Blue Green Wake Up Call for Toledo- and other water drinkers!

                                    photo of blue green algae (cyanobacteria) bloom on left side

In Ohio on Saturday August 2 a state of emergency was declared as polluted water hit the water faucets along the west end of Lake Erie. More than 500,000 people in Toledo and its surrounding areas depend on Lake Erie drinking water. They were advised not to drink boil or wash their food in their tap water after a summer blue green bloom sent concentrations of a potent liver toxin called microcystin above EPA limits. 

 

A U. S. Senator from Ohio called it a “wake up call”. This water advisory was not from a chemical plant tank leak, a broken tar sands pipeline, or a gas well, or a coal fly ash dump. It was a more insidious source of pollution but one we know how to fix and can do so. If we have the will to fix it.

Blue green algae ( aka cyanobacteria) thrive on phosphate rich fertilizer from sewage and manure large amounts of which can run off during heavy rains from farm fields. Lots of rain plus lots of fall and winter spreading of sprayed on liquid manure from big factory farms that isn't worked into the soil for rapid uptake by growing plants create prime conditions for these events. Lake Erie, a drinking water source for 11 million people has suffered a number of huge blue green blooms in recent years. Closer to home a couple weeks ago I saw a small blue green bloom at the south end of Fair Haven Bay and also at about the same time during a hot calm spell I noticed a possible small bloom in shallow water on the neighborhood open lake beach a few yards from the mouth of a little creek.

Toledo residents stripped the supermarkets of bottled water in short order as the city scrambled to pipe in supplies from other sources. Businesses that risked exposing workers or customers to tap water closed. Restaurants, public institutions like libraries, schools, parks, and universities all closed. Anyone who thinks it is too expensive to regulate the application of farm fertilizers should consider the costs and lost revenues of a water advisory. Last year Toledo spent an additional million dollars on water treatment. This year one suspects they'll be spending a bit more. And we aren't even considering health costs, vet bills for sick pets, impaired waterfront property values or other possible costs- just the immediate expenses that this bloom imposed on the city and its residents.

There is a lesson here folks. Mother Nature always bats last. And if you don't play by her rules, you will pay.

For more information on current “HAB's” ( hazardous algae blooms) visit

http://www2.nccos.noaa.gov/coast/lakeerie/bulletin/bulletin_current.pdf