In the first study of its kind, scientists from The United States Geographical Survey have determined that microcystins, a toxin produced by algae, infect 39% of small streams in the South East. However this number is subject to grow as 74% of streams contained cyanobacteria, which is capable of producing microcystins. Human ingestion or just exposure to microcysins can result in nausea, dermatitis, and liver failure. Wild and domestic animals experiences similar side effects. According to the World Health Organization’s standards, none of the streams held a concentration high enough to exceed the moderate risk threshold, but more research is showing that this standard is not necessarily accurate, which is disconcerting especially when it comes to human health. Similarly, the effects of this toxin may be amplified downstream in drinking water supplies and aquatic ecosystems.

Many attribute these high levels to the increasing development and suburbanization of the South Eastern United States. We replace hardwood forests and Spartan grass lowlands with expansive parking lots and manicured lawns, thus turning our watersheds into cement funnels. This lack of riparian buffers compounded with the increasing use of systems (i.e. agriculture and sewage) that leach nutrients like nitrates and phosphorous exponentially increases the amount of nutrient runoff, algal blooms, and thus microcystins in our water.