An image of the western Lake Erie basin taken from the Copernicus Sentinel-3a satellite on July 31.
An image of the western Lake Erie basin taken from the Copernicus Sentinel-3a satellite on July 31.

The seasonal algal bloom in western Lake Erie continued to grow in coverage and intensity over the past week. According to the Lake Erie Harmful Algal Bloom Forecast published weekly by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the bloom now has an area of approximately 220 square miles, an increase of about 20 miles in the past five days.

Trace levels of toxins have been detected…