U.S. based scientists are expecting this year’s Lake Erie algae bloom to be twice as bad as last year.
A rainy spring and the summer heat have researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicting one of the biggest algae blooms in memory on Lake Erie.
And like any good ranking, they gauge out of 10, putting their expectations at a 7.5, more than double last year’s 3.6.
Researchers say that’s just a forecast though, and it could be anywhere from a 6-9 depending on summer conditions.
The main cause of the blooms is phosphorus runoff from agricultural lands. The Ontario and federal governments, and their U.S. counterparts, have made commitments to tackle algae blooms by reducing the amount of runoff pollution entering the lake.
The NOAA is calling out both the federal and provincial governments for dragging their feet when it comes to implementing commitments made in the Canada-Ontario Lake Erie Action Plan.