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Collins Park Water Treatment Plant Manager discusses water testing process

Recently, many Toledo resident wondered how the Collins Park Water Treatment Plan tests the water and from where does the water come.

TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - Recently, many Toledo resident wondered how the Collins Park Water Treatment Plan tests the water and from where does the water come.

Testing is a three hour process that involved freezing then unfreezing the water before testing the microcystin levels.

Before, a human would have to would have to do the testing. Now, a machine, bough from a grant from the Ohio EPA, takes care of the work.

The city does tests daily during the Harmful Algal Bloom season.

"Two days this week was non-detect and then it came back up a little bit the last two days," Collins Park Plant Manager Andy McClure said. "There is really nothing set it stone about how many days non-detect in the intake crib before you call the algae season over."

Those at the plant say even if they detect microcystin in the intake from the Lake, the water is not the same coming into your house.

"When it is detected, our potassium promaginate can oxidize the microcystin," McClure said. "We have powder activated carbon to absorb it, both of those chemicals have quadrouple defeat capacity since August of 2014."

McClure says the plant is not exactly doing more work three years after the water crisis, rather they have better information and a better treatment process. This allows them to respond more quickly to rising microcystin levels.

"For this season, it's over and we handled it," McClure said. "We had some higher levels this year than we had last year. We're pretty confident and we're developing more confidence in the process with time as we get to use it."

You can still see the results of their daily testing on the city's website.

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