Threat of the toxic algal blooms

By the Beacon Journal editorial board 

Published: March 22, 2016 - 06:29 PM

As managers of Barberton’s water system recently discovered, the threat of toxic algal blooms is not confined to the Toledo area. There, massive blooms in Lake Erie two years ago threatened the health of nearly 500,000 people when the water supply was contaminated. Officials banned drinking tap water for three days.

As reported Monday by Bob Downing, a Beacon Journal staff writer, routine testing last May revealed low levels of algal toxins in the Barberton reservoir and in treated drinking water. Two of the three toxins disappeared in subsequent tests, among them microcystis, the cause of the trouble in Toledo. The third toxin lingered until January. No guidelines were violated. Treatment measures were beefed up, but city officials fear a reappearance this summer.

Neither is Barberton an isolated case. Last year, harmful algal blooms were detected in the reservoirs of some 25 Ohio cities. Toxins have been found...(To read more, click the link below):

http://www.ohio.com/editorial/editorials/threat-of-the-toxic-algal-blooms-1.670951