Varje år, en explosion av mikroskopiskt liv råder över västra Erie -sjön, bildar en grön slicka av alger och bakterier så massiva och levande att den kan ses från rymden.

Den skadliga algen blommar slem fiskebåtar, målar stränder i gifter och slukar vattenintagssängar. Under 2014, det lämnade 400, 000 människor utan dricksvatten i tre dagar efter att toxiner infiltrerat Toledos vattensystem. Då-Gov. John Kasich förklarade undantagstillstånd och kallade in National Guard för att dela ut vatten på flaska vid en incident som visade att dricksvatten från sjön Erie var i fara.

Det här året, blomningen var bland de allvarligaste och giftigaste sedan forskare började hålla koll i början av 2000 -talet. På sin topp, den belagde cirka 620 kvadratkilometer av Lake Eries ytvatten, ett område som är mer än dubbelt så stort som Chicago, enligt satellitbilder. Den stora vikten av blågröna bakterier som utgör blomningen-beräknas vara runt 46, 000 ton - förväntades bli ett nytt rekord.

"Om du gjorde en bildsökning på Google efter" Toledo -vatten, "Det som skulle dyka upp är Toledos silhuett där Maumee River ser ut som Chicago River på (St. Patrick's Day), "Borgmästaren Wade Kapszukiewicz sa." Den enda skillnaden är att vi inte har lagt något färgämne i den. "

Klimatförändringarna äventyrar två av de mest värdefulla resurserna i Mellanvästern:mat och vatten, enligt federala studier. Större nederbörd och kraftigare stormar urholkar några av de rikaste jordarna i USA och, genom att göra så, tvätta blominducerande gödningsmedel från åkermarker till sjön Erie. Mer frekventa skyfall överväger också ibland föråldrade avloppssystem, släppa ut en mängd råa avloppsvatten i vattenvägar, ytterligare förorenande och försämrande vattenkvalitet.

Under tiden, varmare temperaturer gör att mikroberna inom algblomningen-särskilt de toxinproducerande bakterierna-kan blomstra i större antal och under flera månader på året, medför förhöjda och långvariga risker för dricksvatten, vilda djur och turistindustrin på 15,1 miljarder dollar längs Ohio kust.

The Great Lakes är alla anslutna och rymmer tillsammans 20% av världens färska ytvatten, men varje sjö har unika egenskaper - djup, form, storlek och omgivning - vilket gör dem sårbara för olika aspekter av klimatförändringar.

Alger blommar förekommer årligen över hela regionen i grunt, skyddade vatten som Saginaw Bay i Lake Huron och Green Bay i Lake Michigan. En stor algblomning utvecklades till och med en gång i de normalt orörda vattnen i Lake Superior nära apostelöarna, en förebud om att ingen miljö är immun.

Faran är mest akut i Lake Erie - de grundaste, sydligaste och varmaste av de stora sjöarna - som är en naturlig inkubator för dessa kolonier av mikroorganismer.

Medan länder över hela världen står inför torka och vattenosäkerhet, Det är en bitter ironi att vissa samhällen som sitter i utkanten av planetens största sötvattensystem - mer än 11 ​​miljoner människor är beroende av sjön Erie för att dricka vatten - tvingas köpa vatten på flaska.

"När befolkningen exploderar, vatten kommer att vara den mest värdefulla resursen på planeten jorden i slutet av detta århundrade. Det är därför den största fördelen som denna del av landet har. Denna region - regionen Great Lakes, snöbältet, rostbältet, vad du än vill kalla det-har mött svåra tider under de senaste 50-60 åren, "Kapszukiewicz sa." Men ... om vi kan hålla ut, vi kan vara den mest värdefulla delen av landet. Uppriktigt sagt, med det vi har, (Mellanvästern) kan vara Saudiarabien om 100 år. Vi kan bara inte slösa bort det. "

Miljarder dollar har spenderats för att övervaka Lake Eries vattenkvalitet, renovering av dricksvattenrening och minskning av avloppsvatten. Men den största bidragsgivaren till dessa blomningar - jordbruksavrinning, som är ansvarig för upp till 89% av den fosfor som strömmar till Erie -sjön - förblir i stort sett oreglerad.

