Thick blooms foreseen in Lake Erie
Lake Erie likely will see another summer of miles-wide toxic-algae blooms as heavy rainfall continues to pump phosphorous from farms and other sources into the lake.
“It’s too soon to give an overall prediction, but from where we are right now, even if we didn’t get any more rainfall we would already be getting what would be an average-sized bloom,” said Jeff Reutter, director of the Ohio Sea Grant College Program.
Lake Erie’s multibillion-dollar tourism industry has been threatened in recent years by the explosive growth of bluegreen algae blooms. The algae, also known as cyanobacteria, produce powerful poisons that can harm the nerves, liver, kidneys and skin of people— especially children— and animals that touch or drink the water.
Small numbers of these organisms are commonly found in water, but colonies grow thick in sunlight and feed off the phosphorus that gets into the water from several sources, including fertilizers, sewage systems, industrial waste and livestock manure.
Scientists believe that most of the phosphorus entering the Maumee River and shooting into the lake today is runoff pollution from farms.
In 2011, Lake Erie grew a record 1,600-square-mile bloom in its western basin, from Toledo to Cleveland.
Since then, the blooms have been present, but smaller. Blooms also affect inland lakes, including Grand Lake St. Marys in western Ohio and Buckeye Lake in central Ohio.
But Reutter, who spoke yesterday during a climate-change conference at Ohio State University, said conditions right now in Lake Erie are beginning to look a lot like they did in 2011.
Rainfall totals have been above normal, causing the water flowing from the Maumee River into Lake Erie to increase, said Chris Winslow, assistant director of Stone Laboratory, part of the Sea Grant program at Put-in-Bay.
The annual forecast for harmful algae blooms won’t be released until July 10, but according to Reutter and Winslow, the conditions are right for trouble.
“Based on spring rains, we’re on track to match some of our highest bloom years,” Winslow said. “It could be bad.”
Excess algae cause many problems, from foul-tasting water to dangerous toxins.
“Nobody wants to swim in a lake where you have rolling green waves,” Winslow said.
Toledo spent $3 million last year to keep Lake Erie’s toxic algae out of the city’s drinking water. And Columbus has spent more than $800,000 to remove taste and smell from the algae that plague Hoover Reservoir.
In 2012, algae toxins were detected at 13 water-treatment plants, including those in Toledo, Celina, Findlay and Lima, and in Lake and Clermont counties. None of the toxins contaminated drinking water.