CLEVELAND — Environmentalists are taking a closer look at one of Ohio’s greatest natural resources. Lake Erie and its annual algal blooms are the subjects of a recent legal ruling and a topic of discussion for lake goers.
“Any time you look out there and see a big blob of green, it’s like no,” said Kevin Gibson who was enjoying the Edgewater Park beach Monday afternoon.
Mike Hogan, who was paddle boarding on the lake, added, “You don’t want to be swallowing any of that kind of stuff. If you’re like me and you wipe out a lot, you get water in your nose and in your mouth.”
The harmful algal blooms, also known as blue-green algae, can be toxic to people and animals. They can appear as early as late June and stick around until mid-October and generally give the water a greenish tint or look like scum sitting on the surface.
“It’s actually a bacterial infection on the water,” said Lucia Ross of BlueGreen Water Technologies.
Cyanobacteria is the product of warm temperatures and an increase in phosphorus in the water. The Ohio State University says 85% of the phosphorus comes from agricultural runoff.
According to the most recent projections from the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), the 2023 harmful algal bloom is expected to be moderate based on observations through May 16 and the bloom will be smaller if precipitation is at or below average.
Ross said the warmer winter and lack of ice cover on the lake may mean the blooms could appear earlier this season.
“In the summer when the sun comes out, it pops right back up to the top, photosynthesis takes place and it’s blooming exponentially,” she said, explaining a cyanobacteria colony can double in size in as little as 5 hours.
The harmful algal blooms are most common in western Lake Erie where the water is more shallow. In 2014, the bloom was so severe that it threatened Toledo’s water supply.
In early May, a federal judge issued a consent decree requiring Ohio’s environmental regulators to come up with a plan to limit the amount of phosphorus entering the lake. The ruling sets a deadline for the end of June. Then the EPA will either approve Ohio’s plan or create its own.
READ MORE: Judge sets a deadline to put Lake Erie on a pollution diet
Lake goers said they realize cleaning up Lake Erie also helps preserve one of the state’s most valuable natural resources.
“Lake Erie’s our main water source,” said Gibson. “So why wouldn’t I want it clean?”
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