In Ohio, half a million people told not to drink tap water infected with toxin linked to algae bloom

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The Governor of Kentucky pledged his support and promised a massive shipment of Ale-8-One.

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This caught my eye

“Scientists had predicted a significant bloom of the blue-green algae this year”

and then…

“The algae growth is fed by phosphorous mainly from farm fertilizer runoff and sewage treatment plants”

Theeere it is.

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At least Erie is clean enough to have something living in it…
I remember an article when I was a kid where they were able to develop photos with Erie water.

I was wrong, – it was Lake Ontario (and I wasn’t exactly a kid)
Lake Erie probably would have dissolved the film back in the day.

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Not to mention the Cuyahoga River, which has caught fire twice. Oh, the good old days…

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I think I remember that episode

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Pretty much anyone paying attention to this knew this was coming if the state didn’t crack down on phosphorus application. Without any change, there is a good chance of this spreading into the central basin enough to hit Cleveland’s water system in the next decade.

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Tomorrow I’ll be around a group of farmers who hate regulation and like to gripe about it. I feel the need to bring up Toledo tomorrow.

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I’ve seen this on a few social media sites now, and I think there should be a handy flowchart telling people (or social media posters) to STFU since less than 0.15% of the US (let alone the ROW) is affected and most people have 0% chance of drinking contaminated water.

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Don’t make us invade you to protect our shared Great Lakes. (Though Ontario probably dumps a bunch of shit in them too)

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Peak Phosphorus?

Don’t worry. Be happy.

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What happens when we hit Peak Crisis? When the woulds natural supply of Crises finally run out? Though I’m sure we clever humans will find a way to create a more sustainable Crisis Friendly Environment. :wink:

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Crises are a renewable resource. The Illuminati will see to that. This is how they keep us preoccupied and squabbling amongst ourselves so they can reap the profits.

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I did not see any mention in the LA Times article of whether a reverse osmosis system would remove such critters from the water. This would seem to be a highly relevant fact and very helpful knowledge for at least tens of thousands of people.

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It was also Lake Erie, and it was as quite some time ago.

I remembered a documentary entitled “Who Killed Lake Erie?” Turns out it was from 1969.

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It was Lake Erie that died; but it was Lake Eerie that returned from beyond the grave.

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Citation that debunks this one?


Or the wikipedia on drinking water in the US that states about 10% of community water systems were out of compliance with EPA standards?

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Given the context I thought this would be inferred, but I should have said “most people have 0% chance of drinking [the] contaminated water [described in this popular social media story].” My language was admittedly imprecise and clearly failed to unambiguously convey what I wanted it to, though, so you’re right about that.

Also, water systems being out of EPA compliance doesn’t really indicate what most would think of as contaminated water any more than being out of building code compliance indicates a building is unfit to live in.

From here: http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/criteria/nutrients/upload/cyanobacteria_factsheet.pdf
Though YMMV

For removal of extracellular toxins, drinking water operators may use activated carbon, membrane filtration and chemical inactivation (Ultraviolet (UV),disinfectants and oxidants). Both powdered activated carbon (PAC) and granular activated carbon (GAC) have been effective in absorbing microcystin and cylindrospermopsin, although microcystin variants may have different adsorption efficiencies. Theperformance of activated carbon depends on the concentration of the toxin and the dose and origin of the activated carbon. Jar tests arerecommended to test the effectiveness of various PAC types, with the implementation of the carbon with the greatest capacity for removal of the target contaminants. GAC filters are effective in removing microcystins if they are properly replaced or regenerated when total organic carbon breakthrough is high. Usually, higher concentrations of activated carbon arenecessary to effectively remove toxins; repeated treatment may be needed to totally remove the toxins completely.

Nanofiltration and reverse osmosis are effective in removing cylindrospermopsin and microcystin.

However, site specific tests are recommended as removal efficiency depends on the membrane pore size distribution and water quality.

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So you believe people should STFU about a story that doesn’t personally involve them? Since you weren’t harmed, why are you talking on social media?