5 Places Where The Bacteria That Just Contaminated Ohio’s Water Supply Might Strike N

[ScienceRocks]

5 Places Where The Bacteria That Just Contaminated Ohio’s Water Supply Might Strike Next

5 Places Where The Bacteria That Just Contaminated Ohio's Water Supply Might Strike Next | ThinkProgress

A two-day water ban affecting more than 400,000 people in and around Toledo, Ohio was lifted on Monday, after state officials determined that a dangerous toxin in the water had dissipated. That toxin was called microcystin, and was created by a swift, massive increase in cyanobacteria — commonly known as blue-green algae.

But the toxic algal bloom that poisoned Ohio’s water is not just Ohio’s problem. The EPA defines these blooms as a “major environmental problem” in all 50 states. The last EPA National Lakes Assessment noted that out of more than 123,000 lakes greater than 10 acres in size spread across the U.S., at least one-third may contain the toxic algae. And consuming microcystis can be deadly — it has been known to kill dogs and livestock, and can cause abnormal liver function, diarrhea, vomiting, and other symptoms in humans.

Two of the biggest reasons for the severity of algal blooms are phosphorus and nitrogen — excess runoff of which largely comes from urban and industrial agricultural land runoff. But another reason is climate change, as the toxic bacteria thrive in warm, nutrient-rich waters. And as climate change fuels more heavy rainfall events, sewer systems are likely to be more quickly overwhelmed, leading to the release of bacteria- and pathogen-rich sewage into waterways across the country.

 

[Mr. H.]

Shirley agriculture isn't culpable. It's got to be those millions of hydraulically fractured oil and gas wells spread across this great nation.