『Abstract
In late May, 2007, a drinking water crisis took place in Wuxi,
Jiangsu Province, China, following a massive bloom of the toxin
producing cyanobacteria Microcystis spp. in Lake Taihu,
China's third largest freshwater lake. Taihu was the city's sole
water supply, leaving approximately two million people without
drinking water for at least a week. This cyanobacterial bloom
event began two months earlier than previously documented for
Microcystis blooms in Taihu. This was attributed to an
unusually warm spring. The prevailing wind direction during this
period caused the bloom to accumulate at the shoreline near the
intake of the water plant. Water was diverted from the nearby
Yangtze River in an effort to flush the lake of the bloom. However,
this management action was counterproductive, because it produced
a current which transported the bloom into the intake, exacerbating
the drinking water contamination problem. The severity of this
microcystin toxin containing bloom and the ensuing drinking water
crisis were attributable to excessive nutrient enrichment; however,
a multi-annual warming trend extended the bloom period and amplified
its severity, and this was made worse by unanticipated negative
impacts of water management. Long-term management must therefore
consider both the human and climatic factors controlling these
blooms and their impacts on water supply in this and other large
lakes threatened by accelerating eutrophication.
Keywords: Cyanobacteria; Blooms; Microcystins; Cyanotoxin; Drinking
water; Large lakes; Eutrophication; Climate; Water management』
Introduction
The drinking water crisis in Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
Causes of the drinking water crisis
Discussion
Implications for lake management
Conclusions
Acknowledgments
References