New $3 million grant to support harmful algae monitoring in the San Francisco Estuary

Over the last decade, harmful algal blooms (HABs) have emerged as one of the highest-priority water quality management issues in the San Francisco Estuary, which includes the San Francisco Bay (Bay) and Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (Delta). Although major HAB events in the Bay have historically been rare, recent studies have determined that multiple HAB species and their toxins are frequently detected in the Bay, highlighting the potential for major HAB risks. In 2022, an unprecedented HAB event caused the first documented HAB-related fish kills and widespread low dissolved oxygen event in the Bay. In the Delta, harmful cyanobacterial blooms have occurred with increasing frequency and severity since they were first recorded in 1999.