After Toledo water scare, states ask EPA for help

Algae outbreaks like the one that contaminated the drinking water in Ohio's fourth-largest city a month ago aren't a concern just along Lake Erie.

Researchers say they are popping up more and more in recent years in every state.

That's why some city water quality managers and state regulators are calling for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to create a national drinking water standard.

They want to see rules that spell out what's a safe level of the toxin that contaminated the water in Toledo.

Five states have their own drinking water standards for the toxin, which can cause headaches or vomiting when swallowed.

One water plant manager in Ohio says that without guidelines on testing and treating water fouled by the algae, he uses Google to find answers.