Toxic Ohio Tap Water Tested as 500,000 Residents Wait
Water at a Toledo, Ohio, treatment plant has tested positive for a toxin, and nearly 500,000 Ohio residents have been told not drink the tap water, leading the governor to declare a state of emergency Saturday in three counties, state officials told the Los Angeles Times.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich declared a state of emergency for residents of Lucas, Wood and Fulton counties early Saturday after two water samples from a Toledo water treatment plant tested positive for microcystin, a toxin possibly caused by an algae bloom in Lake Erie.
Heidi Griesmer, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, told The Times that water samples from the Collins Water Treatment Plant had been sent to four different laboratories in the area, but officials were no closer to determining when, or if, the water would be safe to drink.
More: Toxic Ohio Tap Water Tested as 500,000 Residents Wait - LA Times