For 56 hours in August 2014, nearly a half a million people living along the shores of Lake Erie, the largest freshwater lake system in the world, could not drink the water out of their taps. They couldn’t use it to brush their teeth or wash their dishes. Restaurants shut their doors. Hospitals canceled elective surgeries. Stores ran out of bottled water, and the Ohio National Guard stepped in to help.

A bloom of cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, had poisoned the western basin of Lake Erie, the source of drinking water for Toledo, Ohio. The algae had been fed by nitrogen and phosphorus runoff that heavy rains had washed down the Maumee River. Wind and waves carried the bloom to the intake pipe for the city’s water supply. Drinking the contaminated water can cause symptoms ranging from fever, vomiting and headaches to liver failure and death.

Over the previous five summers, major algae blooms had become more common, and water managers in Toledo and nearby communities were bracing for the possibility of a bloom contaminating the water supply.  The Toledo Rotary Club responded to the crisis by capitalizing on its connections to address the issue and create a sense of urgency; meanwhile, other Rotary clubs in districts around the lake were embarking on their own grassroots efforts to tackle the problem from other angles.

“The largest problem is that there is no leadership around this issue,” the Toledo club’s Andy Stuart said. “What are the two things that Rotarians do best? We lead and collaborate, and this problem is going to require both of those skill sets.

When Rotarians walk into a Rotary meeting, we set aside our personal differences and unite under the ideal of ‘Service Above Self.’ It’s going to take that to solve this problem of toxic algae in the lake. We’re not scientists, but what we do really well is attack problems that other people can’t or won’t. We bring a nonpolitical, nonpartisan environment, where the only agenda is to do the right thing.”

We along the Pamlico River can relate to their problem and will watch with interest how this problem is resolved in the months ahead. I’ll keep you posted as these Rotarians work together to do good in the world!