Ohio agencies will assist cities with testing and treating their drinking water and will provide more than $1 million to help farmers install new equipment to cut down on fertilizer that leaves their fields, officials announced yesterday. The state also will offer $150 million in interest-free loans to allow cities to upgrade their water treatment and wastewater plants. The plan is the first step in the state's response to a water emergency that left 400,000 people without clean tap water in Toledo. Phosphorous, found in runoff from agricultural sites and sewage overflows, helps fuel the bluegreen algae on Lake Erie that produce the toxin that prevented Toledo residents from drinking their water or using it to cook or brush their teeth for two days.
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