Liver Toxin from Blue-green Algae Found in Water Treatment Plant in Ohio

For the first time, the same toxic blue-green algae that have plagued Lake Erie and other waterways across Ohio for years have been detected in raw water at the Dublin Road treatment plant.

The treated drinking water is safe, said Laura Young Mohr, a spokeswoman for the Columbus Department of Public Utilities. But keeping it safe will cost the city more this year, officials say.

Levels of two toxins produced by the blue-green algae called cyanobacteria are below detectible levels in the treated water, said Heidi Griesmer, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

The liver toxin microcystin was detected at the plant during sampling of raw water on Aug. 28 and Aug. 31, according to the Ohio EPA. The levels — 1 part per billion on Aug. 28 and 0.97 ppb on Aug. 31 — are lower than the safety threshold for adults issued by U.S. EPA.

Still, microcystin indicates the presence of blue-green algae, and that has caused problems for other public water systems across the United States.

“Is that a sign of things that concern us in the watershed? Absolutely?” Mohr said.

Last year, the city spent nearly $1 million to treat water at Hap Cremean after another type of algae — anabaena — fouled the supply and caused the water to smell and taste weird. Mohr said this year, the city could spend nearly $2 million to treat water at both the Dublin Road and Hap Cremean plants.

The city is using additional powdered, activated carbon to treat the algae.

Griesmer said boaters and others who use the Scioto River are safe, too. She said the levels detected are below the 6 parts per billion threshold for recreation standards.

Microcystin can cause vomiting, diarrhea and skin irritation among other symptoms and has killed dogs and livestock. Long-term exposure can damage the liver and kidneys.

Toxic blue-green algae are common in most Ohio lakes and grow thick in warm, still water by feeding on phosphorus from manure, sewage and fertilizers that rain washes into waterways.

Cyanobacteria are common in Lake Erie and inland lakes including Grand Lake St. Marys in western Ohio and Buckeye Lake in central Ohio.

Last year, Toledo’s public water supply was tainted with so much microcystin that officials told nearly 500,000 people in northwest Ohio and southeastern Michigan to stop drinking water.

This year, the blue-green algae bloom in Lake Erie stretches from Toledo past Cleveland.

Griesmer said Ohio EPA has increased its outreach to water systems since last year by making available $1 million for testing equipment and $100 million in no-interest loans over two years to for infrastructure improvements.

But Jen Miller, director of the Ohio chapter of the Sierra Club, said the state needs to enact what she called “common-sense, public-health protections” to reduce fertilizer and manure runoff from farm fields.

“This is not a Columbus problem, this is an Ohio problem,” Miller said.

At the same time, the Ohio EPA is reporting additional algae blooms on the Ohio River. The agency is working with Kentucky and West Virginia in taking water samples at various sites along the waterway. In some spots, the levels are testing 250 ppb.

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