Here’s a story about the Great Lake that doesn’t have to do with high water levels. The International Joint Commission has published a report saying public water systems like Monroe County’s that pump from the Great Lakes should be testing and treating for toxins from cyanobacteria.
The so-called “blue green algae” that forms a scum on the top of warm water in the summer is actually a family of bacteria, and some — not all of them — produce toxins that can harm people and animals. Many strains of the bacteria are in the Great Lakes. The report says water systems need to test for the cyanotoxins because they need to adjust their usual treatment process if they show up.
The IJC commissioned this study after Toledo had to shut down its water system in 2014 because of cyanotoxin contamination.