What is the regulatory status of blue-green algae in drinking water?
There aren’t any drinking water standards specifically for blue-green algae, but “blue green algae (cyanobacteria), other freshwater algae, and their toxins” are on the federal Drinking Water Contaminant Candidate List (CCL). EPA uses the CCL to prioritize research and data collection efforts to help determine whether a specific contaminant ought to be regulated. Cyanobacteria are also among US EPA’s unregulated contaminants for which monitoring is required, List 3 (Prescreen Testing of Contaminants Needing Research on Methods).
