Ohio water from Lake Erie contaminated Microcystin has found its way into residential water supplies, rendering all water supplies unsafe to nearly a half million people in two states.“Costco was like a war zone, and they were limiting to like five cases,” he said.
From USA Today:
Another reminder to make sure you have enough of a most precious commodity on hand.Hours after news of the contamination surfaced, Gov. John Kasich declared a state of emergency for Lucas County and the greater Toledo area and deployed the resources of the National Guard to get water to the area. News of the contaminated water touched off a shopping frenzy at area stores for bottled water and bags of ice. Shelves were emptied of bottles and other water supplies, as residents prepared for the worst.
And literally a week ago, the irony, it burns:Officials said the water is not for drinking or cooking but healthy adults could still use the water for bathing. They warned children not to bathe or swim in it, as they might drink the water accidentally. Residents were warned not to boil the water because it will only increase the toxin's concentration.
Apparently the Governor appointed a new state EPA director in February, last week he says the annual summer algae blooms on Lake Erie have always been concerning, but they're no big deal. Whoops.Even at higher levels, water plants in Oregon and Toledo — two of the most sophisticated in the region — have many safeguards in place to neutralize the toxin and remove it before it can get into the public water supply, officials said. Plant operators are not required to test for microcystin, even though scientists now place it between arsenic and dioxin in terms of its toxicity. Microcystin is capable of killing humans or at least making them sick in large doses.
On a side note, I've researched, but thus far have come up empty. Anyone with better Google-Fu know how to treat water contaminated with Microcystin?