“The Erie Situation” – and beyond

Whether you go out on a boat, to a beach or get your drinking water from Lake Erie, you know harmful algal blooms are a problem.

But these mucky, green blooms are not limited to the southernmost of the Great Lakes. The blooms are a bigger threat in the northernmost lake, the connectors like the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair and other parts of the watershed, largely fed by industrial agricultural runoff.

A new documentary explores the issue and helps residents of the region understand what’s at stake and what possible solutions could be. Produced by David Ruck and Plastic Oceans, the film has aired at film festivals around the region this year. Ruck, who lives in Muskegon, Mich., is a regular contributor to Great Lakes Now.

In partnership, PBS stations in five cities and three states that border Lake Erie — and one along Lake Superior — are simultaneously broadcasting the film and sharing more resources with residents about this important environmental and economic issue.

Tune in at 9 p.m. ET, Monday, September 12, 2022 on:

Buffalo Public Media in New York

Detroit Public Television in southeast Michigan

Ideastream Public Media in Cleveland, Ohio

WGTE-TV in Toledo, Ohio

WNMU-TV in Marquette, Michigan

WQLN-TV in Erie, Pennsylvania

In addition, Great Lakes Now will continue to cover the issue and work is HERE.

Catch more news at Great Lakes Now: 

To reduce harmful algal blooms and dead zones, the US needs a national strategy for regulating farm pollution

Harmful algal blooms cause problems in Lake Erie; drinking water customers pay the price