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Center for Earth and Environmental
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2009
Research Program Mitigation of Contaminants in Rural and Semi-Rural Environments to Protect Surface and Groundwater Cyanobacterial Ecology and Toxicology of Central Indiana Reservoirs Given the ecological, recreational, and municipal uses of Eagle Creek, Geist and Morse Reservoirs, maintaining and improving their water quality has been a focus of the Central Indiana Water Resource Partnership (CIWRP). In 2007, microcystin, an algal toxin, was discovered in Geist Reservoir at very low levels. In response to these reports and in an effort to understand the potential risks associated with cyanoabacterial blooms for the production of toxins, in addition to the continued problems associated with their production of taste and odor compounds, CIWRP undertook a detailed study of the three reservoirs, This study is a comprehensive study of the phytoplankton ecology of the three reservoirs and for the first time documented the occurrence of taste and odor compounds (MIB and geosmin) as well as cyanotoxins. An additional component of this project is the development of a microcystin ELISA laboratory at IUPUI. Research continues into determining the effectiveness of this approach for rapid screening in central Indiana reservoirs. The study has three main purposes: 1) To document algal community composition and abundance; 2) To determine the relationship between physical and chemical reservoir conditions and algal community structure and abundance; 3) To document the occurrence of cyanobacterial toxins and taste and odor compounds Results of the 2008 study are providing important information regarding differences and similarities of phytoplankton community structure and the occurrence of cyanotoxins and taste and odor metabolites in the three reservoirs. Information from this work has been presented at an international lake conference and this work is contributing to a very limited data set for the Midwestern US, despite the fact that known toxin producing genera comprise dominant components of cyanobacterial populations in the three reservoirs as well as numerous lakes and reservoirs in the region. Research has documented the key toxin and taste and odor producing species as well as documented that two of the three priority cyanotoxins identified by USEPA were not present in central Indiana reservoirs in 2008. Further, the 2008 study showed that microcystins occur in central Indiana reservoirs but at very low levels in comparison to other reported levels throughout the United States, Given the importance of the central Indiana reservoirs for the drinking water supply and the potential for significant differences in annual variability in cyanobacterial populations, weather, and watershed/reservoir linkages, the study will be extened for a second year in 2009.
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Center for Earth and Environmental
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