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Lake Erie algae bloom reaches record level in 2015

Meteorologist Ryan Wichman says 2015's algae bloom was the largest on record for Lake Erie.

TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - Meteorologist Ryan Wichman says 2015's algae bloom was the largest on record for Lake Erie.

Heavy late June rains played a pivotal role in the record bloom development. It reached a 10.5 on the severity scale developed by NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The peak of the bloom was in early August when over 300 square miles of the lake was covered by thick algae scum.

Earlier summer forecasts from NOAA this summer projected the bloom would likely end up between an 8.0 to 9.0, so this clearly went beyond the projections. 2011 holds the second highs ranking on bloom severity this century with a 10.0.

Although the bloom was one for the record books, scientists say the algae was relatively low in toxicity, allowing cities to filter dangerous microcystin out of drinking water. That helped the city of Toledo avoid a drinking water crisis like the one that shut down water consumption in the Toledo area for two and a half days.

Wichman reports that another factor in the lack of a water crisis was that the algae bloom stayed further out in Lake Erie, away from the western basin in the Toledo area.

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