The sooner a harmful algal bloom is detected and identified, the easier and less expensive it will be to eliminate it.Many tools are available to refine monitoring and mitigation methods; research and technological advances continue to help support water utilities' efforts.A laboratory in Wichita Falls, Texas, has developed a proactive, multifaceted approach to address the complexities of monitoring and mitigating blooms.

The City of Wichita Falls, Texas, has experienced 13 taste and odor (T&O) events in the past five years, with one especially significant cyanobacterial bloom occurring in 2020.Thanks to Cypress Environmental Laboratory's thorough and effective T&O monitoring program developed in 2016, in each of the 13 cases, drinking water with elevated T&O concentrations was detected and treated before being released to the public.Laboratory staff further improved the monitoring program in January 2021, learning from steps they took to address an odor in the water at one of Wichita Falls' treatment plants.

After receiving hundreds of complaints, the City of Wichita Falls, Texas, developed a plan for monitoring harmful algal blooms to detect and mitigate taste and odor (T&O) compounds and cyanotoxins.The plan uses sensory analysis, genuslevel or functional-group identification, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/ electron capture detector, data sondes, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction to monitor blooms for T&O issues and cyanotoxins before they become problems.When blooms are detected, mitigation efforts include source-switching, pretreatment, oxidation, and adsorption, which have eliminated customer complaints following more than 60 years of unmitigated T&O cycles.

Key TakeawaysAs its current workforce ages and retires, the water industry needs to bring in ambitious, young employees to keep the water flowing.Classrooms provide students with technical knowledge, and internships provide them with hands‐on experience that will help them stand out in job applications.Internships allow employers to see how prospective applicants work under pressure to determine if they are a good fit for the team.Internship programs provide a potential pipeline for new employees who may have not otherwise known about water industry positions.

One drinking water utility found a comprehensive, cost‐effective strategy for monitoring toxin‐producing cyanobacteria that can harm water quality.