever for the outdoors
and for sportfishing. I am currently serving as Executive Director of
the National Professional Anglers Association (NPAA), a 1200 member
association comprised of anglers who have taken the step from ``Passion
to Profession.'' I am also president of the Future Angler Foundation
(FAF) a non-profit organization that I helped create in 2012 to support
volunteerism among anglers who are willing to share their passion and
knowledge about angling through education and outreach to help grow the
sport they love.
Angling and the outdoors have dominated my life and I believe that
the nearly 49 million anglers in this country share my concerns
surrounding the future of our sport. I am here today to help convey to
you the importance that clean waters and healthy aquatic ecosystems
play in the utilization of the plentiful aquatic resources we have in
this country by anglers, boaters, and others who share my passion for
the outdoors.
First Hand Knowledge
This hearing on harmful algal blooms is timely considering the
awareness that has been brought to these blooms this year across the
country. Algae blooms have occurred naturally for centuries, however,
through nutrient loading of our waters, humans have caused these blooms
to intensify to a level where they are now negatively affecting
utilization of our public waters. Warmer than normal temperatures this
year and record rainfall in many areas have contributed to some of the
worst algal blooms we have experienced in years, including the blooms
that have occurred in Florida that have helped to feed the deadly ``Red
Tide'' and blue-green algae outbreaks.
I am not a scientist and I am not here to testify as such. I will
leave explanation of the causes of these algal blooms to those who are
the experts on them, but I do understand that these harmful outbreaks
are related to increased nutrients in the aquatic ecosystem. That said,
I fear that these blooms are having a negative effect on the
utilization of the resource by anglers, boaters, and others who utilize
our public waters.
I have seen it firsthand this year as my wife and I fished a
tournament event on Lake Winnebago, a large basin lake in central
Wisconsin, where during the first week of July an algae bloom on the
lake was so bad that it forced us and other anglers to search out areas
of the lake where the algae wasn't present in order to fish
effectively. Even more concerning we did such so as not to have the
fumes emanating from the algae mats negatively affect our respiratory
system. The experience we had on Lake Winnebago that week prompted us
to cancel our plans to fish the lake again in early August for the
championship event for the tournament series. This tournament series
lost not only our entry, but also approximately 35 other teams out of
the 90 teams that qualified to fish the event.
In preparing to testify today I also reached out to numerous
friends and NPAA members to get their input on the severity of the
algae blooms this year. The prevailing answer was this has been the
worst year they have seen in years for algae blooms. Additional
research found articles about the algal bloom issues this year. The
images attached to the end of this testimony are an example of what the
communities in Wisconsin are dealing with when an algae bloom occurs.
What are the Consequences?
Harmful algal blooms, whether in Wisconsin, Florida, or many other
parts of the country that are experiencing this phenomenon, have
consequences to the communities surrounding the bodies of water where
the blooms occur.
From an angler's perspective, algae blooms affect the way anglers
fish and where they chose to fish. This becomes evident when you talk
to anglers about targeting fish during these blooms. The blooms are not
always detrimental to anglers or the fishing, in fact sometimes they
help us target certain species that position themselves to feed on the
minnows and other small fish that feed on the invertebrates that feed
on the algae. But, given the choice anglers would definitely prefer not
to deal with the smell, buildup of algae on their lines and boats, or
the bug hatches that occur around the mats of this floating algae mess.
Algal blooms are of such concern to anglers that In-Fisherman, one
of the leading publications on angling ``how to'' and angling
knowledge, has written articles on how to catch fish during these
blooms (http://www.in-fisherman.com/walleye/walleye-fishing-during-
algae-blooms/) and have written articles about the concerns they have
for the future of the resource as a result of these blooms (http://
www.in-fisherman.com/midwest-finesse/algae-bloom-woes-and-more/).
Boaters and swimmers have learned to avoid the lakes during these
blooms. In some cases swimming or participating in water sports like
water skiing in these waters can be hazardous to your health and that
of your pets if they are exposed. Signs are often posted at boat
landings warning of the health issues that can occur during these
blooms.
From an economic standpoint, communities affected by algal blooms
are at risk of losing signifigant revenue when local residents and
tourists choose not to utilize the waters for recreation. Hotels,
motels, restaurants, fishing guides, sport/bait shops, marine dealers,
and marina's all experience a loss of business during these algal bloom
outbreaks.
This loss of resource utilization revenue occurs in all states and
this year it has been in the news frequently with the outbreak of ``Red
Tide'' on Florida's Southwest coastline, as well as the disastrous
blue-green algae outbreaks that result from Lake Okeechobee discharges
into the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers. In the short-term, these
outbreaks have caused significant losses in tourism, especially those
related to cancelled recreational fishing trips, as well as massive
fish kills. The long-term impacts of this year's algal bloom outbreak
are yet to be seen, but common sense dictates it will affect tourism in
the state in the coming months and beyond. Fishing guides in the
affected area will certainly lose business due to the extensive media
coverage of the fish kills that have occurred during this recent
outbreak.
To my knowledge there hasn't been a study done on what the total
economic impact is as a result of these algal blooms in the U.S.
Sportfishing alone adds $125 billion dollars to our economy each year
on a national basis. [ML1] The potential loss to our economy due to
harmful algal blooms is likely a staggering number.
Conclusion
As I have testified, algae blooms are not new to our public waters.
They have occurred naturally for centuries, but urban sprawl,
commercial farming, and our changing climate are causing these
outbreaks to be more severe. Programs like the Great Lakes Restoration
Initiative and those directed under the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia
Research and Control Act are critical Federal programs that advance the
scientific understanding and ability to detect, monitor, assess, and
predict harmful algal blooms. I applaud the Senate for passing S.
