Great Lakes Leaders Call for Drinking Water Protections

A group of Great Lakes mayors and other officials gathered this week in Chicago this week to "talk about ways to protect water resources in light of a recent algae bloom in Lake Erie that wreaked havoc with the drinking water in Toledo, Ohio," reports John Byrne.

According to a release from his press office, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has this to say in reaction to the environmental threats impacting the Great Lakes: "This situation cannot and will not be tolerated as the new normal."

The press release also mentions specific policy actions supported by the mayors at the summit, including:

• "USEPA to establish a common limit and an emergency response protocol for microcystin in drinking water for the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence region"
• "Great Lakes states to establish a phosphorus open lake water quality standard"

The summit was hosted by the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, founded by former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.