"Mängden gödsel från grisar, kycklingar och kor som går in i västra bassängen, som sipprar obehandlat direkt in i Erie -sjön, motsvarar ungefär allt mänskligt avfall från städerna Chicago och Los Angeles tillsammans, "Sa Kapszukiewicz." Det är bara hur mycket djurgödsel som går in obehandlat - jag pratar inte ens om vad de sprayar på grödor. Det är därför vi lever i den värld vi lever i. "

Den 1, 500 kvadratkilometer som omger Maumee -floden var en gång känd som Great Black Swamp, ett kärrland som främjade en mängd djurliv och naturligt filtrerade näringsämnen genom växtrötter.

När europeiska nybyggare anlände till nordvästra Ohio i början av 1800 -talet, de tappade gradvis träsket, konvertera den till jordbruksmark och introducera boskapen som skulle producera en koncentrerad gödselkälla. Närliggande städer växte i storlek, inte bara pumpa sitt eget avloppsavfall i floderna, men också tillsättning av fosfat tvättmedel innan de förbjöds rikstäckande 1994.

På 60- och 70 -talen, Lake Erie var så full av näringsföroreningar att den förklarades "död". Enligt lagen om rent vatten, genomfördes 1972, USA slog till mot kommunala avloppsreningsanläggningar, industriella förorenare och andra bidragsgivare. Och, ett tag, algerna blommar av.

Under de senaste två decennierna har dock, blommorna har återvänt lika stora som någonsin.

Forskare säger att sjön Erie historiskt har utstått skadliga alger men den moderna storleken antas öka på grund av mänskliga aktiviteter och klimatförändringar.

Varje år, som smältande vintersnöpackning och vårregn kaskader över landsbygden i nordvästra Ohio, en ström av vatten spolar en ofattbar mängd gödsel och kommersiellt gödsel från jordbruksmarker till Maumee River, a 137-mile waterway carrying waste from Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Toledo, and eventually flowing into the shallowest end of Erie. Under tiden, throughout the year, Detroit routinely pumps wastewater and sewage into its namesake river, as do other major metros.

These rivers become fuses as fecal-laden waters plunge into western Lake Erie. Nutrients—particularly phosphorus—trigger an eruption of microscopic algae, according to Chris Winslow, director of the Ohio Sea Grant, a research and education collaborative led by Ohio State University.

Just as humans need vitamins to grow, so does algae. Järn, potassium and nitrogen are essential and available in ample amounts. Human and animal excrement contain the missing ingredient:phosphorus.

"You bump up the phosphorus, and they are just waiting to capitalize off of it, " Winslow said.

An analysis of aerial photographs and state permit data identified 775 hog, nötkreatur, dairy and poultry operations in the Maumee River watershed in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan in 2018—a 42% increase since 2005, according to a report by the Environmental Law and Policy Center and the Environmental Working Group, nonprofit advocacy groups. Of the large-scale "factory farms" in the watershed, more than a quarter had expanded since being built. Although the Maumee only contributes 5% of the water entering Lake Erie, it is so loaded with phosphorus that it is the main driver of the algae blooms.

The most potent form of phosphorus, unblended with soils, acts as a catalyst for blooms each year. The amount of this full-strength phosphorus has increased 140% since 1990. Some experts suspect this can be attributed to a change in farming practices, namely no-till farming—a technique intended to curb soil erosion, but one in which layers of manure piled on top of farmland are more easily carried away by heavy rains.

Winslow said other factors are also at play.

"We have zebra mussels in our lake filtering the water differently than 40 years ago, " he said. "We have larger farm operations. We have increased rainfall and runoff to take nutrients from the land into the water. We have warmer temperatures, and these organisms like warmer temperatures. Some of these things have more of an impact than others, but there's a lot of moving parts."

This fall, the Ohio countryside was a desolate mud pit marked by rampant weeds, standing water and stunted crops.

Over 880, 000 acres intended for corn and nearly 600, 000 acres for soybeans were left barren this year, as farmers opted to take insurance money rather than risk a meager harvest.

Ty Higgins, spokesman for the Ohio Farm Bureau, described rural Ohio this fall as the "end of the world."

Bönder, han sa, can use drought-resistant corn. They can plant strains that perform better in heat. But there's no silver bullet for rain.

