Pre-holiday assessments involve sampling at popular recreational waterbodies prior to major holiday weekends and working with waterbody managers and the county to determine most appropriate signage to inform visitors of potential freshwater harmful algal blooms (FHABs). Results from sampling are posted on the FHAB Incident Report Map and distributed the Friday before major holiday weekends through the California FHAB Network email list. These results inform recommendations for posting signs at popular public access locations around the waterbody.
Any entity that has an interest is welcome to assist with this effort. To implement a holistic program, land managers, state agencies, tribes, water districts, universities, health agencies, federal agencies, citizen scientists, and non-profits are encouraged to participate. No previous sampling experience is necessary. Visit this table to see where is already being sampled this year, and contact your Water Board Regional Coordinator.
Dates below pertain to those funded by the FHAB program.
Of course! Any entity that monitors water quality near recreational sites can share their data and join this effort. You don't need to use the Program's laboratory but we appreciate consistency in sample collection and measurements (cyanotoxins and visual indicators). Please refer to the sampling procedure and share your data by filling in the spreadsheet linked below by the dates in the table below.
Grab Sample
Scum Sample
Dense Scum Sample
Algal Mat Composite Sample
Sample Day Check List
1 per sample event
Sample Day Check List
1 per sample event
Field Data Sheet
1 per sample location
Shipping Label
*Do not ship on Friday or Saturday
Work with your regional staff person to receive return shipping label for your cooler. Staff contact information can be found here.