Assessing the occurrence of cyanotoxins in two urban reservoirs through a community science monitoring program

Cyanobacterial blooms are an ongoing threat to aquatic systems worldwide. These potentially toxic blooms have typically been observed in summer to early fall, but there are increasing reports of blooms in colder seasons. From the few studies available, weknow that blooms can produce toxins in the winter. The objective of this research was to assess the year-round presence, concentration, and environmental drivers of the cyanotoxins microcystin and cylindrospermopsin in two reservoirs located in Columbia, Missouri, USA. To fulfill this objective, I coordinated and managed the Reservoir Observer Student Scientists (ROSS) program. This community science initiative combined educating high school students about limnology and cyanobacterial blooms with training students hands-on to collect weekly water quality samples. Data for this project was collected over two years in Bethel Lake and one year in Stephens Lake. We found detectable concentrations of the cyanotoxins year-round. There was no relationship between microcystin nor cylindrospermopsin and chlorophyll-a in either reservoir. Presence and concentration of microcystin and cylindrospermopsin were related to physical water quality parameters in Bethel Lake. This study provides evidence for the necessity of year-round water quality monitoring.