1057--the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control
Amendments Act of 2017--and hope the House will quickly pass similar
legislation before the current authorization expires so that the very
important work conducted under this program can continue.
The United States has vast aquatic resources that we need to
protect for future generations of anglers, boaters and outdoor
recreational users. I have spent a considerable amount of my time, both
personally and professionally, in trying to bring new anglers,
especially youth, into the sport of fishing so that they can develop
the same lifelong appreciation for our aquatic resources and dedication
to preserving them. Our outdoor culture in this country increases our
quality of life and helps makes our country unique.
It's an honor to have been asked to testify on behalf of those who
cherish our public waters as much as I do. Thank you for the
opportunity.
______
Attached Images Below
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Photo Courtesy of U.W. Sea Grant-Lake Winnebago in Neenah, WI
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Photo Courtesy of U.W. Sea Grant-Lake Mendota & Monona in Madison,
WI
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Photo Courtesy of the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune
Senator Sullivan. Well, thank you, Mr. Neu.
And I want to thank all the witnesses and panelists here
for your testimony.
We're now going to turn to questions. And let me just get
into, I think, one of the most important ones. And, you know,
Mr. Neu, you mentioned that these are cycles that have been,
really, occurring for centuries. But, as--and this is a
question for all the panelists--but, as we look into increasing
reoccurrences, what are some of the gaps in the scientific
understanding of HABs? And what's your recommendation on how we
address those gaps?
And again, I'll open this up to anyone. Perhaps, Dr.
Anderson, we'll start with you.
Dr. Anderson. Yes, thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The list is long of the gaps, but I will say, we do know
quite a bit about many of these outbreaks around the country.
But, if I choose just a few--and I'll--let's use the example of
Florida. One of the gaps we have there--or there are two that
really come to mind--the first is, What is fueling that bloom?
What is keeping it going so long? How--these are plants. They
require nutrients, just like the plants on your--in your shelf
in--you know, on your windowsill.
Senator Sullivan. And do we have a theory on that? I mean,
what is that? Or is that, like, a gap right now that we really
don't understand?
Dr. Anderson. Well, it's a gap down there, in that region.
If you asked me, in my region of the country, in the Gulf of
Maine, I would say the nutrients that fuel the blooms there--
and it's true in Alaska, too--are entirely natural. Florida is
in a different situation, where it could be natural, it could
be coming from land and from fertilizer. And it takes some very
dedicated and targeted programs to try to tease apart what
nutrients are actually happening there. And so, that's a gap
that needs to be addressed.
But, another one down there is, Why is it--what--why isn't
that bloom ending? Why--what--termination of blooms is a big
gap. We often understand how they start and how they grow, but
how they end remains another mystery.
And now, if I go back up to Alaska, I could say another big
scientific gap is, What is happening as waters warm in certain
areas? And I personally believe that the Arctic is the place
where a lot of the action is happening, in terms of species
extending their ranges, and problems moving. And so, that's
still a hypothesis, but it's a huge gap for us to try to
understand, to be out ahead of those problems before they move
into new areas.
So, those are just two or three of the scientific gaps that
I would suggest now.
Senator Sullivan. Any other witnesses want to talk to that
issue, in terms of scientific gaps or data gaps, in terms of
the understanding of HABs?
Mr. Stubbs. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
For the Great Lakes, and for Lake Erie in particular, a lot
of the research is in. We know what is causing this. And it's
not to say we didn't have blue-green and Lake Erie 200 years
ago. We did. But, at this level, this is--we've never seen
this.
We know it has to do with nutrient-loading. We know that it
has to do with things such as total phosphorous versus, you
know, available reactive phosphorous. We have a lot of those
answers. What we need to do, from a research standpoint, I
view, is kind of two angles. One is more on understanding, on
the sensor side, how we can go up a watershed and better
understand how this is coming off of farm fields. Overuse of
phosphorous, drain tiles. We need to do research in more of the
technology and the innovation side of this, things such as, you
know, ``smart'' drain tiles that might actually have sorbents
built into them to capture phosphorous and/or nitrogen. To me,
that's the missing part, along with just, bluntly, societal,
kind of, you know, human thinking. We have to realize that this
is an all-of-us problem. We all eat. We all need those ag lands
to be productive. But, we need to do it smarter, so we need to
do some research around there.
Thank you.
Senator Sullivan. All right. Anyone else on that issue?
[No response.]
Senator Sullivan. OK, thank you.
Senator Baldwin.
Senator Baldwin. Thank you.
I want to start with you, Mr. Neu. I appreciate your
talking about your experience in the recent fishing tournament
on Lake Winnebago. You are also somebody who runs a nonprofit
trying to bring up the next generation of enthusiastic anglers.
And so, as you work to get that next generation of anglers out
on the water, how are you seeing these harmful algae blooms
impacting your work in that respect?
Mr. Neu. The issue comes up when we're at an event that we
support. So, our members go out, share their passion with young
anglers and with their families. And when we're at an event
that would happen to have had a bloom, it's spoken about
frequently. One of the things that we make sure we do is try to
educate those that attend our Future Angler events on aquatic
invasive species and how they affect the ecosystem. And we--
we'll discuss algae, as well. You know, we're all in this
together. This is something that needs to be addressed. And,
you know, it's critical that we address these harmful algae
blooms, because they will affect utilization of the resource,
and we have this next generation of anglers coming up that we
want to have pleasant experiences on the water. And it's not
going to happen if that--if algae blooms are occurring to the
degree that they have been in the past due to nutrient-loading,
as was mentioned earlier, I'm sure.
Senator Baldwin. Thank you.
