Monroe Country Residents Affected By Toledo Water Emergency
MONROE COUNTY (WWJ) -- A handful of communities in southern Monroe County, on the northern side of the Michigan/Ohio state line, have been impacted by Saturday's water emergency issued in Toledo, as they are also serviced by the Toledo Water system.
Mike Bosanac with the Monroe County emergency management office said that tanker trucks of non-potable, non-drinking water are currently being made available at the Bedford Township Hall and the Luna Peer Fire Department.
FIND A FILLING STATION [PDF]
"The alert from Toledo has been upgraded so adults can bathe and shower in the water -- still can't ingest it," Bosanac said. "But for children, they don't want them bathing in the water. That's the reason to make sure that we're getting at least clean, non-potable water into those communities so kids can be cleaned and bathed in the water, if needed."
Established water filling stations allowing residents to obtain potable water will open at 10 a.m. on Sunday, if the emergency continues. Stations are located at Ida Township Hall, Manufacturer's Market Place/Hardwood Plaza in Monroe and the Frenchtown Water Plant in Monroe.
Residents must bring their own containers to fill. Prior to use, residents are encouraged to boil the water if the containers are not considered potable.
Authorities in Toledo issued an alert around 2 a.m. Saturday, warning residents not to consume any of its water after tests revealed the presence of a toxin possibly related to algae on Lake Erie. The warning applies to about 400,000 people in the area. By the afternoon, Ohio's governor had declared a state of emergency.
The advisory also applied to a few Michigan communities that receive water from Toledo -- Bedford Township, Erie Township, La Salle Township and Luna Pier.
"We understand that it is restricted to there, for those people who are affected by the Toledo Water Water supply system," Bosanac said. "The rest of Monroe County, there's not an issue with that and it's not affecting well water -- it's the water supply from the Toledo intake."
About 11,500 households across the state line were impacted and under the "do not drink" order, leading to bottled water being in short supply.
"Most of the water is all gone from any of the retail stores," Bosanac said. "What water was there is long gone now."
In addition to water being brought to the Township Hall and Fire Department, Bosanac said that tanker trucks were used to help those living in group homes and assisted living facilities and is working to get a larger source of bottled water available to people in the affected areas.
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