With the algae bloom in Lake Erie raising concerns about water quality, Toledo Council candidate Sam Melden evoked another ripple created by bad water Thursday — the loss of quality of life for children.
Mr. Melden, one of 12 candidates vying for six seats on council in the Nov. 7 election, said Toledo needs a heightened sense of attention on water quality, if only for the children.
“We have families living near the water where the parents grew up playing in the water, enjoying the water all summer long, who now as parents won’t let their kids play in the water past July 4th,” Mr. Melden said.
He alluded to a report in The Blade Thursday in which local business leaders didn’t expect a big economic impact from the green slime that cover the water during the heat wave that ended this week.
“There is something else at risk, and that is our children’s childhood experience,” said Melden, who is the father of three small children.
He made his remarks about the quality of Lake Erie water at Cullen Park boat ramp in Point Place with Toledo Councilman and fellow Democrat Lindsay Webb; two of Ms. Webb’s children, Frank Carter, 7, and Owen Carter, 6, and her niece, Ella Webb, 5. Ms. Webb said the family opted not to take their pontoon boat out last weekend, even though the weather would have been perfect.
“We had to totally change our plans. We haven’t taken the boat past the mouth of the Ottawa River since July 4 because of the algae bloom,” Ms. Webb said. She said she is a fourth-generation resident of Point Place and does not recall algae so close to shore and so green.
She also said the reduced usability of the lake is having an effect on property values.
Mr. Melden cited a 2015 study, “Economic Benefits of Reducing Harmful Algal Blooms in Lake Erie,” submitted to the International Joint Commission in October, 2015 that found harmful algal blooms could cause a $66 million to $305 million impact on Ohio tourism.
Contact Tom Troy at tomtroy@theblade.com, 419-724-6058, or on Twitter @TomFTroy.
First Published September 28, 2017, 9:20 p.m.
