Ohio’s U.S. Senators have introduced two bills that address the problems with toxic microcystins, a result of the bacteria known as blue-green algae, in the state’s waters. Toxins from algal blooms in Lake Erie caused a two-day shutdown of Toledo’s water system in August, and algal blooms have been reported in lakes around the state including Grand Lake St. Mary’s and Buckeye Lake. The out-of-control growth of the blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria , in Ohio lakes starts upstream: the biggest known contributor is runoff from farms and other fields. Fertilizer gets into waterways, and that feeds giant blooms of the toxin-producing bacteria in the warm summer months. Other contributors include manure runoff, leaky septic tanks and storm overflows in aging sewer systems. Senator Brown’s bill introduced Wednesday would make more funding available for the 73 municipalities in Ohio that have those sewage overflows, including Springfield, Cincinnati, Columbus, Toledo and Cleveland (Dayton’s
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