The Power To Do
Public Impact Research
Since a harmful algal bloom forced the city of Toledo to issue a “Do Not Drink” water advisory in 2014, UToledo has been working to protect water quality and the health of Lake Erie for the half million people in the region who depend on it for drinking water. This five-part series details UToledo’s water quality research efforts over the past decade.
Water Crisis in Toledo: 10 Years Later
20+
Faculty researchers currently participating on Water Task Force
150+
Sponsored or externally sponsored water quality projects tackled by Water Task Force
since 2014
$50M
External funding supporting water quality projects since 2014
Ten Years After Water Crisis, UToledo Remains Committed to Protecting Region’s Drinking Water
The University of Toledo brought together a team of scientists, engineers, doctors and public health experts in the immediate wake of the water crisis. Today this Water Task Force remains at the forefront of efforts to monitor water quality and predict blooms, remove toxins from water, understand health effects of exposure and prevent harmful algal blooms from forming altogether through policy and land management.
Monitoring Microcystins: UToledo Advances Technology to Track, Predict Harmful Algal Blooms
Ten years after the water crisis, thanks in part to efforts to more effectively monitor water quality and accurately predict harmful algal blooms led by researchers at UToledo, locals can turn on their taps with confidence. Early detection of harmful algal blooms is critical to their management, allowing water treatment plant operators to adjust their techniques to remove the toxins that are released by blooms into the raw water supply.
Optimizing Treatment: UToledo Lends Expertise, Data Analysis to Regional Water Utilities
The water crisis catalyzed a collaboration between UToledo and the Toledo Water Treatment Plant. Supported by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Science Foundation, Ohio Water Development Authority and the Ohio Department of Higher Education through its Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative, UToledo water quality researchers have since expanded their footprint to Celina, Bowling Green, Defiance and Oregon.
Protecting Health: UToledo Leads Charge to Understand Health Effects of Harmful Algal Blooms
UToledo researchers have played a leading role in studying how harmful algal toxins affect the lungs, liver and gut. Now they’re taking that research out of the lab and into the community with a first-of-its-kind study that will follow 200 individuals over the next five years to better categorize the health risks of those who spend significant time near Lake Erie.
Seeking Solutions: UToledo Explores Policy, Land Management to Prevent Harmful Algal Blooms
UToledo experts draw on areas of expertise that range from remote sensing technologies to the environmental applications of geophysics to advance land management strategies to prevent harmful algal blooms. Meanwhile the College of Law’s Legal Institute of the Great Lakes has long supported discussions of the policies surrounding harmful algal bloom mitigation, among issues of importance to the Great Lakes.
Media Inquiries
For media inquiries on water quality research at The University of Toledo, contact Nicki Gorny, UToledo Media Relations Specialist, at Nicole.Gorny@UToledo.edu.
UToledo Water Quality Experts in the News
June 2024
The Blade: Great Lakes Center Transferred to UM, Awarded $6.5M Grant
The University of Toledo is partnering with the University of Michigan to lead the Great Lakes Center for Fresh Waters and Human Health, a federally funded research center dedicated to studying harmful algal blooms in and around the Great Lakes.
May 2024
Bridge Michigan: Toxic Great Lakes Algae Makes Michigan Sick. But Remedy May Be Near
Dr. Steven Haller and Dr. David Kennedy, both associate professors of medicine in UToledo’s College of Medicine and Life Sciences, discuss their research into a naturally occurring bacteria in Lake Erie that could be leveraged to prevent illness from exposure to cyanotoxins.
April 2023
13 ABC: University of Toledo Research Aims to Mitigate Algal Bloom Impacts on Inland Water Supplies
Dr. Youngwoo Seo, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and chemical engineering, and Dr. Thomas Bridgeman, a professor of ecology and director of the UToledo Lake Erie Center, explain their work to develop new methods for managing harmful algal blooms in reservoirs and rivers used for drinking water production.
September 2022
13 ABC: A New Tool Tests Lake Erie Algae to Protect Drinking Water
Dr. Thomas Bridgeman, director of the UToledo Lake Erie Center, discusses a sensor tested at the Toledo Water Treatment Plant during the harmful algal bloom season in 2022.
May 2022:
WTOL 11: UToledo Unveils New Research Vessel
Dr. Thomas Bridgeman discusses how the R/V Spangler will meet the growing demand for research vessel time.
July 2021:
Ohio Capital Journal: Lake Erie Still at Significant Risk for Harmful Algae Blooms, Experts Warn
Ken Kilbert, professor of law emeritus and then director of the Legal Institute of the Great Lakes, discusses the Lake Erie Bill of Rights that allowed Toledoans to file lawsuits on behalf of Lake Erie. Passed as law in 2019, it was struck down by a federal judge in 2020.
May 2021:
13 ABC: University of Toledo Gets New Technology to Dissect Algae Bloom Toxins
Drs. Youngwoo Seo and Dae-Wook Kang in the College of Engineering and Dr. Thomas Bridgeman in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics discuss a three-year project to develop enhanced technology for early detection and management of harmful algal blooms.
October 2020:
13 ABC: UT Scientist Receives $1.1 Million Grant for Work in Clean Water Solutions
Dr. Jason Huntley, professor in the UToledo Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, discusses a $1.1 million grant he received from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to advance clean water technology.
July 2017:
The Blade: Researchers Pull Samples To Combat Toxic Summer Algae Blooms
Dr. Thomas Bridgeman, director of the UToledo Lake Erie Center, discusses his and a team of students’ efforts to monitor harmful algal blooms in western Lake Erie.
September 2016:
The Blade: Researcher at UToledo Gets Grant to Study Algal Toxin Filtration
Dr. Youngwoo Seo received a National Science Foundation grant to study a sustainable approach to water treatment and filtering toxins from harmful algal blooms.
March 2013
The New York Times: Spring Rain, Then Foul Algae in Ailing Lake Erie
Dr. Thomas Bridgeman discusses the annual harmful algal blooms in western Lake Erie.