Mr. Stubbs, in the Great Lakes, as you know, Lake Erie has
become, in some ways, a poster example, a poster child, of
harmful algal blooms. But, as I mentioned in my opening
statement, we're seeing more and more of them in Lake Michigan
and Lake Superior. I'm concerned for the 35 million people who
depend on the Great Lakes for their source of drinking water,
and for the millions of jobs across the region, and the myriad
ecosystems. So, I'm curious about how you and your
organization, the Cleveland Water Alliance, have been working.
You have been working to help Lake Erie communities. Can
similar solutions be adapted to communities on the other Great
Lakes? And when does that fit, and when is it not a fit?
Mr. Stubbs. I think it's always a fit. And it's----
Senator Baldwin. Sure.
Mr. Stubbs.--our job, in honest, to figure out how to
take--as you put it, Lake Erie is, unfortunately, the poster
child for this within the Great Lakes region. But, out of bad
things, much as out of the Cuyahoga River catching on fire 49
years ago, we have 200 companies in northeast Ohio in the water
space. Similarly, we can do the same thing by really driving
good, innovative solutions.
Right now, we're taking part in a pretty unique program,
through the Great Lakes Protection Fund, that's funding us to
work with all of the community foundations surrounding the
Great Lakes, called Great Lakes One Water. And we made a
recommendation to that group about embracing technology and
innovation as part of the solution. We've gotten it through and
convinced for our Lake Erie Working Group, and it's now going
to the other four Great Lake areas. So, with that, absolutely,
we are moving that forward. Now, it always comes down to
capacity and resources and getting everybody on the same page.
But, organizations such as research organizations like IAGLR,
organizations like the Great Lakes Commission, the Great Lakes
Protection Fund, we've been really pushing them to work more
collaboratively. That's the key thing.
Now, I know, in Milwaukee, we have an excellent
relationship with Dean in the Milwaukee Water Council. We work
with them. We work with the other peer in Chicago, called
Current, another Blue Economy cluster. And that's how we're
going to do it, is by rolling up our sleeves and sharing our
innovations and sharing our collaboration, not putting the egos
first, but putting--you know, Lake Erie is all connected. It's
one water system. It's 20 percent of the world's fresh surface
water.
Senator Baldwin. Yes.
Thanks.
Senator Sullivan. Senator Peters.
STATEMENT OF HON. GARY PETERS,
U.S. SENATOR FROM MICHIGAN
Senator Peters. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member,
for holding this meeting.
Senator Baldwin, you and I share concerns over the Great
Lakes, and we have seen these algal blooms, as you mentioned,
even in Lake Superior. I know there was a large one from
northern Michigan all the way to the Apostle Islands in
Washington, in--or in Wisconsin. And, you know, you normally--
we didn't think that would happen.
As you know, we--Lake Erie is a shallower and warmer body
of water. Lake Superior is a very cold body of water, and
extremely deep, but doesn't seem to--this doesn't seem like the
same types of mechanics are involved there, and yet something
very significant is happening. So, I appreciate the testimony,
of all of yours, as we try to deal with this.
Dr. Anderson, you mentioned your support for the bill,
which I'm proud of--cosponsored with Senator Nelson, that's
passed the Senate and is now before the House. We've been
getting some resistance from House members who have suggested
that the bill may not be needed; in fact, that there are
already too many Federal agencies that are involved in this
research. How would you respond to the--to folks who are making
those critiques?
Dr. Anderson. Well, thank you for this opportunity, because
I totally disagree with that viewpoint.
As one who has been down here many times, talking to
various delegations, talking to government agencies and program
managers, that authorization is very, very important. It--
there's scarce money within NOAA or these other agencies, and
there are a lot of competing hands out, trying to use it. And
having an authorization for this program sends a message to the
people in control of some of those discretionary-type internal
funds, and even competitive funds. And I think that having the
authorization lapse would be a--just a real terrible thing.
We've built up a program that has that backing. You can see
it's getting worse. I mean, the stories we're hearing basically
involve every state in the country. I think we deserve our own
legislation, and not to have it die.
Senator Peters. You also mentioned, in your testimony,
various regions--Florida and Alaska, and particularly the
climate change in Alaska that may be contributing to these
outbreaks. Would the Great Lakes also be in that category?
Dr. Anderson. Well, the--especially, I think, the Great
Lakes and freshwater systems. When we talk about climate change
and HABs, for a lot of us it's still not exactly clear what's
going to happen. I mentioned range expansions. That, I think,
for sure, is--species are going to start moving north, and--
but, there--it's really quite clear that the species that cause
problems in the freshwater systems, these cyanobacteria, are
real winners when it comes to a warming climate. They grow
better than all of their competing species in the water,
whether it's cyanobacteria--other cyanobacteria or other algae.
They--there's a paper out about ``they like it hot.'' You know,
the cyanos like it hot. And it's true. They grow well. So,
given that that's really the problem that the Great Lakes are
going to face, or cyanobacteria, as they warm, then, I think,
yes, you will see them even in the cold and deep Lake Superior.
Senator Peters. Right. That's probably why we're starting
to see that already.
Dr. Anderson. Yes, I think so.
Senator Peters. Early warning----
Dr. Anderson. And that's, I think, why things are happening
up in Alaska, as well, that, as the waters warm there, a lot of
species are moving up. And I just think of all the species that
could move into the region. I don't think any of them are as
big a threat to the indigenous communities and the ecosystems
up there as the HABs.
Senator Peters. The other question I have related to that,
for Mr. Anderson, is that--you mentioned that the spreading of
these HABs can also be as a result of transportation systems.
As you know, we have an issue with ballast water. And when--
there's some legislation before us here. Senator Baldwin and I
have raised--as well as others--have raised many issues related
to ballast water in the Great Lakes. Would you speak to the
danger of not effectively controlling ballast water, and what
that could mean for spreading these toxic organizations even
further?
