NEWS

‘No time like now’ to prevent algal blooms

Jessica Denton
Reporter

CURTICE – Almost a year after more than 400,000 people were left without safe drinking water for nearly three days because of algal blooms in Lake Erie, legislators and conservation groups agree: there is still plenty of work to be done.

On Wednesday morning, conservation groups and elected officials gathered in Jerusalem Township to discuss solutions and maintain momentum to curb farm runoff and protect the area’s most important natural resource — Lake Erie.

Many of those participating and members of the media boarded two charter boats at Meinke Marina West and headed into the lake to view the algal blooms for themselves — large, bright green particles floating on top of the lake and going several feet down.

A major step toward cleaning up the lake came when Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne signed a commitment to reduce phosphorus runoff by 40 percent by 2025.

Many of Wednesday’s speakers said the move was a “great first step” but more needed to be done to prevent the phosphorus from running into the lake and feeding the blooms, as well as protecting the area’s drinking water.

Sandy Bihn, executive director of Lake Erie Waterkeepers, was vocal about residents paying the price for the raw lake water to be treated for the toxin microcystin, a costly process people will see on their water bills later in the year.

“Lake Erie is the most vulnerable, but it’s easily fixed,” Bihn said. “But we need to do something now.”

Algal blooms have affected almost every facet of the lake’s industries — from marinas to tourism to fishing. Charter boat captains around Lake Erie are feeling the effects of the pea-soup looking substance, with lower rental rates at marinas, less charters filling up and fewer boats on the water.

“It’s devastating recreational industry on the lake,” said Paul Pachowski, president of the Lake Erie Charter Boat Captain Association.

“I take customers out in this, I have to explain to them about algae,” Pachowski said. He said a large portion of his job is now fish sampling — making sure anything that’s caught is safe to eat.

Pachowski

recognized the importance of treating and cleaning the lake water for consumption, but said to not forget about the lake. Identification of the sources was the first step, he said.

“We need to stop the nutrients from coming in to the lake,” he said.

Pachowski said all of the charter captains realized the seriousness of the situation and had noticed a severe uptick in algae since 2003.

“Twenty years ago, we were the envy of the Great Lakes,” Pachowski said. “It was pristine, so clean. We were proud to be on Lake Erie.”

Vernon Meinke, the son of the Meinke Marina owners, echoed Pachowski’s concerns and frustration as he took members of the media out to Toledo’s water intake crib to see the algae.

“I’ve got friends who are charter captains who have people canceling charters because they don’t want to go out in it,” Meinke said.

Ohio Rep. Teresa Fedor, D-Toledo, believes steps taken by the Kasich administration and legislators are still not enough.

“There’s no time like now for implementation,” Fedor said.“We need meaningful and effective regulations — yes, regulations. Let’s work together, set up a process to identify the sources of phosphorus. We have to inform policymakers of the things that should occur.”

“There’s not another county that has more at stake,” Ottawa County Commissioner Jim Sass said.

With an annual population of 43,000 people that blooms to about 250,000 at the Fourth of July, Ottawa County is the home of the Lake Erie Islands, Port Clinton and Marblehead — with economies dependent on tourism and being a summer destination.

Blooms in the lake’s western basin usually shift east, crossing county, state and even international borders into Canada.

“The concerns don’t stop at the border,” Sass said.

With county government being funded by the state, Sass said the commissioners need more funding from Columbus for large projects like this.

“It impacts everyone, every business, every person,” Sass said.

Larry Fletcher, executive director of Lake Erie Shores and Islands tourism group, said Toledo’s water crisis a year ago became an Ohio-wide issue very quickly.

“Word spread quickly,” Fletcher said. “There are concerns on the islands, in Port Clinton and to the east.”

The loss of revenue in the eight counties that border Lake Erie would be devastating, he said.

In 2013, tourism in Lucas, Ottawa, Erie, Sandusky, Lorain, Lake, Ashtabula and Cuyahoga counties generated $13 billion in Ohio. The industry supports about 120,000 full-time jobs, he said.

Despite the algal blooms, the group is encouraging people to visit, Fletcher said, with plenty of activities in the area in which to participate.

Paula Hicks-Hudson, mayor of Toledo, said the first step of preventing another contamination has already taken place.

“Better communication is first and most important,” Hicks-Hudson said. “If anything changes, everyone will know.”

When asked by a reporter if water crises and contamination will be a new normal for northwest Ohio, Hudson-Hicks responded quickly.

“We are not going to accept this as the normal,” she said. “Never.”

jdenton@gannett.com

419-734-7506

Twitter: @jessicadentonNH