Understanding lake metabolism and algal blooms: New tools for the management of potable water sources

人类活动可以深刻地改变水生生态系统，并对提供安全饮用水造成重大挑战。例如，高营养负荷可以显著提高藻类的生产力。这反过来又会改变湖泊的化学和生态，从而对水处理过程产生重大影响。生态变化包括有害藻华的发生。藻华发生的频率和严重程度的增加是加拿大乃至全球关注的一个主要问题。藻华中经常含有令人讨厌的物种，它们可以形成各种化合物，其中一些是有毒的，可以引起神经损伤、肝脏损伤、胃肠道不适，甚至导致鱼类、野生动物、家畜和人类死亡。许多藻类种类也能产生给饮用水带来难闻味道和气味的化合物。需要具有成本效益和适应性的监测工具和技术，向水管理人员和管制人员提供有效管理饮用水供应所需的信息，特别是在缺水地区和易受有害藻华和水质退化影响的地区，如加拿大大草原。该项目建立在由布法罗庞德水处理厂领导的长期监测计划的基础上，该计划向里贾纳和穆斯乔市提供饮用水。该工厂目前依靠昂贵的高级处理工艺来确保高质量的成品水，并帮助消除味道和气味。该项目提供了一个机会，将新技术、科学见解和数学模型联系起来，为饮用水处理过程和湖泊管理提供信息

Human activities can profoundly alter aquatic ecosystems and create major challenges for the provision of safe drinking water. For example, high nutrient loads can dramatically increase algal productivity. This in turn can alter lake chemistry and ecology, which can have significant effects on water treatment processes. Ecological changes can include the occurrence of harmful algal blooms. An increase in the frequency and severity of algal blooms is a major concern across Canada and globally. Blooms frequently include nuisance species which can form a variety of compounds, some of which are toxic and can induce neurological damage, liver damage, gastrointestinal distress, and even death in fish, wildlife, domestic animals and humans. Numerous algal species can also produce compounds which impart unpleasant taste and odour to drinking water. Cost-effective and adaptive monitoring tools and techniques are needed to provide water managers and regulators with the information necessary to effectively manage drinking water supplies, particularly in water-scarce areas and areas susceptible to harmful algal blooms and degraded water quality, such as the Canadian prairies. This project builds on a long-term monitoring program led by the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant that supplies drinking water to the cities of Regina and Moose Jaw. The Plant currently relies upon expensive advanced treatment processes to ensure high quality finished water, and help eliminate taste and odour. This project provides an opportunity to link new technology, scientific insights and mathematical modeling to inform drinking water treatment processes and lake management in a partnership between researchers, the water treatment plant, and the provincial Water Security Agency. Anticipated outcomes include developing models to inform drinking water management, and to provide early warning of conditions likely to lead to harmful algal blooms or major changes in lake chemistry affecting drinking water treatment. Results of this work will benefit not only local water utilities and water users, but will aid in the management of other bloom-affected waters, and surface water supplies.