"That's one curveball Mother Nature can throw farmers that they don't have a workaround, " Higgins said.

Climatologists say the region has become soggier.

A spike in greenhouse gases, largely from man-made carbon emissions, has driven global temperatures upward, enligt National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. For every degree of warming, the atmosphere can hold 4% more moisture, which can translate into heavier and more severe downpours.

Since 1951, the Great Lakes region has seen a 2.3 degree rise in temperatures, a 14% uptick in annual precipitation and a 35% increase in the most intense storms. I det senaste året, the rain, snow and flooding across the Midwest was one for the record books.

Between September 2018 and August 2019, the Buckeye State endured the wettest 12 months on record since NOAA began keeping precipitation statistics in 1895.

Chris Weaver, 45, of Lyons, was one of the few who decided to plant this year—not that he had much of a choice. His family-owned dairy peddles three commodities:milk, meat and manure. With 3, 000 cows on one farm in Williams County, his employees work around the clock corralling cattle into milking stalls. He depends on 5, 000 acres of cropland for feed.

And each fall, Weaver draws from a manure pond the size of a football field to fertilize his land.

Manure, some might argue, is the greatest commodity for farmers with livestock. Not only does it benefit crop growth, the excess can be sold. Weaver charges about $400 to cover an acre.

"Grandpa always told me, "It smells like money to me, "" said Higgins, the farm bureau spokesman.

In the fall of 2018, because of the onslaught of rain, most farmers didn't get a chance to put fertilizer down. Those who did witnessed that money carried downstream in this year's spring rains.

It wasn't until July 1, about two months later than normal, that Weaver was able to get most of his corn, soybean and alfalfa crops in the ground. Weaver had some reserves to feed his cattle but not enough to make it a whole year without a harvest.

He was still anxiously monitoring the weather throughout the fall, praying there wouldn't be an early frost. He managed to reap his corn by mid-October while his soybeans withstood several inches of snow in November. The harvest, han sa, would be enough to make it without buying reserves.

"It has to be a one-off, " Weaver said, almost as if trying to convince himself. "We've had a lot of wetter years. But if it happens again next year, I'm going to really be scratching my head about what I'm doing.

"It's hard to imagine, " han sa, with his voice trailing off. If July 1 became the start of planting season, "I don't think we'd ever have corn here ever again."

In addition to sweeping manure and commercial fertilizer into waterways, the rain turns soil into claylike mud that prevents oxygen from reaching crop roots, killing the plants. Soggy soil also makes the land harder to tend, because large farms require heavy machinery, including tractors, prone to getting stuck in the muck.

Some farmers plant cover crops, such as peas and oats, in the fall to help absorb moisture from saturated soils and hold the nutrients from fertilizer in place. The problem is, these crops don't offer much of a return on investment. Och, at the end of the day, farming is a business.

Weaver, dock, sees other benefits beyond the monetary value. His in-laws live in the Toledo area and go camping each year near the lakeshore. It's also where he goes walleye fishing.

"Overall it's something where maybe I'm breaking even, but I'm doing something to help the environment, " Weaver said. "I think every farmer is recognizing that (cities like Toledo) are affected, that they have to do better.

"We're only an hour from Lake Erie, so it's our backyard too."

But Weaver is in the minority. Enligt US Department of Agriculture, cover crops were used on less than 10% of cropland in Ohio in 2017.

Downstream, the Toledo area braces each year for verdant, bacteria-choked waters, no-swim advisories at beaches and noxious odors from scummy bays.

The morning of Saturday, 2 augusti, 2014, Crystal Jankowski, nearly nine months pregnant, awoke before dawn and noticed a number of missed calls from family members. Jankowski, whose father was ailing from liver and kidney failure, feared grim news about his condition.

Istället, Jankowski was jolted by ominous instructions from her mother:"Tell Josh to go find water—now! There's something wrong with the water."

More than 400, 000 people and hundreds of businesses adjacent to the world's 13th largest lake suddenly found themselves without potable water.

