Toledo Water Crisis Update (as of August 2018)

TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) – In the city’s water quality reports, microcystin has been labeled as non-detect for the last four years. On August 5, the report showed up 0.131ppb (parts per billion) of microcystin. City leaders are confident in saying there is no issue with the water, and that this isn’t something neighbors should be worried about. (SOURCE: WTOL.com)

However, Toledo Water Conditioning wants you to be confident in your water’s quality by making you aware of the situation and offering water treatment solutions in the event the water quality index increases above 0.3ppb. Read more below and watch the video from WTOL and hear from John Keener, owner of Toledo Water Conditioning, about the recent concerns in Toledo’s water (at 1:30 in video)…

What is Microcystin?

Microcystins are toxins produced by the Cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, occur worldwide often in calm, nutrient-rich waters. Some species of cyanobacteria produce toxins that affect animals and humans. People may be exposed to cyanobacterial toxins by drinking or bathing in contaminated water. The most frequent and serious health effects are caused by drinking water containing the toxins or by ingestion during recreational water contact like swimming. Cyanobacteria can also cause problems for drinking water treatment systems. EPA researchers are looking for ways to decrease the negative impacts of cyanobacteria. (SOURCE: EPA website)

For more information about the current Toledo Water Crisis, visit our microcystin FAQs page.

Toledo Water Crisis Overview

The Toledo municipal water supply has been infected with a toxin called microcystin produced from blue green algae (cyanobacteria) present in massive amounts in Lake Erie. The green color of the algae can be seen from outer space. The chlorine added by the city water has little effect on these toxins.  The toxins that have been present in the city water have been at levels far exceeding acceptable standards. The city is getting better control over the issue and is reducing the toxins to a level under the recommended maximum contaminant levels. This does not mean the toxins are all gone, they are simply lower than the maximum allowable numbers.

Watch video below to hear from John Keener, owner of Toledo Water Conditioning, about this water quality crisis…

However, the city’s water treatment plant has experienced some mechanical breakdowns. The city is feeding in massive doses of chlorine and aluminum (alum) to the water to try to coagulate the “gunk” coming in from the lake.  Yes, there is aluminum in the city tap water.

There is also concern about certain carcinogenic chlorination byproducts that are present in the water.  When chlorine is added to water that has a high level of organics, certain compounds can form that are very dangerous to human health. These are called Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM). These compounds need to be reported by the city on a regular basis, and made public.

At Toledo Water Conditioning, we treat our water through a number of processes that significantly reduce almost all contaminants. We use sediment filtration, carbon filtration, ion exchange, reverse osmosis, ozonation, ultraviolet sterilization, etc. to ensure the high quality of our water. We charge only 35¢ per gallon for the high quality water. This is our everyday price. You may bring in your own bottles or purchase ours.

For more information about the current Toledo Water Crisis, visit our microcystin FAQs page.