View Larger Environment Blog Other news Helpful Links Local Stories from ThisWeek More Articles By Laura Arenschield The Columbus Dispatch Monday October 27, 2014 5:18 AM

Microcystin levels from toxic blue-green algae at Buckeye Lakes three public beaches were consistently higher this year than in any of the past three years, despite increased efforts to protect the popular central Ohio lake.

Toxic algae are common in most Ohio lakes but grow thick in warm, still water by feeding on phosphorus from manure, sewage and fertilizers that rain washes into waterways. The algae can produce liver and nerve toxins that can sicken people and kill pets.

Warning signs went up at Buckeye Lake in June and have remained for at least one or two beaches since then. Elevated levels of microcystin, a liver toxin created by algae, have some Buckeye Lake advocates worried about the future of tourism, a major part of the communitys economy.

Youve got property values, the tourism, the fishermen, said Merv Bartholow, the director of Buckeye Lake for Tomorrow, a nonprofit group that works on water quality at Buckeye Lake. Its an anglers paradise out here, especially during certain seasons. Businesses depend on it.

Some worry that Buckeye Lake will become the next Grand Lake St. Marys, Ohios poster child for toxic-algae woes. The shallow lake in western Ohio has recorded some of the highest microcystin levels in the state.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources manages Buckeye Lake, but the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency maintains the warning list.

As of Friday, the list had warnings for three beaches at Buckeye Lake, four at Grand Lake St. Marys and one at Maumee Bay State Park on Lake Erie.

Microcystin became so pervasive in Lake Erie this summer that it contaminated the city of Toledos drinking-water system, leaving 500,000 people without public drinking water for two days.

The toxin can turn large swaths of water green.

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Does Buckeye Lake algae threaten tourism?