Development of tools for the assessment and management of aesthetic and health risks associated with cyanobacteria

The management of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria), and the toxins and taste and odour compounds they produce, have been the focus of more than 30 years of research, but there is still a need for a suite of user-friendly tools to assess and manage aesthetic and toxin risks. This project conducted an extensive literature review about the ability of six treatment paradigms to remove MIB, geosmin, saxitoxins, microcystins and cylindrospermopsin. An empirical spreadsheet-base model was then built and used to simulate ‘whole-of-plant’ removal of cells and toxic metabolites. This model performed well when tested with two years of full-scale sampling data.