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Trump has dubbed April 2 'Liberation Day' for his tariffs; Report: Arkansas labor costs attract companies hoping to reshore operations; Indiana loses millions as health funding dries up; Discrimination shields some Black farmers from USDA funding freezes.

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Elon Musk takes center stage in Wisconsin's Supreme Court race. Some observers say WI voters are deciding between democracy, and Donald Trump and Florida GOP candidates face a maelstrom from Trump's executive orders and poor campaign strategies in a special election.

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Air and water pollution is a greater risk for rural folks due to EPA cutbacks, Montana's media landscape gets a deep dive, and policymakers are putting wheels on the road to expand rural health.

Toledo Water Crisis Over? Conservationists say "Not Really"

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Wednesday, August 6, 2014   

TOLEDO, Ohio - Toledo's ban on drinking water may have been lifted, but many people still are sounding the alarm.

Nearly 500,000 residents were advised to not drink their tap water for three days after it was contaminated by a toxin produced by an algae bloom in Lake Erie.

Chris Moazed of Toledo, who chairs the Western Lake Erie Sierra Club, said the crisis affected people's lives and hurt businesses, recreation and tourism.

"People have just been everywhere in a mad rush looking for clean water," she said, "which is so essential for all of our daily needs."

Massive runoff pollution from farm fields in the Maumee River basin causes toxic algae blooms in Lake Erie, which can create oxygen-deprived "dead zones" that can kill fish and sicken humans. Moazed said leaders need to take action to reduce the waste flowing into the state's rivers and lakes, including tougher regulations for farm runoff.

At the National Center for Water Quality Research, scientist Laura Johnson said algae blooms tend to widen and spread out, meaning this one could migrate to another part of Lake Erie. Without action, she warned, the problems are likely to worsen.

"One of the complicating factors is that the runoff is causing this issue," she said, "So, as climate change sort of becomes more prevalent in our region, we're anticipating more heavy rainstorms, it's going to be a difficult problem to fix. If we can get ahold of it now, then we're probably going to be better situated for the future."

Gov. John Kasich said state agencies are reviewing the incident and will continue to investigate ways to reduce the algae threats.

At the Ohio Chapter of the Sierra Club, conservation director Matt Trokan said he feels clean water is a human right and needs to be protected for the 11 million people who depend on drinking water from Lake Erie.

"We can't ignore the environment forever," he said. "We need to see real leadership at the state level to address this issue."

Trokan said he believes a good first step would be to label the Maumee watershed as "distressed," which would allow for more regulation of waste.


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