Lake Erie Algae Bloom Growing Again

The algae bloom in Lake Erie has spread to cover much of the edge of Lake Eerie near Toledo, but toxins remain low where local communities draw drinking water supply.

1 minute read

October 4, 2017, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Maumee River

Algae see spread across the Maumee River in Toledo, Ohio on September 22, 2017. | NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory / Flickr

Jugal K. Patel and Yuliya Parshina-Kottas provide in-depth, feature coverage of the infamous Lake Erie algae bloom, which made news in 2014, but has recently been turning Lake Erie and the Maumee River green and potentially toxic again.

The risk of algae blooms comes from the likelihood that they produce toxins like microcystis. "Dangerous levels of the toxin caused Toledo, Ohio, to shut down the drinking water supply of a half-million residents for three days in 2014," according to the article. Some 3 million residents rely on the Central Basin of Lake Eerie for drinking water, so there's a very essential risk, but tourism for recreation like fishing and beach-going are also at risk when algae blooms grow.

And the algae blooms have grown in recent decades, due to the impact of the regional agricultural industry. "According to one study by the Carnegie Institute for Science and Stanford University , most of the increase in the size of the blooms can be attributed to a rise in the amount of dissolved phosphorus flowing into the lake," write Patel and Parshina-Kottas.

The article is supplemented with lots of images and infographics to illustrate the scale of the environmental disaster persisting around Lake Erie.

Tuesday, October 3, 2017 in The New York Times

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Bend, Oregon

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing

The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

6 hours ago - Strong Towns

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

7 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive

Green Skid Row mural satirizing city limit sign in downtown Los Angeles, California.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents

The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.

July 14 - Los Angeles Public Press