The west end of Lake Erie on the Ohio side is experiencing an algae bloom and not for the first time. In 2014, an outbreak of blooms contaiminated the tap water in Toledo for about 400,000 people. The algae blankets the surface of the lake with ugly shades of green, which can last most of the summer. Algae is toxic and is a health threat to people and wildlife.
And it is recurring more often since global temperatures are on the rise. Algae reached record levels in 2015. Ohio and Michigan have taken steps to reduce farm fertilizer runoff and municipal sewage overflows that feed the algae, but these measures have not been successful.
Last month, several environmental groups sued the EPA to make a decision and enforce tighter regulations for polluters. Molly Flanagan, of the Alliance for the Great Lakes said "By any measure, western Lake Erie does not meet the Clean Water Act's standards of fishable, drinkable, and swimmable for significant portions of the year."
Monday, Pruitt's EPA said it would not declare Lake Erie's wasters "impaired".
A search of the EPA's website does not show any mention of the issue, but this shocks no one who has seen the direction the EPA has taken under Pruitt's administration. Their silence on the matter is deafening. One cannot imagine Pruitt taking any action against polluters, but it is no stretch of the imagination to think he ignored the science and data behind the studies.
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/ohio/articles/2017-05-23/epa-rejects-declaring-lake-eries-waters-in-ohio-impaired
http://www.freep.com/story/news/columnists/2017/05/23/lake-erie-algae-ohio-epa/339448001/
http://www.cleveland19.com/story/35497783/epa-wont-declare-lake-eries-waters-in-ohio-impaired-by-toxic-algae
http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/EPA-rejects-declaring-Lake-Erie-s-waters-in-Ohio-11167144.php
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