Sickening. And Now Sick-Inducing?
People who live on large water bodies in Wisconsin — Lake Winnebago, Petenwell and Castle Rock, Tainter and Menomin — have suffered for years from nasty algae blooms produced by phosphorus that comes from farm fields. It is unsightly, smelly and harmful to you if you ingest it or expose your skin to it.
The River Alliance has worked for years with citizen groups to focus attention on the root cause of algae blooms and push for solutions. (Most obvious solution: Agriculture HAS to do a better job reducing its runoff. Industry and cities have done their part to nearly eliminate phosphorus coming from their pipes.)
Officials in Toledo, Ohio, took no chances last summer when the algae bloom in Lake Erie — Toledo’s source of drinking water — got so bad they told people not to drink it.
It’s becoming clearer that pollution-caused algae is not just an annoyance; it is now a public health issue.