Managing Harmful Algae Blooms in Worcester

The City of Worcester has multiple different bodies of water accessible to the community for recreational purposes. Every summer, residents from all over the city like to visit the different recreational areas to make the most out of the hot summer weather. However, most people are not aware of the implications of Harmful Algal Bloom (HABs) formation. This kind of HAB can cause many adverse health effects in both humans and animals including vomiting, diarrhea and flu-like symptoms. HAB formation has been an issue identified from a local to an international level. Many places and organizations have established a set of guidelines to manage the potential effects that HABs could cause. In order to manage recreational water quality and avoid closing beaches, a management strategy that covers prevention, monitoring, treatment and response strategies should be established. We collaborated with Worcester’s Department of Public Works (DPW) to recommend management strategies for prevention, monitoring, treatment and response for HABs in Worcester. Worcester's current strategies are more developed when compared to other locations. After compiling our research, we came to the conclusion that Worcester is ahead of the curve judging on their implementation of methods for each category under prevention, monitoring & testing, treatment, and response. However, after conducting extensive research, interviews and literature reviews, we found several methods that can be augmented or implemented to Worcester’s current efforts to manage HABs. In the other hand, we believe that Worcester’s current treatment methods are working fine for the city and preventing HAB formation is only another way we can keep the lakes safe. Therefore, asides from Aluminum sulfate, prevention is the second best treatment. Lastly, for the response, we determined that most locations perform the same basic actions when it comes to public notification of harmful algal blooms; the three main methods to do this are posting of signs at the affected waterbody, posts on websites, and posts on social media.