Dr. Anderson. Certainly. The--there's no question that
ballast is--ballast water discharges are a potential way to
move these species into new areas. We have scientific papers
out there that document this. There's--there are some
strategies that these species have that make them especially
capable of benefiting from that type of a situation. They--so,
a lot of the ones I study, the ones that occur up in Alaska,
have a very resistant stage, called a cyst, that falls to the
sediment most of the year. It's down on the bottom of the
ocean. And then it germinates and starts a bloom. Well, those
cysts can readily be transported all over the world. The--you
know, they--they're resistant, they--they're dormant. And so,
they don't require light, they don't require a lot of things
that--and therefore, a ballast water tank is a great place for
them to just take a--hitch a ride around the world. And then,
when they're discharged, and the conditions are right, away
they go.
So, I--we've always, in our field, been very supportive of
ballast water regulations and technologies to try to make sure
that what's discharged is safe, including killing all the HAB
species there.
Senator Peters. Yes. And, if I may, you talked about
spreading it around the world, but, just within the Great Lakes
basin and the Great Lakes watershed and a number of lakes that
we have, just transporting it from Lake Erie to Lake Superior
can be a significant harm, potentially.
Dr. Anderson. I totally agree. I--I'm sorry, I should have
said that, as well. But, yes, it's certainly within the Great
Lakes system, it's the same as going from one part--one port in
the ocean to another. It's the same exact concern.
Senator Peters. Great.
Thank you.
Senator Sullivan. Well, as Senator Peters knows, we're
working hard on that in the Coast Guard bill, so I think we're
getting close to a compromise on a good bill that reflects that
issue.
Senator Baldwin.
Senator Baldwin. I want to just ask a follow-up. This was
already dealt with in your testimony, to a certain degree. But,
just the tools for predicting HABs. So, I represent a state on
two Great Lakes--Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, Mighty
Mississippi on our west coast, St. Croix River--and then all
these--you know, the biggest lake inland is Lake Winnebago, but
I grew up learning how to swim, Mr. Neu, in Lake Mendota. So,
all in between. And it seems to me that HABs can be very
dynamic, with some appearing to form practically overnight, and
with them shifting rapidly in location because of wind. This
unpredictability might make it difficult for public officials
to issue timely warnings to beach-goers or businesses. So, what
are some of the challenges with predicting, monitoring, and
assessing HABs in the Great Lakes, but also in much smaller
inland waters? And what will it take to improve our HAB
forecasting capabilities? And I present that to anyone on the
panel who wants to jump in.
Starting with----
Mr. Stubbs. I'm happy----
Senator Baldwin.--Mr. Stubbs.
Mr. Stubbs.--to take that one first, since we're working on
a NOAA IOOS-funded program right now. What we're finding as
we're building the infrastructure for our harmful algal bloom
warning system is input. Again, it comes down to sensors. We
need more realtime--and when I say ``realtime,'' also
affordable realtime sensors in the watershed and on the open
waters. It's limited in what we can afford to put out there
right now. So, as an example, McLane's Environmental Sample
Processor, we've got one that we've ordered through the GLERL
lab, the Great Lakes NOAA Research Lab in Ann Arbor, that is
going to take a year just to finish assembling and is over half
a million dollars. We're out there exploring technologies that
will take that down to, potentially, $20,000. As we can drive
down that kind of innovation, we will be able to deploy more of
these and get those inputs.
In same breath, look, we're leveraging private sector. So,
Smart and Connected cities, that sort of intelligence, we're
bringing that into the watershed. So, IBM's Lake George project
is an excellent example, where we've brought in their machine
learning to help us build up those analytics and those
predictive analytics models. And you can't do this in a
research lab. You know, for us, we are in the labs of water
utilities. These water utilities on Lake Erie are just amazing
in how they've had to, basically, bandaid solutions together.
We've got to get them, you know, the realtime monitoring
solutions. No more of a researcher going down, taking a grab
sample, and wondering. We have to get through things like data-
sharing amongst utilities, and encourage that. I think it
starts there. We know how to do this. It's just putting all the
pieces together.
Senator Baldwin. OK.
Senator Sullivan. Well, thank you.
I want to thank all the witnesses for this hearing.
Unfortunately, we have a vote coming up, so we're going to have
to cut it a little bit short.
But, the hearing record will remain open for two weeks.
During this time, Senators may submit additional questions from
our witnesses for the record. Upon receipt, the witnesses are
respectfully requested to submit their written answers to the
Committee as soon as possible.
And I want to thank everybody again for appearing today.
This is a important issue. Hopefully, you're seeing there's a
lot of bipartisan interest, not just on gaining knowledge, but
on the actions we need to take as a Senate.
Oh. Senator Markey. You made it at the buzzer, so I'm----
[Laughter.]
Senator Sullivan. I was this close to tapping. But, given
that I know you care a lot about this issue, the floor is yours
for some additional questions.
STATEMENT OF HON. EDWARD MARKEY,
U.S. SENATOR FROM MASSACHUSETTS
Senator Markey. Thank you.
OK. No, I appreciate it very much. Thank you, Mr. Chairman,
Ranking Member Baldwin. Thank you so much.
And, first, I want to give a warm Bay State welcome to Don
Anderson, Senior Scientist at Woods Hole, and Mr. Ivory
Engstrom, Director of Special Projects at McLane Research Labs
in East Falmouth. Thank you for being here. Thank you for
sharing your expertise.
And when I say ``warm Bay State,'' that's what I mean. It
is warm. The water off of the coast of Massachusetts, with the
exception of up in the Arctic, is at the top of the list of the
fastest-warming body of water in the world. So, we've got a big
issue that we have to deal with. And today's hearing, Harmful
Algal Blooms, which are increasing in frequency because of
warming waters.
