Toledo readies water treatment plant for toxic algae

The 2011 Lake Erie algal bloom covered much of the lake's western basin (Credit: NASA)

The city of Toledo is looking for $1 million to purchase chemicals for water treatment as the risk of toxic algal blooms in Lake Erie has increased, according to the Toledo Blade. The city gets most of its drinking water from the lake’s western basin, which has seen some of the worst algal blooms.

Toledo’s mayor is set to explain why the funds are necessary to the city council in early October. The threat of toxins from algal blooms is not new to officials there, and the council is expected to approve the request for additional monies.

The threat is greater because wind, waves and other hydrologic interactions can push the toxins deeper, putting them closer to Toledo’s water intake. Complicating the issue further is the chance that toxins will lurk in water even after a bloom has disappeared, which they’ve been found to do.

Image: The 2011 Lake Erie algal bloom covered much of the lake’s western basin (Credit: NASA)