The huge algae blooms in the western regions of Lake Erie in 2017 were the worst in many years. Scientists are looking at the above average rains this spring which cause run off laden with chemicals and predicting that 2018 is going to be another bad year for lake algae that will adversely affect the boating and sailing populations around Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. Reporter Sharon Hill delves into the problem in this story in the Windsor Star.
“The toxic blue-green algae in Lake Erie could be almost as bad as last year and is definitely expected to be worse than the mild 2016 bloom.
“A wet start to April and heavy rains on May 2 mean there was slightly above average discharge of phosphorus from the Maumee River in Ohio which fuels the algal bloom in Lake Erie, said the first projection this week from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Center for Water Quality Research in the United States.” Read more.