Just last year, Tufts University led a study forecasting
that we will see more harmful algal blooms due to climate
change, higher water temperatures, changes in rainfall, in
flooding, and increased fertilizer runoff. That's a bad recipe
for harmful algal blooms.
Dr. Anderson, do you agree that climate change increases
the occurrence and severity of harmful algal blooms?
Dr. Anderson. Thank you, Senator Markey.
I agree, it increases some of them, but, in fact, it can
cut both ways, and it may even cut both ways in our region; for
example, where, if it gets too warm, some species may not
actually be able to thrive there, and they will move north. And
it's happening with fish. It's many--and many other organisms,
as well. So, yes, it can get worsened, sir, in some cases, but
I do at least want to say that there--that usually there's
another side, as well. But, I think that the case in freshwater
is crystal clear, that warmth is a--is contributing to the
problem. In the marine realm, I think we are seeing it, as
well, but much more as a movement of species, like----
Senator Markey. Right.
Dr. Anderson.--we are now getting warm-water species in the
Gulf of Maine that we didn't used to see.
Senator Markey. And you're saying that, in the same way
that lobster are looking for----
Dr. Anderson. Exactly.
Senator Markey.--colder water, and cod are looking for
colder----
Dr. Anderson. Exactly.
Senator Markey.--water.
Dr. Anderson. Yes.
Senator Markey. They start leaving us----
Dr. Anderson. So----
Senator Markey.--and head north, yes.
Dr. Anderson. So, the species--one of the species that
causes a lot of problems in Florida, it just bloomed up in
Portland and along the coast of Maine last year.
Senator Markey. Incredible. Incredible.
So, do you think we need higher levels of funding for
research on this question?
Dr. Anderson. Absolutely. And I think I can answer this
question, as well as what Senator Baldwin asked, about what we
can do about forecasting and so forth. The message really is
that there are increasing--there are more blooms, there are
more species, more toxic syndrome. So, how do you deal with
that? And one of the answers was: sensors and better and
ability to detect and forecast. And if we put that together,
sensors plus better models, computer models, will get us a long
way toward what you're--what you wanted. Think of the weather
forecasts that you look at. I look at it in the morning, and it
gives me a computer model that shows whether rain is coming
over the next 2 or 3 days. It's a--that's a combination of a
computer model and the--you know, the sensors that are out
there measuring what's going on in the atmosphere. We need that
in the ocean. And it's expensive. It's--you--but, once you get
that infrastructure, like the Weather Service has, you can
start doing the kind of predictions and early warning that can
really help us manage this worsening problem.
Senator Markey. Thank you.
Dr. Anderson. So, there's no question.
Senator Markey. Appreciate it. Thank you.
Mr. Engstrom, you say in your testimony that, for detecting
harmful algal blooms, quote, ``the cost of maintaining
comprehensive network of sensors may be significant.'' How can
we bring down the cost of sensors?
Mr. Engstrom. Well, that's a very complex and yet simple
question at the same time, and that's--I believe, is scale. You
know, right now our industry is such a niche. But, as we know,
the problem is growing. My company, we do instruments in small
quantities at high dollar. And if we can find demands beyond
our niche, into aquaculture, into other monitoring efforts, I
think that that brings the cost down. And also significant are
research initiatives, competitive research programs, like NOAA,
for technology development, not only just ecological
forecasting, but developing tools, like Mr. Stubbs has
mentioned, lower-cost tools. There may be a myriad of
technologies that are out there that companies such as ours
would love to----
Senator Markey. In your opinion, what should our agencies
be doing, the best combined satellite data with on-the-ground
sensors in order to get the most accurate picture of what is
occurring in these harmful blooms?
Mr. Engstrom. I don't want to be imprecise, in that I'm not
a scientist, but I think that maybe Dr. Anderson or Mr. Stubbs
can answer that in----
Senator Markey. Dr. Anderson, do you----
Dr. Anderson. Well, the combination of those two sensors
types is hugely powerful. It--but, it's also only going to be
good in certain areas. It will be good on a lot of lakes, large
lakes, where you have these surface blooms that are easy to see
from space. It's good in Florida, where the bloom is quite
visible. Satellites don't really help us too much in the Gulf
of Maine, because our species are so toxic, they cause troubles
even when the water looks blue. So, it's a little bit of a
qualified question.
But, if you can put those two together, you have
something--again, I keep going back to the analogy of the
Weather Service--you have radar, and think about how much that
tells you about storms and so forth. Well, that could be your
remote sensing, and that's telling us the big picture. And then
you have sensors that are also measuring things at a local
level. The two together is really quite powerful.
Senator Markey. Thank you.
And, Mr. Chairman, very importantly, Dr. Anderson--and I
think it does reflect the more temperate climate that we now
have in Massachusetts, therefore giving Dr. Anderson more days
in the year to accomplish his goal, is the reigning
Massachusetts senior amateur golf champion. That would be made
possible by that Cape Cod being more--the warming weather is
definitely making it possible----
[Laughter.]
Senator Sullivan. Oh, I didn't see that.
Senator Markey. Yes, we can't--how--you can't--it doesn't
get any bigger than that. OK?
[Laughter.]
Senator Markey. So, we thank you both. And we thank all of
your for all of that great work.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Sullivan. Thank you, Senator Markey.
And again, I want to thank the witnesses for a really
important issue. Hopefully, as I mentioned earlier, you're
seeing a bipartisan consensus on the need to fully understand
this much better, but also to take action. And that's what this
hearing is focused on.
So, again, I would ask that any additional questions that
come to the witnesses from other Senators who could not be at
the hearing today, or additional questions from those who were,
that the witnesses submit their written answers to the
Committee as soon as they can.