The culprit was Microcystis aeruginosa, a blue-green cyanobacteria known to create a toxin more lethal than cyanide or antifreeze. Its poison, which can cause liver failure, was so efficient at killing animals that scientists originally termed it "fast death factor." In one of the most deadly episodes, more than 50 people died in Brazil in 1996 when hospital patients were exposed to unfiltered water containing the toxin. Scientists say no deaths attributed to these toxins have been reported in the U.S.

In Toledo, the bloom had drifted from Maumee Bay and engulfed the city's water intake 3 miles offshore and then stalled, leaving the neon green bloom to linger for days.

At the treatment plant, a lab test showed an alarming result:The drinking water had been compromised.

Following the historic shutdown, Ohioans went on a maddening search for water, many crossing state lines.

Josh Jankowski moved through the crush of people rummaging barren grocery store aisles. Nearly three hours later, he returned with a package of baby wipes and a bottle of Pedialyte.

Not long after that, Crystal Jankowski began having contractions. The couple rushed to the hospital, where the emergency room was abnormally busy for a Saturday morning.

"Everyone thought they were sick. They had woken up, drank their coffee, took a shower. And then the morning news told people not to drink the water, och, if you did, here are the symptoms, " Hon sa.

Nurses told Crystal Jankowski to go home. She wasn't ready to give birth, but even if she had been, the hospital was not accepting some patients for surgery because it didn't have access to sterile water.

"It was just scary. Nothing prepared you for this, " Hon sa.

The National Guard arrived to distribute one case of water per family, but fights broke out in the parking lot. Social media was filled with people describing futile searches for water.

"It brought out the best and worst of human nature at the same time, " Kapszukiewicz, the mayor, sa. "There was a lot of generosity:neighbors helping neighbors, a sort of charitable spirit, a lot of volunteerism. But it also produced a sort of ghoulish (behavior). Convenience stores were quickly out of water all of a sudden. The price of bottled water spiked unnaturally at other stores. It was a traumatic event for the community, and five years later we're still dealing with the aftershocks of it."

With her contractions still far apart, Crystal Jankowski and her husband drove 40 miles to a friend's house and filled coolers, jugs and other containers with water.

They delivered them to friends and family members, then Josh Jankowski boiled some water and drew his wife a lukewarm bath. Both went to sleep hoping the crisis would be resolved before their daughter was due.

The next afternoon, moments before Crystal Jankowski returned to the hospital, Toledo officials announced the drinking water was safe.

But even after 12 hours of labor and complications from bleeding, the water was still foremost in Crystal Jankowski's mind.

"I was a big bubble of paranoia, " Crystal Jankowski, 31, sa. "All these things were going through my head. Did the doctor wash his hands with old water? Are they covered in toxins now? I wasn't intending to breastfeed, but I did. Because you need to mix the formula with water, and I didn't know where they were getting their water.

"As a mom, it makes me want to cry, " Jankowski said, her voice quavering with emotion. "Every mother should enjoy the first time they hold their child. They shouldn't be stressing about whether there are toxins in the water."

Lake Erie's noteworthy green tinge is the result of a medley of algae and bacteria. Växtplankton, a microscopic green algae, is food for small organisms. Cyanobacteria, sometimes called blue-green algae, is actually an aquatic bacteria that captures sunlight for energy and produces oxygen like regular algae, but some also produce toxins that are harmful to humans and animals.

Microcystis aeruginosa is the most prevalent cyanobacteria found in Lake Erie. But it is just one of roughly a dozen that have collectively staked a larger claim since the introduction of invasive zebra and quagga mussels in the 1980s.

The fingernail-size shellfish filter copious amounts of water, ravenously eating the beneficial green algae and plankton that feed fish. The mussels don't consume the cyanobacteria, som, i tur och ordning, allows it to increasingly dominate the bloom.

While every type of cyanobacteria doesn't create toxins, it's clear that Lake Erie's annual bloom is becoming progressively more toxic. Sedan 2014 har statlig, state and local agencies have conducted routine water sampling for toxins, with 2019 being among the years when it was most severe.

Scientists are continuing to find new harmful substances produced by cyanobacteria, though they don't fully understand why these bacteria secrete them.

Researchers have theories. Some believe the cyanobacteria are producing toxins to kill a perceived competitor. Others believe that the bacteria cells produce toxins as nourishment when they are stressed. There is also evidence that links toxin production to the levels of nitrogen (an abundant nutrient also found in excrement) in the water.

