Report: Lake Erie Water Contamination Could Have Been Avoided

DETROIT (WWJ) - Scientists saw the problems in Lake Erie coming before it removed access to fresh water for Toledo residents, causing a regional panic.

That's according to Lana Pollack, with the International Joint Commission, who says algae blooms in the lake are fed by phosphorous coming from farm fields. She says they released a report earlier this year that talked about the need to change farming practices.

If those suggestions had been followed, none of this would have happened, experts said.

"What we need to do is, for instance, prohibit application of fertilizer in the spring or in the fall," said Pollack. "You are just going to have melting snow that will take it off and have it run right into the lakes and feed the lakes, or you'll have a substaintial rain storm - that will wash it off."

Pollack says if changes aren't made -- this problem that we're seeing in Lake Erie, will happen over and over again.

The water ban was lifted in Toledo Monday morning after a  mad rush for grocery store water across metro Detroit, which was fueled by the lack of access to fresh water just across the Ohio border.