And again, thank you for a very informative hearing.
This hearing is now adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 3:43 p.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
A P P E N D I X
Prepared Statement from the National Oceanic And Atmospheric
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce
Introduction
Chairman Sullivan, Ranking Member Baldwin, and members of the
Subcommittee, the Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) appreciates the opportunity to
provide this statement for the record on the issue of harmful algal
blooms (HABs) in the United States. NOAA is the lead Federal agency on
the topic of HABs in our coastal waters and the Great Lakes (the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shares jurisdiction of the Great
Lakes). This statement provides the Subcommittee with scientific
information on HABs and their impacts to humans, animals, and the
economy and describes some of the advances NOAA has made to improving
HAB research, monitoring, forecasting, and management.
HABs occur when colonies of algae or cyanobacteria--simple
photosynthetic organisms that live in marine, estuarine, and freshwater
environments--grow out of control and some can produce harmful toxins.
HABs occur naturally, but human activities that disturb ecosystems seem
to play a role in their more frequent occurrence and intensity.
Increased nutrient loadings and pollution, food web alterations,
introduced species, water flow modifications and temperature all play a
role.
These toxic blooms have a variety of harmful effects on people,
fish, shellfish, marine mammals, sea turtles, and birds. The human
illnesses caused by HABs can be debilitating or even fatal. HABs harm
ecosystems by smothering valuable habitats such as coral reefs and
seagrass beds, piling up on beaches, or by growing to such proportions
that their subsequent decomposition depletes oxygen in the water (i.e.,
hypoxia), killing fish, shellfish, and aquatic vegetation. HABs have
been reported in every U.S. coastal state, and their occurrence is on
the rise. HABs are a national concern because they negatively affect
not only the health of people and marine ecosystems, but also the
health of local and regional economies.
In recognition of the magnitude and impact of the issue, Congress
passed the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act
(HABHRCA) in 1998 and most recently reauthorized the Act in 2014.
HABHRCA designates NOAA as the lead Federal agency responsible for
advancing our country's ability to detect, monitor, assess, and
forecast HAB and hypoxia events in coastal marine waters. NOAA and the
Environmental Protection Agency share jurisdiction for the Great Lakes,
and EPA has jurisdiction over activities that occur in non-Great Lakes
freshwater areas. NOAA supports EPA and other Federal agencies in
addressing freshwater HABs outside the Great Lakes. For example, we are
currently providing and processing the European Space Agency's
Sentinel-3A Ocean Land Color Instrument (OLCI) satellite imagery of
cyanobacteria in Lake Okeechobee in Florida. The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (USACE), United States Geological Survey (USGS), EPA, and
state partners use this data to determine where to monitor HABs.
NOAA's Approach
NOAA's role is in understanding, detecting, monitoring, and
forecasting HABs, and in helping communities with decision-making
related to their prevention, control, and mitigation. NOAA's HAB
programs are national in scope but targeted to different regional
needs. Competitive research that Congress appropriated funding for in
FY 2018 and in previous years have complemented NOAA's internal
research on HABs.
Partnerships with state managers, academics, and citizen scientists
also bring a wealth of expertise to our HAB programs. For example, the
Phytoplankton Monitoring Network engages citizen scientists in the
Great Lakes and Alaska in monitoring for HABs. Through this program, we
have alerted managers to previously undetected toxins in commercial
shellfish beds.
Coordination and collaboration between programs within NOAA and
other Federal agencies ensures broad engagement and efficient use of
resources in addressing complex HAB issues. The Cyanobacteria
Assessment Network (CyAN) project is a National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA)-funded collaboration between NOAA, EPA, and the
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to produce a real-time satellite
surveillance of harmful algal blooms in freshwater lakes and
reservoirs. These data products currently support states in assessing
blooms and in determining where sampling is most needed.
Research
NOAA research advances our understanding of what causes and
sustains HABs and their toxins, and uses that understanding to develop
forecasts, prevention strategies, and other tools. Current research
priorities include studying how toxins are transferred across and up
the food chain and assessing the impacts of toxins on humans. NOAA also
conducts socioeconomic research to assess impacts of HAB events on
coastal economies, and on the costs and benefits of mitigation
strategies to aid managers in devising cost-effective management
strategies. Research results guide management of coastal resources to
reduce HAB development, impacts, and future threats, and will feed into
other HAB programs for development of tools to improve management and
response.
Monitoring and Detection
NOAA enhances HAB and toxin detection and monitoring by developing
fast, accurate and cost-effective identification protocols. NOAA's
recent advances in automated and field-ready capabilities that can be
deployed remotely or on small boats enable rapid HAB detection and
monitoring. Sensors can also be added to ocean observing systems, such
as underwater gliders, for long-term monitoring of HABs. Early warning
of HABs or toxins provides health officials, environmental managers,
and water treatment facility operators with information to guide
potential beach and shellfish bed closures or water treatment in a more
appropriate timeframe.
We also build capacity within states, tribes, the seafood industry,
and others, by providing access and training on proven detection
technologies. This ensures that trained and equipped personnel are able
to mobilize quickly during HAB events. For example, in May 2018, NOAA
and partner scientists from the Phytoplankton Monitoring Network
trained over thirty environmental personnel from southeast and south
central Alaskan tribes in toxic phytoplankton sampling and
identification.
Forecasting
NOAA's HAB forecasts serve as decision-support tools for local
coastal resource managers, public health officials, and research
scientists. We provide operational HAB forecasts for Lake Erie, Texas,
and Florida, and are developing forecasts for the Pacific Northwest,
the Gulf of Maine, and California. Short-term (twice weekly) forecasts
identify which blooms are potentially harmful, where they are, how big
they are, and where they are likely headed. Our HAB forecasts for the
Gulf of Mexico also include information on the potential for
respiratory irritation that is delivered directly to the public.
