The 2025 Potomac River Conference: Integrating Science, Policy & Management to Combat Harmful Algal Blooms was held on October 22, 2025, at the George Mason University Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center in Woodbridge, Virginia.

ICPRB’s annual conferences highlight important issues facing the Potomac River watershed. Previous topics included PFAS and invasive species.

The most recent conference, organized and hosted by the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB), focused on research and management of harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the Potomac River basin and beyond. The event opened with remarks from ICPRB and PEREC leaders, followed by three main sessions highlighting research, local, and government responses to HABs. Session 1 presented scientific studies on cyanobacteria ecology, toxin production, and environmental drivers. Session 2 explored local monitoring, response strategies, and societal impacts, including the use of remote sensing and community management practices. Session 3 featured a government panel discussing multi-state coordination and detection of algal toxins, complemented by a poster session showcasing emerging research and management innovations.

The speaker’s bios and abstracts can be found in the Conference Booklet.

Presentations and posters are linked below.

Welcome –

• Michael Nardolilli, Executive Director, ICPRB
• Willem Brakel, Chair, ICPRB Commissioner/Chair (DC)
• Amy Fowler, Interim Director, PEREC GMU

Session 1 – Research

Moderator: Mike Selckmann, ICPRB

• Overview of harmful algal blooms – Mike Selckmann, ICPRB
• Overview of benthic algal communities, including harmful cyanobacteria, in Shenandoah River, Virginia – Rosalina Stancheva Christova, GMU
• George Mason University Research Highlights
  • Does temperature impact anatoxin-a-production of the riverine cyanobacterium Microcoleus? – Jacob Mormando, GMU
  • Effects of nitrogen on Microcoleus (Cyanobacteria) growth in laboratory conditions – Sydney Brown, GMU
  • Algal Responses to Hydrologic Variability in the North Fork Shenandoah River, VA, USA – Rwan Alsaadi, GMU
• Integrative characterization of the anatoxin-a-producing benthic cyanobacterial genus Microcoleus in the Shenandoah River – Bruce Cahoon, University of Virginia

Session 2 – Local Level Response

Moderator: Benjamin Rhoades, Reston Association

• Predicting HABs and other Water Quality Parameters using Remote Sensing Data – Josh Weiss, Hazen and Sawyer
• Fairfax County Park Authority Blue-Green Algae Bloom Response – John Burke, Fairfax County
• Increasing Development, Drought Challenges, and Harmful Algal Blooms – Veronica Tangiri, Prince William Soil & Water Conservation District
• Enlisting Public Help with Cyanobacteria Monitoring – Tom Ligon, Prince William Soil & Water Conservation District
• Economics of Harmful Algal Blooms – Benjamin Simon, George Washington University

Session 3 – Government Response

Moderator: Anne Spiesman, Fairfax Water

• Detection of neurotoxins in benthic cyanobacteria mats in the Potomac River – Cathy Wazniak, MD DNR
• Government Panel on HAB Response
  • Jayne Brown, Associate Director, Inspection and Enforcement, DOEE
  • Amy Hamilton, Harmful Algal Bloom Biologist, MD DNR
  • Heidi Biggs [VIDEO], Water Program Specialist, Clean Water Bureau, Water Quality Division, PA DEP
  • Sarah Sivers and Justin Loyd, Northern Regional Office, VA DEQ
  • Mindy Neil, Assistant Director, Division of Water and Waste Management, WV DEP

Poster Session

• Do native river snails consume toxic and non-toxic Microcoleus strains (Cyanobacteria) from Shenandoah River, Virginia, USA? – Mackenzie Allen, GMU
• National Costs and Benefits of Freshwater Harmful Algal Bloom Management – Eva Bailey, UMCES
• A Novel Lateral Flow Assay that Detects Acetylcholine Receptor Ligand Toxin Anatoxin-a (ATX-a) – Lance Ford, Attogene
• Distribution and abundance of benthic mat-forming cyanobacterium Microcoleus in Shenandoah River, Virginia, USA – Armon Ghaffari, GMU
• Field guide to common macroalgae in the Shenandoah River – Katia Holguin, GMU
• Structural Complexity and Environmental Adaptation in Cyanobacterial Hsp90-Hsp70 Chaperone Systems – Liqun Jiang, University of Maryland
• North American Lake Management Society’s Clean Lakes Advocacy – Benjamin Rhoades, Reston Association/North American Lakes Management Society
• Photosynthetic Rate and Pigment Composition of Microseira wollei, a toxin-producing cyanobacterium, over an annual cycle in the tidal freshwater Potomac River, VA, USA – Hannah Toney, GMU