From Great Lakes Today – –
A significant harmful algae bloom is predicted this summer in western Lake Erie.
This year’s algae bloom could be one of the biggest on record. And it means folks out on Western Lake Erie will see green scum on the water.
These blooms always produce some toxins,” says National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Oceanographer Rick Stumpf. “So the scums will be a risk for swimmers, they will be a risk for pets. But other than that, we cannot yet predict the toxicity. We’re working very hard on that across the channel.”
The 2014 algae bloom that contaminated Toledo’s drinking water was smaller than this year’s predicted bloom. It was its toxicity that caught the city’s water treatment plant off guard – but Stumpf says the plant will be able to handle toxic algae should it reach its water intake.
