Abstract: Lake and reservoir’s eutrophication and its produced microcystins (MCs) have enormous threats to ecological environment and human health. Because the conventional water pollution control techniques have definite limitations, it’s quite urgent to develop new technique to remove the MCs from water environment. MCs can be effectively degraded by specific microbes, and its intermediate and terminal products are non-toxic or low-toxic. This paper summarized the MCs-degrading microbial strains, biodegradation processes, mechanisms, and affecting factors, degraded products and their structural characteristics, and the applications of MCs-degrading microbial strains in water environment restoration. The further research directions were also proposed. It was hoped that this review could provide technical ideas for restoring MCs-polluted lakes and reservoirs and ensuring drinking water safety in China.

Key words: eutrophication, drinking water safety, microcystins, microbial degradation, degradation mechanism, rice, risk comparison., drought, Sichuan Basin