No matter the reason, residents of Toledo remain on high alert.

Since the crisis, the Jankowskis store more than a dozen jugs of water in the basement. They've had a $3, 000 water filtration system installed for their shower and sinks. And they don't drink from the tap.

Mayor Kapszukiewicz is trying to erase these kinds of fears. Elected three years after the water crisis, he tries to drink tap water in public whenever possible. He kept the pressure on suburban communities that threatened to bolt the Toledo water system, which would have been a significant financial loss for the city. And his administration created an online dashboard showing the safety of drinking water that he intends to retire because it has never dropped below the "Safe" threshold.

There are no federal regulations on the amount of cyanobacteria toxins that can be in drinking water. Men, in the aftermath of August 2014, the Collins Park water treatment plant quadrupled its capacity for carbon activated powder and chlorine, chemicals used to remove these toxins.

Toledo also accelerated the construction timeline for a new form of water treatment using ozone, a technique that is much more efficient at destroying cyanobacteria toxins. Since the 2014 crisis, the city has also vowed to find an alternative water source.

Before 2014, it could take as long as 12 hours to get test results on water quality. Nu, a network of buoys is the first line of defense and produces results almost immediately.

The buoys are equipped with underwater cameras that measure cloudiness and pigment, which signals the severity of the bloom and toxins, according to Ed Verhamme, a coastal engineer for LimnoTech, an environmental consulting firm.

"An entire day can go by and you only have an opportunity to look at two samples, " Verhamme said, referring to the former testing method. "That's why buoys are so important because every 10 minutes they give you a proxy for intensity of the bloom."

Applying chlorine, a chemical commonly used in water treatment, to water with large amounts of organic matter like algae can result in disinfection byproducts. The long-term health implications from consuming these substances are unclear. Research has linked some to an increased risk of certain cancers and miscarriage.

The new treatment is scheduled to go online August 2020 and should curb the amount of these incidental byproducts.

The adjustments that have been made and overhauls to come are unlikely to change things for Markie Miller, an activist for Toledoans for Safe Water, who has lived near Lake Erie her entire life. In the five years since the water ban, Miller, 30, said every summer is marked by caution and paranoia.

At the height of harmful algae blooms, many people will only drink bottled water. Drinking Toledo tap water has been compared to swallowing swimming pool water because of the pungent taste of residual chlorine. At local restaurants, complimentary glasses of water go untouched. Many of Miller's friends don't order coffee or other beverages that might require tap water as the base. And when using her Brita water filter, Miller sometimes will pour out an entire pitcher because she thinks the purified water still has a strange taste.

Even after amassing an encyclopedic knowledge of local water issues, Miller sometimes finds it hard to distinguish between a justifiable concern and a manifestation of her fears.

"The people at the water treatment plant are always ready to tell you that they are ready with an arsenal of chemicals, that we're prepared for another 2014. But I'm like, is this just as bad as ingesting toxins? Is it worse? jag vet inte. It does make you nervous, " Miller said. "I've done dishes to the point where my hands turn red, and I stop and think, "Is this all in my head? Am I freaking myself out because I know too much about this?" Efter ett tag, it gets to you."

But this mindset is ingrained in local culture. At the height of summer, when most coastal communities flock to the beach, the beaches in western Lake Erie are deserted.

Many coastal areas are marked by signs with ominous advice:"Avoid swallowing lake water." In some instances, the state Department of Health ordered people not to even touch the water, given certain levels of toxins can cause rashes and burns.

"I know growing up here in this area every year, we would go up north to enjoy the beach in Lake Huron. It wasn't until I reached adulthood that I realized how close we lived to Lake Erie or that it was our source of drinking water, " Miller said.

"When people say they're going to the beach, your first response is "Well, where are you going?""

The algae blooms have even become popularized in a green beer, "Alegae Bloom, " served in a can with comic book-like art depicting a green swamp creature emerging from the water.

Det här året, on the fifth anniversary of the water crisis, Miller and other activists went to Maumee Bay State Park. The weather was beautiful. It was sunny and bright. But the water was a radiant green, and there was nobody at the beach.

