Lake Erie could see severe algae bloom.
Research projections suggest Lake Erie’s algae bloom severity could be higher than last year but not as severe as 2015 after wet weather in May led to large phosphorus loads.
Jordan Dale at the National Weather Service in White Lake Township said the climate prediction center has forecast July precipitation to be close to the 3.37-inch average.
Bloom predictions are less than what occurred in 2015, when Lake Erie saw the most severe blooms in recent history.
The toxic blooms led to a three-day ban on drinking water from Lake Erie after toxins were detected in East Toledo and Point Place.
“We’re not seeing a ton of progress yet.
All signs are pointing toward a relatively severe level of bloom this year,” Brammeier said.
“Whether you have a severe toxic bloom and whether you see an impact on the water supply depends on where that bloom is located,” he said.
Last week, the Ohio Lake Erie Commission was charged with reducing phosphorus into western Lake Erie by 40 percent over 10 years.
The NOAA/National Center for Water Quality Research report found that cumulative total loads for bioavailable phosphorus, which lends to rapid algal growth, for the Maumee at the Ohio city of Waterville, “is highly likely to be lower than either 2011 or 2015.

Letter: We can’t tolerate contaminated water.
Water is only safe for drinking and contact when under 6 parts per billion.
All of this is caused by runoff of phosphorus from sewage, manure and fertilizer.
This high level of contamination causes kidney toxicity, diarrhea, vomiting and death.
We should have learned a grave lesson after the toxic algae bloom in 2014 in Lake Erie that left half a million people without clean drinking water for weeks.
Apparently, we have not.
Ohioans need to let Sens.
Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman know that this type of contamination is unacceptable.
We need to call, write, rally, protest and use whatever means necessary to urge them to address this issue and make changes.
We do not want to become another Flint, Michigan.

Beijing: There are signs of hope for China’s notoriously polluted waterways.
A study published in Nature Geoscience has shown phosphorus pollution – a major cause of algal blooms – has fallen by a third in China’s lakes.
Share on Facebook SHARE Share on Twitter TWEET Link Researchers from China’s Renmin University, Peking University and Tianjin University, along with the Norwegian Water Research Institute, sampled water from 862 lakes.
The number of extremely polluted lakes fell by two-thirds between 2006 and 2014.
Ms Deng said a recent study by Greenpeace had found almost half of Chinese provinces didn’t meet the water quality targets set in the 2011-2015 Five-Year Plan.
A water pollution plan introduced by China’s State Council in 2015, covering the next five years, will focus on improving overall water quality, not merely eliminating pollutants, she said.
Share on Facebook SHARE Share on Twitter TWEET Link The Chinese government’s focus on fighting pollution, and the new pressure on officials to meet environmental goals, was brought into sharp focus by the recent shutdown of thousands of tourism businesses on Erhai Lake in Yunnan province.
Chinese media reported last week that instead of the usual throng of summer tourists in the streets, scores of red banners proclaiming "If Erhai lake is clean, Dali will thrive" dominate the streetscape.
Small business owners, many of whom were dubbed "smog refugees" after moving their families to Erhai’s shoreline from Beijing and Shanghai to escape air pollution, have been left without income.
According to the study in Nature Geoscience, improvements in sanitation facilities such as pipelines and waste water treatment plants were the major reason phosphorus levels had fallen in the lakes sampled.

