Lake Erie Water Researcher: Everyone Needs To Step It Up

Christopher J. Winslow, Ph.D., Ohio Sea Grant College Program Interim Director, says that although progress is clearly being made in the Western Lake Erie Basin, there is still much work to be done by all parties involved.

“The load of Dissolved Reactive Phos­phorus (DRP) in 2015 was a record and the harmful algal bloom in 2015 was the largest on record, so clearly we are not doing enough and additional actions are needed,” Winslow shared in February. “Everyone knows that more needs to be done. That said, opinions differ as to what the actions should be, from voluntary to incentives and disincentives, to regulatory.”

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And, although agriculture is taking most of the heat in mainstream media reports on the Lake Erie situation, Winslow admits there are other culprits as well.

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“We can still do things to address failing septic systems, homeowner lawn fertilizer application, wastewater discharges (e.g., combined sewer overflows), and internal cycling of nutrients already in the lake,” he explains. “That said, these activities/sources contribute much less nutrients than agricultural land use practices. That is not to say that these sources should not be reduced. To get to the 40% reduction in phosphorous that is being asked under Annex 4 of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (and ultimately the “domestic action plans”) all contributors of nutrients need to step up.”

While phosphorus is clearly the big bad boogieman causing all the problems in Lake Erie (sarcasm), Winslow says other nutrients certainly play a role.

“Nitrogen from direct precipitation onto the lake during the bloom may provide a growth and/or toxin production spark, and recent research has suggested that not targeting nitrogen has shifted the phytoplankton community to toxic forms of Microcystis,” he says. “Further, increased levels of carbon dioxide is of interest. Recent research is showing that surface scum-forming cyanobacteria, like Microcystis, are really benefiting from the increased carbon dioxide in the air.”

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