Methods to reduce phosphorous runoff to Lake Erie
- Not spraying liquid manure on frozen land that can easily run off in a rain.
- Require mandatory buffer strips where farm fields abut streams, creeks and lakeshores.
- Scientific applications of fertilizer using USDA-approved methods.
- Restoration of wetlands that provide nutrient filtering.
- Upgrades to municipal sewer systems.
- Treatment train systems on feeder creeks and streams to lakes.
Source: National Wildlife Federation, ODNR
We have reporters on the ground in Toledo and in Dayton bringing you the most up-to-date and in-depth coverage possible on the impacts of Toledo’s water crisis and how it might impact you.
Progress to clean up two major inland lakes offers hope for Lake Erie’s recovery, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources said Monday as the drinking water crisis eased with the declaration that the water is safe to drink.
Grand Lake St. Marys and Indian Lake, major recreation destinations for southwest Ohio residents, have seen some positive results using tactics to stem farm field phosphorous runoff and sewage outfalls that fire up and feed toxic algae blooms.
Indian Lake was a trailblazer, having formed more than 20 years ago the Indian Lake Watershed Project, a coalition of residents, farmers and business people that worked with state and federal agencies. The program slashed 85,000 tons of sediment running into the lake annually down to 15,000 tons. Indian Lake has never seen an algae bloom.
At Grand Lake, where a blue green algae outbreak starting in 2010 has at times crippled a $200 million annual tourism industry, farmers adopted stricter fertilizer management practices and private groups with state help are installing treatment systems on feeder creeks.
While Grand Lake is still under a swimming advisory, the algae — also known as cyanobacteria — has not been nearly as plentiful as in some past years. In 2010, blooms of cyanobacteria were detected at 19 other inland lakes, prompting state warnings.
“The state has taken steps at Grand Lake, and we are taking steps in the Western Basin of Lake Erie,” Ohio Department of Natural Resources spokesman Mark Bruce said. “We feel we are making progress in Grand Lake and we are confident progress will be made in Lake Erie as well.”
New steps Ohio is taking include legislation that requires certification and education for farmers applying fertilizer along with voluntary measures to encourage better runoff management, Bruce said.
Fundamental changes
A state task force last year called for "fundamental changes regarding the management of agricultural and urban landscapes to minimize the loss of nutrients to our waterways."
Microcystin levels at Grand Lake measured as high as 95.6 parts-per-billion last week. Any reading of six or higher triggers a recreational public health advisory. A “Do Not Drink” advisory is issued if the level is more than 1.
After the water was treated by the city of Celina, the microcystin level was less than 0.30 ppb. The city of Celina draws its water from Grand Lake St. Marys.
At Lake Erie, the state is seeking a better place to relocate Maumee River dredge material. Sediment from Erie’s largest tributary is dumped in the lake by the U.S. Corps of Engineers, which not only makes the shallow lake more shallow but stirs up phosphorus-laden sediments that contribute to algae blooms. Bruce said the state would prefer reuse of the nutrient-rich material on land, such as for fill in construction projects.
Toledo residents on Monday were told they can drink tap water again after toxic algae had threatened drinking water for 400,000 residents in Ohio's fourth largest city and parts of Michigan. But that doesn't mean the city is in the clear. Environmental experts warn that the height of the algae season is in September.
While algae blooms have been showing up for years in the shallow Western Basin of Lake Erie, this particular bloom was close to Toledo’s drinking water intake system.
Toledo officials warned residents not to use city water early Saturday after tests at a treatment plant showed readings for algae byproduct microcystin — a substance that can cause liver damage and lesser effects like dizziness and nausea — tested above standards for consumption. Toledo city leaders still say people turning on the tap should try to conserve water so the water system isn’t overtaxed.
Gov. John R. Kasich and Ohio EPA Director Craig W. Butler said Monday that they supported the decision.
“Over the past two days we’ve been reminded of the importance of our crown jewel — Lake Erie — to our everyday lives. We must remain vigilant in our ongoing efforts to protect it,” Kasich said.
Butler said the decision to lift the water ban was made after exhaustive testing, analysis and discussions between Toledo water officials, the U.S. EPA and the Ohio EPA.
Marc Smith, Policy Director for the National Wildlife Federation in Ann Arbor, Mich., said the problem in Lake Erie requires a more aggressive region-wide approach that would coordinate efforts in three states that share the Great Lakes — Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan.
The water crisis erupted despite $1.6 billion spent in the past six years on Great Lakes restoration, he said. And it could happen again. “This is not the first time we will see it unless changes occur,” he said. “This is just the beginning.”
Could it happen here?
The Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer provides water for about 400,000 residential and commercial customers in Montgomery County and a small part of Greene County. The aquifer’s two well fields are located in Dayton.
Tammi Clements, Dayton’s Water Department director, said it’s unlikely the toxin found in Toledo’s surface water would be found in Dayton’s ground water. Clements said tests in 2013 were negative for microcystin—the toxin produced by blue-green algae.
Dusty Hall, a member of the Dayton’s Environmental Advisory Board, said the city has to take a microcystin threat seriously because of how quickly the local aquifer can be recharged with surface water.
“Dayton’s drinking water source is considered groundwater under the influence of surface water,” Hall said. “We’re blessed to have this readily recharging aquifer, but we also have to be concerned about the potential for things that we normally associate with surface water that could potentially contaminate the ground water environment.”
It’s hard for blue-green algae to form in free-flowing rivers unless the water forms a still pool, Hall said.
But algal blooms have appeared on the Great Miami River in the past and more study is needed about how toxins may move into groundwater, Hall said.
Sen. Rob Portman held a roundtable discussion about harmful algal blooms last week at Buckeye Lake east of Columbus and was in Toledo over the weekend. He mentioned legislation that he co-authored – the Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2013 – that was signed into law by President Obama last month. It includes a focus on the Great Lakes and is intended to provide $20 million for research and responses to the potentially toxic blooms.
The legislation also is intended to help inland lakes such as Grand Lake St. Marys.
“Microcystins, which is the issue in the Toledo ban, that level of toxicity is more and more of a problem in Ohio — Grand Lake St. Marys, Buckeye Lake and now Lake Erie,” Portman said. “I’m trying to ensure we have the very best science to get at, one, what is this mix of weather and nutrients that is causing this and, second, what is the source of these nutrients?”
Staff Writer Chris Stewart contributed to this report.
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