Water safe to drink, Windsor Utilities Commission reports

The potable water supply for the City of Windsor, Town of Tecumseh and the Town of LaSalle is safe for residents, the Windsor Utilities Commission reports.

The recent warning issued by Toledo officials about toxins from blue-green algae in Lake Erie has raised worry, as the utility draws its raw water from the Detroit River, upstream from the area of concern.

The contamination led Gov. John Kasich to declare a state of emergency in three counties. Soldiers from the Ohio's National Guard were brought in to deliver bottled water and operate purification systems.

There has been no evidence, however, of blue-green algae entering Ontario's A.H. Weeks Drinking Water Treatment Facility, which supplies all of the drinking water for the utility's entire distribution system, officials reported Monday.

A news release stated Enwin Utilities Ltd. (Windsor's local distributor) continues to monitor the raw water source to ensure that all quality standards are met or exceeded, as required by the Safe Drinking Water Act.

The water advisory in Toledo was lifted Monday morning the algae-induced toxin which had contaminated Lake Erie had dropped to safe levels following intensive chemical treatments.

It is not clear if the algae bloom was entirely to blame for fouling the city's drinking water or if changes also need to be made to Toledo's water-supply system, Kasich told the Associated Press.

The state will be conducting a review of what happened, which will include assessing the city's aging water system and trying to figure out how to reduce the pollution that feeds algae in that part of the lake, said Kasich.

Ohio's Environmental Protection Agency will also be looking into putting regulations in place on how often the water should be tested, something that's not required currently.