The Press wins award for Lake Erie series

        The Press staff won second place in its three-part series, “Are we saving Lake Erie?,” in the In-depth reporting category of the annual Ohio News Media Association’s Hooper contest.
        The judge’s comment on the series stated the following: “This is an ambitious and very well conducted overview of the environmental problems facing Lake Erie’s southwestern shore. The reporting covers many different aspects of the problem, is very well sourced, and is reasonably well written. Overall, it is a very good example of in-depth reporting.”
        On Aug. 2, 2014, the City of Toledo issued a tap water ban for three days after a toxin, microcystin, was found in its water supply. A high level of microcystin, created by blue green algae, was detected in samples taken from the city’s water treatment plant in East Toledo.
        The plant draws its water from the western basin of Lake Erie, the 12th largest freshwater lake in the world.  The toxin, at high levels, can cause abnormal liver functions in humans and animals.
        The Press examined the causes of the toxic algae and how Northwest Ohio was dealing with the crisis. The series, “Saving Lake Erie,” published in January, 2015, took an in-depth look at the challenges that lay ahead to restore health to Lake Erie. As we approached the fifth year anniversary of the Toledo water crisis, The Press revisited the event in a three-part series, “Are we saving Lake Erie?” published in the August editions of the newspaper.
        Press News Editors Kelly J. Kaczala and Larry Limpf, Sports Editor and general assignment reporter J. Pat Eaken, Photo Journalist Ken Grosjean, and Senior Projects Reporter Melissa A. Burden, worked on the project. Kaczala was project manager of the series.