A significant algae bloom is expected to form in Lake Erie this summer, scientists say.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) released its forecast on Thursday, stating that the large algae bloom will be worse than last year, and will form in western Lake Erie.
Scientists predict that 2017's algae bloom is likely to register a score of 7.5 on a scale that rates the severity of a bloom based on how much algae it contains over a sustained period. However, researchers say the bloom could range anywhere from 6.5 to 9.
Algae blooms in 2015 reached a high of 10.5 on the severity scale.
The algae blooms usually develop from west to east, but NOAA's forecast states that recent rains may cause the bloom to develop in the centre of the basin. The formation is expected to being in late July or early August.
Researchers say it's unlikely that this year's bloom will impact drinking water as it did three years ago. In 2014, around 400,000 residents in Toledo, Ohio and Pelee Island residents went without safe tap water for days due to a toxic algae bloom.
However, this year's significant blooms may cause beach closures, kill fish, and add additional water treatment costs.
In a statement from Environmental Defence Canada, the organization says a recent report shows that, if action isn’t taken, Lake Erie algae blooms could cost Ontarians $272-million a year.
“Although residents got off easy last year due to an unusually dry spring and summer, this year’s forecast is a reminder that Lake Erie’s algae problem hasn’t gone away,” says Ashley Wallis, water program manager with Environmental Defence Canada, in a media release.