SCIENCE NEWS: Salmon migrate through Delta despite bridge’s influence; Toxic algal bloom in Monterey; Acidified ocean water along West Coast; Understanding a river’s thermal landscape; and more ….
In science news this week: Chinook salmon and green sturgeon migrate through San Francisco Estuary despite large distortions in the local magnetic field produced by bridges; What caused the most toxic algal bloom ever observed in Monterey Bay?
; Illegal marijuana grow sites: A stain upon public lands; Poor predictions: The 2017 salmon season forecast; Acidified ocean water widespread along North America’s west coast; Taking stock: A Klamath biologist takes a look back; ‘Monster’ Lahontan cutthroat making a comeback; Understanding a river’s thermal landscape may be the key to saving it; and more … Chinook salmon and green sturgeon migrate through San Francisco Estuary despite large distortions in the local magnetic field produced by bridges: “Empirical evidence exists that some marine animals perceive and orient to local distortions in the earth’s main static geomagnetic field.
These included Chinook salmon smolts (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) that migrate downstream through the San Francisco Estuary to the Pacific Ocean and adult green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris), which migrate upstream from the ocean through the estuary to their spawning habitat in the upper Sacramento River and return to the ocean after spawning occurs.
… ” Read more from PLOS One here: Chinook salmon and green sturgeon migrate through San Francisco Estuary despite large distortions in the local magnetic field produced by bridges What caused the most toxic algal bloom ever observed in Monterey Bay?
To forecast an index of abundance for Sacramento River Fall-run Chinook (SRFC) salmon, the largest population of salmon in the Central Valley, they use data on the number of fall-run Chinook jacks (two-year old fish) that returned to the river the previous fall.
… ” Read more from Science Daily here: Acidified ocean water widespread along North America’s west coast A spinning fish screen: “FISHBIO has helped install some large fish screens to prevent small fish from getting entrained in water diversions over the years, but sometimes we are reminded that fish screens come in all shapes and sizes.
… ” Read more from Science Daily here: Seacoast roads under new threat from rising sea level Turning the tide on plastic litter: “I can’t remember the last time I walked along the shore and didn’t see plastic debris.
It takes more than 400 years for each piece of plastic to degrade.
… ” Read more from the Cool Green Science blog here: Turning the tide on plastic litter Maven’s XKCD Comic Pick of the Week … Sign up for daily email service and you’ll never miss a post!

STUDY: Viral infection may be linked to 2014 Toledo water crisis.
Microcystis, the cyanobacterial organism responsible for scum-like algal blooms in Lake Erie.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
ANN ARBOR, MI, JUNE 2, 2017 — A virus that infected the cells of cyanobacteria from Lake Erie’s 2014 algal bloom may have played a role in releasing more toxins from the bloom, according to a study published by Environmental Science and Technology.
The study, led by researchers at the University of Tennessee and James Madison University, examined the physiological traits of Microcystis, the cyanobacterial organism responsible for Lake Erie’s algal blooms.
The study showed that the Microcystis cells from 2014 had a viral infection.
The toxins from algal blooms are usually trapped within the cell until the cell dies, but viral infections can cause cells to break open, releasing the toxin into the water.
According to a news release by the University of Michigan, "The scientists documented the viral infection by sequencing RNA from the Toledo water samples.
They also used mathematical models to simulate how the algal blooms moved through water: satellite images were used to pinpoint where the blooms were on certain days and computer models filled gaps in between."
Researchers hope the study will help scientists figure out why cases of algal blooms have grown in the last few years.

Lawmakers to propose tax to clean Delaware’s waters.
Experts say they know how to fix Delaware’s polluted waterways.
A state task force plans to propose an income tax surcharge of up to $40 per person and a new fee on business licenses that they say would raise $20 million annually to clean up Delaware waters.
It’s going to use up the oxygen that’s in the water, and that makes it worse for the fish.” Reducing nutrient pollution is one reason legislators plan to propose the Clean Water for Delaware Act, asking Delawareans to shell out $40 annually and placing a $45 surcharge on business license fees to fuel a fund that would support a slew of clean water projects.
This should be model legislation for how you administer key infrastructure decision-making.” Some balk at tax proposal But not everyone supports a tax increase for clean water projects.
My business that supports families does not need any more taxes to draw funds to help clean things up.” Baxter said legislators should look at cutting other expenses before asking Delawareans to cover the costs of cleaning the state’s waterways.
Jack Markell proposed a clean water tax based on property taxes, which would have made large landowners pay up to $25,000.
“Regardless of how much tax it is, it’s still a tax,” he said.
At Green Acres Farm – better known as Hopkins Farm Creamery – on Route 9 in Lewes, a relatively inexpensive fencing project has made a huge impact on water quality and livestock health.
They’re only going to get worse, and we have got to step up as a coastal state.” More about the proposed bill Individuals would pay a 10 percent surcharge through their personal income tax not to exceed $40 each, and couples filing jointly would pay up to $80, according to draft legislation.

