Environmentalists sue government for Lake Erie’s toxic algae

FILE - In this Aug. 3, 2014, file photo, an algae bloom covers Lake Erie near the City of Toledo water intake crib about 2.5 miles off the shore of Curtice, Ohio. Several environmental groups in Ohio and Michigan are suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, saying the agency isn't doing enough to protect Lake Erie from toxic algae. The federal lawsuit filed Tuesday, April 25, 2017, said the EPA needs to step in and take action under the Clean Water Act. Algae blooms in the shallowest of the Great Lakes have fouled drinking water in recent years and are a threat to wildlife and water quality. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari, File) FILE - In this Aug. 3, 2014, file photo, an algae bloom covers Lake Erie near the City of Toledo water intake crib about 2.5 miles off the shore of Curtice, Ohio. Several environmental groups in Ohio and Michigan are suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, saying the agency isn't doing enough to protect Lake Erie from toxic algae. The federal lawsuit filed Tuesday, April 25, 2017, said the EPA needs to step in and take action under the Clean Water Act. Algae blooms in the shallowest of the Great Lakes have fouled drinking water in recent years and are a threat to wildlife and water quality. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari, File)

By Associated Press April 25, 2017 2 min read

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) – Environmental groups in Ohio and Michigan sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday, accusing it of dragging its feet on protecting Lake Erie from harmful algae that have fouled drinking water supplies in recent years.

The federal lawsuit said the agency’s lack of action is delaying steps that could combat the algae blooms in the shallowest of the Great Lakes.

The sometimes toxic algae are a threat to both drinking water and wildlife and have become more prevalent in recent years.

Blooms in the western end of the lake blanket its waters and turn the lake into unsightly shades of green in most summers. An outbreak in 2014 contaminated the tap water for more than 400,000 people around Toledo.

Groups including the National Wildlife Federation want the EPA to make a decision on whether the western part of the lake in Ohio and Michigan should be declared an impaired watershed.