By Kimberly Mazza
CHEYENNE – The Water Quality Division (WQD) Harmful Cyanobacterial Blooms (HCB) team within the Watershed Protection Team was named the 2023 Team of the Year at the Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Annual Awards Ceremony.
The HCB Team is led by David Waterstreet, DEQ’s Watershed Protection Section Manager and includes the following employees: Tori Nye, Lindsay Patterson, Chloe Schaub, Steve Vien, Rex Bagley, Amaryllis Briggs, and Alexis Lester.
“This year’s Team Award winners are very deserving of this recognition. They have worked diligently to improve our understanding of harmful cyanobacterial blooms in Wyoming waterbodies for the wellbeing of the public,” said DEQ Director Todd Parfitt.
Each year, Parfitt and his seven division administrators host an employee recognition reception to recognize the exemplary efforts of each division’s Public Servant of the Year nominees and to thank long-term employees for their years of service to the State of Wyoming.
Parfitt also addresses staff at the reception to update them on important work taking place within the agency and any events that may affect employees’ work.
Nominated DEQ teams are recognized for the high level of work that they maintained throughout the previous calendar year.
The Watershed Protection HCB Team earned the recognition for 2023 due to their dedication to investigating and monitoring HCBs in waters across Wyoming and notifying the public when bloom and toxin advisories occur.
Through field monitoring, satellite imagery, and sample analysis by our DEQ Water Quality Division laboratory, Wyoming is part of a growing number of states that are leading the way to identify recreation areas with HCBs and the associated risks to recreators and animals.
In Wyoming, most HCBs occur during the warmer summer and fall months. The team monitors waterbodies throughout the state from July through October, which requires extensive travel and many long days.
“The team is committed to protecting public health and the environment,” said WQD Administrator Jennifer Zygmunt. “With the collaboration of our local, state, and federal partners, the team focuses their monitoring on waterbodies that are publicly accessible, such as lakes and reservoirs used frequently for swimming, waterskiing, waterplay by children, and similar activities.”
The team also responds to reports from the public and cooperators as well as potential detections of HCBs found in satellite imagery from the Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN), a joint project of the EPA, the United States Geological Survey, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“This team went above and beyond with their commitment to the program and to the State of Wyoming,” noted Zygmunt. “As we gain understanding and awareness of HCBs, we are better equipped to protect the water resources that are fundamental to our lifestyle and wellbeing. Our HCB team is making this possible and leading the charge.”
Agency administrators also recognized Jared Beck as DEQ’s 2023 Public Servant of the Year.
Other DEQ teams who were nominated for Team of the Year were:
Abandoned Mine Land: The Division’s effort for their work in reclamation of abandoned mine lands
Air Quality Division: Winter Ozone Team