The 2017 algae bloom is over in western Lake Erie. And while it didn鈥檛 directly threaten drinking water, its bright green hue prompted attention and hurt Lake Erie鈥檚 tourism business.
This year鈥檚 harmful algae bloom was expected to be one of the in recent years. University of Toledo professor Thomas Bridgeman says that forecast held true 鈥� it was in top five blooms of the last 15 years.
But, 鈥渋t was not as densely toxic as it has been in the past,鈥� said Bridgeman.
The algae bloomed late 鈥� it wasn鈥檛 until September that of green water and lifeless fish started showing up. It brought back memories of 2014, when the city of Toledo announced a do-not-drink advisory for residents.
And this year鈥檚 bloom didn鈥檛 just look bad.
鈥淏eaches were impacted for sure,鈥� says Bridgeman. 鈥淒epending on wind direction, you can get a real concentration of bloom material on the beaches.鈥�
Lake Erie charter boat captains estimated a 25 percent loss in business. At its peak, the bloom covered about 1,000 square miles from Toledo to the Ontario coast, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration鈥檚 .
The bloom even prompted Toledo mayor Paula Hicks Hudson to call for an impairment designation for western Lake Erie, sending letters to President Trump and Gov. John Kasich. Calling the lake 鈥渋mpaired鈥� would require a detailed examination of pollution sources, including agriculture and wastewater treatment plants.
Despite the big bloom, the city of Toledo said the lake water was safe, only placing its water system on 鈥渨atch鈥� twice.
鈥淲e had a large bloom in the Maumee River 鈥� it was very visible, thousands of people could see it,鈥� says Bridgeman.
鈥淭he Maumee River is 10 miles away from Lake Erie, where we get our drinking water. The water intake was totally clear.鈥�
Copyright 2021 Great Lakes Today. To see more, visit . 9(MDA5NTM4MTIyMDE0MTg3NDc2MTVlZjdmNQ001))