Longer-term, seasonal forecasts predict the severity of HABs for the
bloom season in a particular region.
NOAA is improving the spatial resolution of our monitoring and
forecasts with increased use of space-based data from NOAA's Joint
Polar Satellite System and leveraging European Sentinel and Metop
satellite data. NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information
also provides data for retrospective analysis of past HAB events to
improve future detection and response efforts.
Event Response
NOAA responds to HAB events by coordinating access to technology
and expertise and ensuring proper scientific documentation to advance
understanding of HABs. In some circumstances, NOAA is also able to
provide financial support to defray event response costs, such as
mobilization of sampling, supplies, and analytical services. For
example, in August 2018, NOAA provided financial support to the Florida
Fish and Wildlife Institute and Mote Marine Lab to help manage the
response to a rare HAB event in Sitka, Alaska and a prolonged, severe
HAB event in Southwest Florida.
Prevention, Control, and Mitigation
Over more than two decades, NOAA has produced methods and
strategies to improve HAB management and response. These include
toxicity test kits; technology for high volume and field-based HAB
detection; and HAB forecasts. We also have funded and conduct research
to move promising preventions and mitigation technologies for HABs from
research to operations.
Impacts of Harmful Algal Blooms
Health Impacts
Some harmful algae produce potent toxins that cause illness or
death in humans and wildlife. Both humans and animals can be exposed to
algal toxins through the food they eat, the water they drink or swim
in, or the air that they breathe. Toxic algae can contribute to
symptoms in humans such as digestive and respiratory complications.
Acute health effects associated with marine pathogens and HAB toxins
costs approximately $900 million \1\ annually.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ R., P.Kite-Powell, E., H., & A. (2011, December 01). An
estimate of the cost of acute health effects from food-and water-borne
marine pathogens and toxins in the USA. Retrieved from https://
iwaponline.com/jwh/article/9/4/680/31135/An-estimate-of-the-cost-of-
acute-health-effects
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Additionally, HABs have been implicated in the deaths of many
marine mammals, sea turtles, and the prey they eat. The most common
impacts from algal toxins on marine mammals and sea turtles are
neurological symptoms such as seizures, disorientation, or death. In
addition to immediate death, algal toxins have caused long-term impacts
when prey is depleted, and the animals suffer malnutrition. Persistent
red tides in Atlantic and Gulf waters have caused significant sea
turtle and dolphin deaths numbering in the hundreds to thousands of
animals.
Other harmful algae are nontoxic to humans and wildlife but form
such large blooms that they can be a nuisance to humans as well as
degrade habitat quality through massive overgrowth, shading, or oxygen
depletion (hypoxia).
Economic Impacts
The impact of a bloom depends on its location, duration, and
toxicity. Since HABRHCA was last authorized in 2014, record-setting
HABs on both coasts and the Great Lakes have had severe impacts to the
seafood industry, tourism, drinking water, and property values.
2014 Great Lakes Cyanobacteria Bloom
In 2014, Toledo, Ohio, officials issued a two-day ban on drinking
or cooking with tap water for more than 400,000 residents due to high
levels of toxins harmful to humans resulting from a massive toxic algae
bloom on western Lake Erie. Testing for the microcystin toxin and
removing it from the water is expensive and time-consuming. As a result
of the early and large HAB of 2015, the City of Toledo spent their $6
million water treatment budget at the beginning of the Fiscal Year and
required an additional $3 million for the remainder of the Fiscal Year
that were borne by non-federal entities. Beyond drinking water, the
bloom affected fishing, tourism, and property values. The total impact
of ecosystem service interruptions due to the 2014 HAB event was
estimated at $65 million.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ ``Economic Benefits of Reducing Harmful Algal Blooms in Lake
Erie'', M. Bingham, S. K. Sinha, and F. Lupi, Environmental Consulting
& Technology, Inc., Report, 66 pp, October 2015.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2015 West Coast HAB
In 2015, the largest HAB in at least 15 years stretched from
central California to British Columbia and the Alaska Peninsula.
Record-setting concentrations of domoic acid produced by the HAB event
in California, Oregon, and Washington caused marine mammal deaths and
devastated commercial and recreational fisheries. The commercial
Dungeness crab fishery experienced a $97.5 million \3\ decrease in
revenue from 2014 to 2015. This generated an economic shock for
fishery-dependent communities along the West Coast; the Dungeness crab
fishery generates the highest revenues and has the highest vessel
participation of any fishery on the West Coast.\4\ The 2015 event also
resulted in the closure of recreational, commercial and subsistence
razor clam fisheries in Washington, Oregon and California. The
recreational razor clam fishery generates significant tourism-related
income associated with clam digger visits to coastal communities,
particularly in Washington and northern Oregon. A season-long closure
of the recreational razor clam fishery is estimated to result in $24.4
million \5\ in lost expenditures (2008 dollars).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ National Marine Fisheries Service (2017) Fisheries of the
United States, 2016. U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA Current Fishery
Statistics No. 2016.
\4\ Fuller, E. M. Samhouri, J. F. Stoll, J. S. Levin, S. A. and
Watson, J. R. Characterizing fisheries connectivity in marine social-
ecological systems.--ICES Journal of Marine Science, doi:10.1093/
icesjms/fsx128.
