Toledo officials: Algae bloom over for now

10/4/2018

Fifth Third building, Renaissance Hotel, Imagination Station, Maumee River, and Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge Thursday, September 6, 2018, in Toledo.

THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH
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Toledo officials on Thursday announced the end of 2018’s harmful algal bloom season after raw water tests at the intake crib in Lake Erie found no toxic microcystin for three consecutive weeks.

“Test results have shown nondetects at the intake crib in Lake Erie since Sept. 12, and the [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] bulletin imagery shows no algal bloom in the western basin of Lake Erie,” Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said in a statement.

University of Toledo algae researcher Tom Bridgeman, who also directs UT’s Lake Erie Center, said he concurs with the city’s announcement.

“We’ve seen levels of blue-green algae and toxin in western Lake Erie dropping steadily to very low levels, and at this point I don’t see it returning,” he said. 

Mr. Bridgeman said there have been years where the harmful algal bloom season has extended well into October, but 2018 isn’t one of them.

“The weather is getting colder, the days are rapidly getting shorter. It’s safe to say we’re out of the woods for this season in terms of harmful algal blooms,” he said.

The city’s Drinking Water Quality Dashboard, which alerts residents if and when changes to their drinking water quality occur, can be accessed on the city’s website on the water treatment page.

Toledo water treatment chemists will continue daily sampling for microcystin and test the seven daily samples on Wednesdays. They will continue to post the results to the city’s website.