May 02, 2025

Nancy Stoner

Cutting Science Funding in the Great Lakes Means More Risk to All of Us

New federal budget cuts will impact Great Lakes protections. Congress must protect vital NOAA programs to protect public health and the environment.

In August 2014 Toledo residents drank only bottled water for three days. Microcystin, a toxin from a harmful algal outbreak in Western Lake Erie, had contaminated the drinking water supply. There was no advance warning to the drinking water utility in Toledo, which found the microcystin in the intake pipes. The risks of drinking tap water contaminated with microcystin, a neurotoxin, include vomiting, headaches, and liver damage.  

In today’s environment of reckless cuts to federal spending, certain science-based programs that are vital for detecting harmful algal outbreaks could be axed. Losing these programs could also impact future conservation and repair efforts supported by the popular Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.  

I was in the Office of Water at U.S. EPA in 2014 when the Toledo crisis occurred. I remember the scramble to protect people from contaminated drinking water. Federal, state, and local officials quickly jumped into action. Tap water was temporarily shut down, and bottled water was distributed until the drinking water was safe again. Fortunately, there were no fatalities. Toledo has since upgraded its drinking water monitoring and treatment system to prevent a recurrence.  

Fast forward to today. Harmful algal outbreaks persist in Western Lake Erie, Saginaw Bay, Green Bay, and other waterbodies throughout the Great Lakes because of excessive fertilizers and manure that gets into the Lakes even though communities like Toledo have upgraded their drinking water systems. That makes it even more important that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) has made great strides in advancing monitoring technologies for identifying and forecasting the harmful algal outbreaks that produce microcystin. 

We don’t just wait for microcystin to appear in the drinking water intakes anymore. NOAA’s Great Lakes Observing System uses state-of-the-art remote sensing systems accompanied by in-water monitoring buoys to identify these blue-green algae and can predict the likely size and location of algal outbreaks in advance. The talented scientists at NOAA and its partner agencies deserve great credit for these major scientific advances since 2014.  

Unfortunately, those NOAA programs may soon disappear. The President’s “work-in-progress” budget for FY2026 includes cuts for the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratories and the Great Lakes Observing System. Without timely information of potential microcystin contamination, drinking water utilities will be largely alone again to mitigate the risk of a drinking water catastrophe similar to August 2014.  

NOAA scientists also monitor harmful algal outbreaks that can make beachgoers sick, kill pets, and cause fish to die. NOAA informs the public of these risks so people can protect themselves from potential harm. The observation buoys help to keep commercial and recreational boaters safe by providing weather and marine forecasts that alert boaters when they shouldn’t venture out. 

Also on the chopping block could be NOAA’s Oceanic and Atmospheric Research office. Killing that office would eliminate all funding for climate, weather, ocean laboratories and cooperative institutes, regional climate data and information.  The administration has also proposed a funding cut of 29% for the National Marine Fisheries Service, the federal agency responsible for protecting living marine resources in coastal waters, including the Great Lakes.  

These programs are important on their own but are also needed for the success of the bipartisan Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The President’s 2026 so-called “skinny” budget was sent to Congress today, May 2nd. There is not enough detail in this to clarify how the programs noted above are treated, and we will continue to learn more in the days and weeks ahead.   

It is important to know that this “skinny” budget represents the President’s priorities, it’s not the final word. It is up to Congress – and especially champions in the Great Lakes Midwest delegation – to ensure these NOAA and other programs are funded and effective for FY26 along with fully funding the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. 

Nancy Stoner is a Senior Attorney at the Environmental Law & Policy Center. From 2010-2014, she served as Deputy and Acting Assistant Administrator for Water at U.S. EPA.