\5\ Karen Dyson, Daniel D. Huppert, Regional economic impacts of
razor clam beach closures due to harmful algal blooms (HABs) on the
Pacific coast of Washington, Harmful Algae, Volume 9, Issue 3, 2010,
Pages 264-271
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2018 Florida Red Tide
When blooms are in the news and affecting shorelines, fewer people
come to Florida's beaches, restaurants, and hotels. A study of HAB
impacts in Okaloosa County (on Florida's Gulf Coast) estimated that the
approximately $6.5 million \6\ per month in losses to restaurants and
hotels during blooms is seven times greater than monthly losses due to
adverse weather. On August 13, 2018, in recognition of the scale of the
impact to Florida's coastal communities and economies, Governor Rick
Scott declared a state of emergency in seven counties stretching from
Tampa Bay south to the fringe of the Everglades.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ Larkin, S., C.M Adams, Ballyram, D. Mulkey, A. Hodges. ``Red
Tides and Coastal Business: Measuring Economic Consequences in
Florida.'' Working paper, Food and Resource Economics Department,
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (21 pp.), 2003.
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Success Stories
NOAA has a long record of accomplishments since the passage of
HABHRCA in 1998, including improved HAB monitoring and detection
capabilities, identification of methods to prevent the development of
blooms, and forecasts to provide more efficient and comprehensive ways
of assisting state managers and warning the public of potential
exposure. Below we highlight several success stories on collaboration
with our partners.
HAB Detection Technology Increases Seafood Exports in Alaska
A HAB toxin testing method developed by NOAA facilitates the
continued export of Alaskan geoducks to China, by increasing the speed
and lowering the cost of testing shellfish exports for the Paralytic
Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) toxin. In 2014, China temporarily closed the
$68 million geoduck export industry, stipulating that all shellfish
imports had to be tested for Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) toxin.
At the time, testing took a week and cost $400 per clam. By the time
divers received the test result, they often had only one day to harvest
before new tests were needed. NOAA developed a faster and cheaper PSP
testing method that is now used by the Sitka Tribe of Alaska to test
locally harvested shellfish in their Environmental Research Lab.
Maintaining Safe Drinking Water for Lake Erie
More than 2,000 U.S. and Canadian subscribers receive NOAA's twice-
weekly HAB bulletins with three-to five-day forecasts that include the
bloom location and concentration. In 2015, water managers used NOAA's
forecasts to strategically increase treatment and fill cisterns with
safe water before the blooms reached intake pipes. Thus, drinking water
was safe despite the most severe Lake Erie bloom on record. In 2018,
the Sentinel-3A OLCI satellite is providing images with a 300-meter
resolution, allowing water treatment facility and public safety
managers to make decisions at the scale of water intakes and swimming
beaches, avoiding system or lake-wide closures.
Reopening Shellfish Harvest in Gulf of Maine
By collaborating with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, state
shellfish control authorities, test kit manufacturers, and the seafood
industry to develop an onboard screening and dockside testing protocol
for PSP toxins in molluscan shellfish, NOAA enabled the reopening of
shellfisheries on Georges Bank, off the coast of Maine. The fishery had
been closed for two decades because toxins in shellfish sometimes
exceeded regulatory limits and the area was too large and remote for
routine monitoring of HAB toxins. After the protocol was developed and
adopted by the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference, NOAA was
able to help reopen 6,000 square miles of the sea floor for surf clam
and ocean quahog fishing in 2013. The fishery has production potential
of up to one million bushels of surf clams and ocean quahogs a year,
valued at $10 to $15 million annually.
Conclusion
NOAA provides valuable science, products, and services to mitigate
the human and animal health and economic impacts of HABs nationwide.
Through our research, forecast, monitoring, and response activities,
NOAA provides actionable information about HABs to decision-makers
responsible for water treatment, aquaculture, public health, tourism,
and coastal resource management. Thank you for the opportunity to
provide this statement for the record.
______
Response to Written Question Submitted by Hon. Jim Inhofe to
Patrick Neu
Question. We have seen the negative effects of harmful algal bloom
first hand in my home state of Oklahoma. In 2011, Blue Green Algae
warnings at Lake Texoma resulted in a loss of $45 million in economic
activity--8 percent of annual revenue generated by Lake Texoma and its
recreational activities. Multiple algal blooms wiped out an entire
fishery in Lake Altus-Lugert in Southwest Oklahoma in 2013 and 2014,
decimating recreational fishing activity. According to a study by
Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma State parks experienced a decline
of 19 percent during algal blooms. Clearly there are real economic
impacts to local communities.
How is the recreational industry mitigating algal blooms, and how
can Federal partners work better with industry to prevent the
devastating impact of these blooms or at least better predict when they
would happen?
Answer. Senator Inhofe, thank you for your follow-up questions and
continued interest in the impact that harmful algal blooms (HABs) have
on the sportfishing industry. As I stated in my opening testimony, I
applaud you, and the rest of the Senate, for passing S.1057, the
Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendment Act of
2017. Additionally, I urge your colleagues in the House as quickly as
possible to pass the House version of the bill, H.R. 6645. It's crucial
that Congress move this bill across the finish line as it would
reauthorize the critically important National Harmful Algal Bloom and
Hypoxia Program and Federal Interagency Taskforce, which recently
expired on Sept. 30. The American Sportfishing Association, which is
the trade association representing the recreational fishing industry,
recently circulated a letter of support for H.R. 6645. The program that
this bill would reauthorize is essential to advancing the scientific
understanding and ability to detect, monitor, assess, and predict HABs.
As President of the Future Anglers Foundation and Executive
Director of the National Professional Anglers Association, I'll
continue educating our future anglers and the professional anglers who
are members of our association on the impact these HABs have on our
ecosystem, and can assure you that my partners throughout the
sportfishing industry will continue shining a spotlight on this
nationwide issue. Once again, thank you for your continued interest in
how HABs affect the recreational sportfishing industry, and please do
not hesitate to reach out if I can be of further assistance.
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