In August 2015 we had a micros-tine emergency in the water of Lake Erie because of the algae bloom. The algae actually produced a toxin called microstine. The algae bloom had gotten so large in Lake Erie because of the run-off from Detroit and from the whole Ohio waterway system, that it had grown up to an enormous algae bloom, with the microstine levels enormous as well. When we got to the emergency levels, they actually shut off the drinking water supply for the entire city of Taledo. So about half a million people ended up without any drinking water.
What we ended up having to do was go down the local super-stores and buy up a bunch of bottles of water. Then I had to head out and get tab on my boat, and I had them fill up the water system on my boat as well. We had plenty of water to make it through the three day catastrophe. I’ve been concerned about it every year since.
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As of 2024, the Great Lakes Guide will be transitioning to Biinaagami.org. Biinaagami is a multimedia, change-provoking initiative rooted in Indigenous knowledge aiming to uplift voices and to connect people with their watershed.