Other communities should take heed of what is occurring in Lake Erie, environmentalists say. These same cyanobacteria capable of creating toxins are found in ponds, floder, lakes and oceans across the world—and with climate change, conditions are more conducive to their growth.

"In general, many of us have the view that these organisms can be world travelers, " said Greg Dick, a researcher at the University of Michigan who studies cyanobacteria. "They can travel across continents. There is some evidence they can be aerosolized in little droplets and clouds. They can get up in the jet stream.

"We have this saying when it comes to microbes:Everything is everywhere, and then the environment selects."

The southern end of Lake Michigan is an unlikely home for sizable blooms, due in part to the reversing of the Chicago River, a historic feat that sends much of Chicago's waste into the Mississippi River basin, contributing to the bloom in the Gulf of Mexico instead of Lake Michigan.

Treating for toxins is a palliative approach, according to environmental advocates.

The broader issue with algae and bacteria blooms traces to phosphorus pollution. Sedan 2011, former Gov. Kasich spent more than $3 billion on Erie's algae blooms, most of which went toward curbing sewage overflows from wastewater treatment plants and upgrading drinking water facilities.

Dock, in any given year, urban and suburban wastewater only contributes about 9% of the phosphorus flowing into western Lake Erie, at most. These wastewater treatment plants are regulated by the Clean Water Act, and Detroit's—the watershed's largest—has curtailed its phosphorus pollution by more than 51% since 2008.

Agricultural runoff, å andra sidan, is responsible for as much as 89% and is not regulated under the Clean Water Act. År 2015, the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, a binational pact between the U.S. and Canada, established a goal of slashing phosphorus pollution into western Erie by 20% by 2020, a mark that experts say will surely be missed.

Ohio's Republican-controlled state legislature has prohibited farmers from spreading manure under certain conditions, such as ahead of a rain forecast or when soil is too saturated. Farmers who want to fertilize more than 50 acres are also required to be certified on best practices. But the majority of legislative and executive proposals have been voluntary.

Higgins, the farm bureau spokesman, said it would be rash to implement stricter regulations for farmers.

"Every farmer is different, " he said. "Whether it's their soil type, their topography, their equipment—it's not a one-size-fits-all solution. That would be easy if we just said, "Every farmer do this." There's 50 different ways to skin this problem."

Förra året, most farmers didn't fertilize, because of the rainy weather. But this spring's phosphorus pollution was the second highest since a team of government and university researchers began forecasting the bloom in 2002. Farmers say this absolves them and illustrates there are other sources that need to be investigated.

Dock, scientists who study the blooms say this is only confirmation that farm fields have been so overfertilized that residual fertilizer from previous years is continuing to contribute to the problem.

Considering the amount of phosphorus entering Lake Erie has held steady, Kapszukiewicz says, state efforts simply haven't been enough. And those most affected by the fallout continue to be frustrated because the issue is out of their control.

"The state of Ohio has been pretty good at providing carrots, " Kapszukiewicz said. "It has been horrible at offering sticks. Carrots are good. Kasich spent $3 billion worth of carrots. The legislature gave us another $172 million worth of carrots this year. But all the carrots in the world aren't going to fix this problem without a stick."

A band of Toledoans petitioned to put a referendum on the February ballot that would create a Lake Erie Bill of Rights, a designation to grant the lake the same rights as a person. It would also allow environmentalists to sue on behalf of the lake.

It passed with 61% of voter support. Sedan, just as quickly as it was adopted, it was nixed by the legislature, which prohibited legal actions on "behalf of nature or an ecosystem."

In a flurry of recent litigation in federal court, local communities and environmental groups are seeking a cap on the daily amount of nutrient pollution that can enter western Lake Erie. Under the Clean Water Act, any body of water deemed impaired needs to have a federally enforceable plan to remedy its degraded status.

The Ohio EPA had already deemed western Lake Erie impaired but designated it a low priority, which brought on another lawsuit calling for the federal government to force the state to take action.

But locals like Markie Miller already knew that Lake Erie is impaired. För dem, the designation was simply semantics; they want progress.

"It's like, if this has been a problem for so long, why haven't we taken action before?" Miller said. "Why wasn't it until it hit our kitchen sinks that we started going, 'Maybe we need to solve this problem?'"

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