Cleveland Water actually serves more than 70 communities in northeast Ohio. And like Toledo, it draws its water from Lake Erie.
The city says no toxins have been detected in the water supply. Four treatment plants are monitoring the quality of incoming lake water, as well as satellite images and algae bloom forecasts. A monitoring station in the lake provides real-time data about algae growth.
According to the city, toxic algae blooms are less of a threat here in Lake Erie’s Central Basin than in the Western Basin that supplies Toledo’s water. That’s because the lake is deeper here and therefore cooler, making conditions less favorable for blooms. More farming on the lake’s Western Basin also may contribute to a greater threat there, since fertilizer runoff feeds algae.
The city says algae concentrations right now are actually lower than usual here, because of the cold winter and spring.
Cleveland Water shipped drinking water to Toledo during the crisis.