Two teams from the University of Akron hope to make a splash at this week’s Erie Hack, a hackathon-style event, where engineers, scientists, researchers, coders and data and water experts try to solve Lake Erie’s challenges.
And win or lose, both say they plan to pursue their projects.
The hack is sponsored by the Cleveland Water Alliance, and teams from several Great Lakes cities have spent weeks coming up with ways to use technology and data to look at Lake Erie’s problems, such as algae blooms and water pollution.
Both UA teams are concentrating on collecting data about algae blooms, but in different ways.
Their idea: use citizen scientists, many of whom would be students, to help gather information on phosphorus and nitrogen levels in the water, which can contribute to dangerous algae blooms, and collect that information in a central, open-source database.
Siman said the team estimates the kits will cost about $40 each, making it affordable for schools and other organizations.
Several schools, companies and informal learning centers have gotten wind of the Warriors’ idea through Erie Hack, the University of Akron and the team members’ networks, and there is a lot of interest already, Siman said.
"We’ve developed a prototype that is robust enough to pursue," she said.
Hydrosense is the other team with University of Akron ties.
Like the Water Warriors, Hydrosense plans to move forward even if the team don’t come out on top at Erie Hack.

Tool for a cleaner Long Island Sound.
There are 116 rivers, estuaries, harbors, and bays along Long Island Sound, and the amount of nitrogen runoff varies enormously from one to another.
They spent four years collecting data on where the nitrogen comes from in each of the 116 estuaries, rivers, and harbors, because while people may only care a little about Long Island Sound in the abstract, they care a lot about their own specific place.
"[The model] is a tool for citizens and managers to explore the impact of different actions," says Vaudrey, an assistant research professor in marine sciences.
There’s also a page called ‘interesting results’ that shows the 27 places with the highest load of nitrogen per water area.
With this information, decision-makers can identify the most significant sources of nitrogen pollution and use proven solutions — such as upgrading and modernizing septic systems or reducing fertilizer use — to sustain clean water," says Holly Drinkuth, director of outreach and watershed projects at The Nature Conservancy in Connecticut.
Vaudrey hopes to work with organizations adept at outreach, such as The Nature Conservancy, Save the Sound, and the Long Island Sound Study, to better inform management decisions at the local level.
She is also starting work on a second model, one that looks at what happens in the coastal waters once nitrogen is introduced.
"Tool for a cleaner Long Island Sound: Model could help citizens manage nitrogen pollution in their local waterways."
"Tool for a cleaner Long Island Sound: Model could help citizens manage nitrogen pollution in their local waterways."

‘No single cause’ to blame for White River algae bloom.
“We’ve had an issue in the river (algae blooms) we’ve all seen evolving over the last couple of years that’s affecting some of the fishing and having impacts on water quality,” said CPW District Wildlife Manager Director Bill deVergie.
“We are not saying there is one source of the problem, and this is not catastrophic at this point.
I think we’re all striving for the same goal: the health of the river.” deVergie introduced Mindi May, CPW water quality specialist, who shared research done last year in 15 different locations in the White River watershed in and east of Meeker.
They performed algae identification at the Wakara Ranch testing site, where the worst of the algae blooms occurred.
While algae are a normal part of a stream system, the species of algae identified last year is of particular concern: cladophora glomerata, aka green algae, forms long filaments and is “difficult to get rid of,” May said.
“It’s a species that’s really good at taking up nutrients and storing nutrients for later use.” Clark Fork near Missoula, Mont., has also experienced an infestation of green algae, prompting landowners, recreationalists and industry to form a coalition to reduce mitigating factors that cause the algae to grow.
The main byproducts of feeding fish are nitrogen and phosphorus, which has led to international concerns about fish farming causing water pollution and algae blooms.
“There’s lots of little sources spread all around.
It’s been so thick at our Fifth Street sampling site it’s hard to get around in the river, and the macroinvertebrate counts are a lot lower.

Essay example – Water Pollution.
The river use to stream through the forest of the hardwoods.
The livestock waste was streamed into the Fork West making it extremely polluted making the vertebrates in the river to perish which in turn led to a decrease in fish population in the stream.
This animal waste also led to algal bloom which worsens the conditions of waters in this river which later leads to death of fish due to lack of oxygen.
The pesticides and insecticides used in the farms gets its way into the waters of river West Fork polluting its waters.
This made pollution more terrible to the marine life in the river at that point in time.
This destroyed the natural environment which was a catchment area for this river and a source of living to many downstream.
The development of ditches and trenches led to the destruction of water catchment areas which were formally of a quality nature.
This pollution led to degradation of the water of this stream and lives of the people who live downstream .The people down the stream use the river both for domestic use and other farming activities.
The water could therefore have negative effects on their health since it may lead to contamination of water and food.