City of Toledo issues notice assuring public that its water is safe to drink

The shelves were nearly empty at this Kroger store earlier today on Miracle Mile in Toledo.

The city of Toledo issued a notice today assuring the public that its water is safe to drink.

The statement from the city said it has fielded a spate of calls regarding a rumored “Do Not Drink” water advisory. Many on social media sites stated they were anticipating an announcement from public officials that the water was again not safe to drink or boil.

“There is no such advisory, and the water remains safe to drink,” the statement said.

It went on to say that the most recent test for microcystin, the toxin produced by algae, was 0.36 parts per billion after treatment at the Collins Park Water Treatment Plant. That‘‍s well below the unsafe level of 1.0 ppb as recommended by the World Health Organization.

“We are required to report to the Ohio EPA any result over 0.5. We will continue to closely monitor the water quality and alert the public if the situation changes,” the statement read.

The statement came from Hart Associates, a media relations firm hired by the city to handle the public response to the water crisis of Aug. 2-4.

At that time, about half-a-million consumers were advised with no warning not to drink the water because of elevated levels of microcystin.

Local grocery stores said they have been swamped by people buying up cases of water.

"We've been selling more water in the last hour than we have in the last week," a customer service representative at Food Town Supermarket on West Central Avenue said at about 3:30 p.m. today.

Adam Geer, the manager of the Food Town, said the store was selling three 24-bottle cases of water for $9.99, and many customers were leaving the store with six or nine cases.