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Lake Erie algae in 2022 worse than predicted; it plateaued rather than peaked
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Into October, there were higher air temperatures in the entire northwest region than ever before.
Great Lakes Echo (http://greatlakesecho.org/?s=Lake+Erie+algae&search+submit=GO)
Into October, there were higher air temperatures in the entire northwest region than ever before.
A Michigan State University study estimates that up to $5.9 million annually in economic activity is lost in Michigan’s small portion of Lake Erie due to harmful algal blooms.
The U.S. EPA’s plan targets phosphorus, the main cause of the blooms. It summarizes agendas from Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Businesses along western Lake Erie are hurting from dwindling tourism as more anglers avoid the lake, said charter fisherman Dean Thompson. His own business has dropped 40 percent this year.
NOAA-predicted algae bloom could be second worst in Lake Erie, but it doesn’t necessarily mean there will be another water shutdown.
That doesn’t necessarily mean there will be more water shutdowns like the one in Toledo last year.
The amount of harmful algae forecast for Lake Erie is likely to be significant, coating parts of the western basin in toxic green slime. Even moderate blooms can threaten drinking water.
Persistent algae blooms are wreaking havoc on the annual $11.5 billion lake tourism industry. But state elected officials and government agencies are making headway with new tools to reduce nutrients from farms and cities that are causing the blooms.
Since 2014, local communities have spent over $1 billion trying to clean up the water.