Earlier this week, a harmful algae bloom in the western basin of Lake Erie produced high levels of microcystin toxin, threatening the water supply of almost a half million people in the area around Toledo, Ohio. For nearly three days people were told not to drink or bathe in the water coming from the tap. On Monday, the toxins decreased to within safe levels. National attention is on the health of Lake Erie and the increasing nutrient levels that contribute to harmful algal blooms like this one. WIBV Channel 4 came to the Field Station to talk about whether this could be a problem for Buffalo residents.
From WIBV.com:
Kit Hastings, a senior research support specialist at the Great Lakes Center in Buffalo said she is not seeing the presence of the algae blooms that are plaguing the western part of the lake. “It isn’t a problem today,” she said. “It could become a problem in the future, but we’re still years away from it becoming a problem.”
Watch the rest of the video on WIVB.com.
