Ohio’s lakes and rivers can often provide towns with summer economic booms. But, the presence of algal blooms or E. coli in these waterways can drive away visitors and the tourism dollars they bring with them.
13 Ohio beaches have elevated bacterial levels, according to the state’s monitoring site.
These water quality warnings have been frequent this summer, according to Brent Sohngen, a environmental economic professor at Ohio State University. High temperatures and low water levels can contribute to poor water quality, he said.
“Those things are all sort of coming together and creating conditions by which algal blooms and bacterial contamination can become sort of worse than normal,” Sohngen said.
The driving factors
Eight beaches in the Lake Erie area have elevated bacteria levels.
But the water quality issues aren’t limited to northern Ohio. Beaches at Grand Lake St. Mary’s in Auglaize County, along the Ohio River in Clermont County and Jackson Lake in Jackson County all are under water quality warnings.
Sohngen said algal blooms are an issue the state has been fighting for decades.
“We've made huge progress since the 1970s. It was far worse back then. … And we continue to make progress,” he said.
Harmful algal blooms are driven by large amounts of nutrients, from wastewater and fertilizer, making their way into streams, Sohngen said. They’re largely seen in the summer and can be exacerbated by drought.
On the other hand, E. coli contaminations typically happen after large rainfall events happen. Cleveland, Cincinnati and Toledo have combined sewer systems. When storms roll in, the systems can overflow and release wastewater into the local waterway.
“So we end up with sewage that sometimes flows directly into lakes,” Sohngen said. “It’s a massive issue.”
The cost
These bacterial contaminations cost Ohioans more than just a beach day.
Sohngen studied the economic impact of beach closures in Lake Erie. In 2019 – another year with a high number of water quality warnings – Lake Erie beaches saw a 20% reduction in visitors.
Sohngen estimates it cost the area around $22 million in tourism dollars.
And, whether a contamination lasts a couple of days or more than three months, Sohngen said their impact lingers after they're gone.
“Once you have one of these E.coli events or harmful algal bloom events, even when the sign goes away, when the water's better, there's a taint on these beaches that can last for a week or two and keep people away,” Sohngen said.
Through its H2Ohio program, Sohngen said the state is investing in solutions. But, he said both algal blooms and E. coli contaminations will take a long time to curb.
In the meantime, he said Ohioans should pay close attention to water quality warnings before their beach visits.
If there’s a yellow flag, children, the elderly and those with weak immune systems are advised not to swim. If the flag is red, Sohngen said it’s best for everyone to stay out of the water.
