Controlling Lake Erie’s Toxic Algal Blooms
COLUMBUS, Ohio, November 13, 2013 (ENS) – The fight to curb Lake Erie’s toxic algal blooms is getting attention and funding. The Ohio Phosphorus Task Force II today issued its final report on findings to support reduction of phosphorus loading and associated harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie and surrounding watersheds. “This report gives us an excellent road map for moving forward in phosphorus management in the Lake Erie watershed,” says Dr. Jeff Reutter, Ohio Sea Grant Director. “The challenge will be on the implementation side, that is to implement the 20 recommendations in this report.” Recommendations include the development of loading targets for the Maumee River watershed and other Lake Erie tributaries, expansion of current phosphorus monitoring programs, and working with area stakeholders to improve soil health, nutrient retention, and proper timing and placement of applied fertilizers. Recommendations could improve water quality throughout the Lake Erie watershed, lead to cost savings for farmers due to reduced need for fertilizer, improve public health as combined sewer systems are updated to reduce overflows, and further reduce phosphorus content in commercial lawn care products. Phosphorus, which is contained in animal manure and commercial fertilizers, is the nutrient that determines how much harmful algae can grow in Lake Erie. Harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie most often consist of Microcystis, a cyanobacterium commonly called blue-green algae. The blooms produce toxins harmful to the ecosystem, animals and people. The toxins can be removed from drinking water drawn from the lake, but increase the cost of water treatment. Harmful algal blooms reduce tourism income, as recreational waters are made hazardous and unpleasant with floating layers of blue-green algae. Task force members at the press event, held at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, included the heads of the state EPA, Department of Natural Resources and Department of Agriculture, along with farmer Terry McClure and Gail Hesse, executive director of the Lake Erie Commission. Also today, the U.S. EPA today announced a $500,000 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant to the Ohio Lake Erie Commission to study the causes of harmful algal blooms and low oxygen levels in Lake Erie. “This project is critically important for understanding the dynamics of nutrients and their impact on algal blooms and hypoxia in Lake Erie,” said Hesse. “The results of this project will enable better management decisions in our efforts to address the issues that face Lake Erie.” The project will track the movement of various forms of phosphorus and nitrogen in the Western Lake Erie Basin; assess nutrient sources that contribute to formation of harmful algal blooms in the basin, and examine the extent to which phosphorus loading in the basin contributes to low oxygen levels. Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2013. All rights reserved. |