Saw the algae bloom on Lake Erie last week, it's worse than the pictures show

I was up near Toledo and the green scum stretched for what looked like miles from the shore. The guy at the bait shop said it's been getting thicker every summer for the past five years. How are we still letting farm runoff cause this much damage to a whole lake?

2 comments

2 Comments

faith_thomas24d ago

Ugh, that's so grim. It's the same story everywhere, isn't it? We see a problem, we all agree it's bad, but the fix gets lost in arguments about money or jobs. So the green scum just keeps coming back, thicker every year.

wade_hall24d ago

You're right about the money and jobs talk, faith_thomas. But I've been wondering if part of the problem is that we only see the scum when it's a full-blown mess. What if towns put up simple signs at boat ramps showing what the water should look like each month, so people see the change starting early? It might make the slow creep feel more urgent.