U.S.

Toledo Water Ban Lifted After Mayor Declares It 'Safe'

The water ban that affected 400,000 people in both Ohio and Michigan has now been lifted.

Toledo Water Ban Lifted After Mayor Declares It 'Safe'
jrossol / CC BY NC SA 2.0

People in Ohio and Michigan can rejoice — the water ban has been lifted. For the past three days, 400,000 residents were told not to drink the water, even if it had been boiled. 

And as of 3 a.m. Monday, the mayor wasn't comfortable with the water's test results. (Via WDIV)

"There are two tests that came back that are too close for my comfort." (Via WDIV)

So what changed in the following hours? Additional tests showed the toxin that was in the Lake Erie water thanks to algae was back within the safe range, according to the mayor's office. (Via WTVG)

But don't go run in the sprinklers just yet. Dayton Daily News says the mayor has requested that people conserve water so they don't stress out the system.

And now that it's all said and done, another problem has come to light. 

WKYC says authorities are concerned there was price gouging for bottled water. 

"When the drinking water was banned in Toledo, costs on bottled H2O skyrocketed in the region.​ ... While Ohio does not have a statute that deals directly with price gouging, state law bans unconscionable sales practices."

Toledo's mayor also says water needs to be flushed from hospital systems and pools should be drained or highly chlorinated.