2 February 2007

The Water Directorate has just released the Draft Blue-Green Algae Management Protocols.

Originally published in 2001, these Protocols have been revised by Adrian Farrant, Public Health and Environmental Consultant, to ensure their consistency with the 2004 Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

These new Protocols are in a draft format at this stage until the alert levels discussed in Section 6 are confirmed by the Algal Advisory Group in NSW.  These alert levels are expected to be confirmed during 2007 after which a final version will be released.

This new version of the Protocols introduces a Blue-Green Algae Management Plan Template, designed to assist member councils address the various issues arising from blue-green algae outbreaks.  Feedback on the Management Plan Template is welcome and will be incorporated in the final document.

A subcommittee of Executive Committee members was established to oversee the project and provided comments on the technical content.  We want to thank the following members of the subcommittee for their valuable contribution: Kent Boyd, Simon Thorn, Stewart McLeod, Wayne Beatty, Peter Clifton and Wayne Franklin.

Additional copies of the Protocols can be purchased at $200 for member councils and $425 for non-members. 

For more information contact: