New Data Indicates Farm Runoff Primary Cause of Lake Erie Algal Blooms

New Data Indicates Farm Runoff Primary Cause of Lake Erie Algal Blooms

Kayakers enjoy a leisurely paddle on Lake Erie near Gibraltar Island just off Put-in-Bay, OH, July 7, 2016.

This summer was the third largest algal bloom outbreak in the history of Lake Erie. It was so bad, writes Bill Hormann for ABC13 Action News in Toledo, OH, that algae backed up into the Maumee River in downtown Toledo.

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The city and Lucas County are spending hundreds of millions of dollars fixing sewer and storm water runoff that dumps into the lake.

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But now there’s hard evidence farms need to do more.

New Data Indicates Farm Runoff Primary Cause of Lake Erie Algal Blooms

Monday, maps of the lower Maumee watershed pinpointed where nutrient runoff is concentrated — it’s primarily in farms south and west of Toledo.

Those areas indicate higher amounts of polluting phosphorous coming from those farmland areas.

Head on over to 13abc.com for the full story.

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Avatar for Craig Monk Craig Monk says:

About that farm run off and “spending hundreds of millions of dollars fixing sewer and storm water runoff that dumps into the lake.” You have every right to be concerned about farm run off when your sewage plants turn around and dump that same sewage you spent million on and dump it on farms as biosolids.
Guess what biosolids are not safe:
**Biosolids are derived from industrial, medical, storm and household sewage from large municipalities.
**US EPA 40 CFR 261.30(d) and 261.33 (4): (Every US industry connected to a sewer can discharge any amount of hazardous and acute hazardous waste into sewage treatment plants.) There are over 80,000 chemicals in commerce and growing even today. It ends up in biosolids which is broadcasted over forest, farms and even bags taken to the consumer’s home
**US EPA Office Inspector General (OIG) puts out Report # 14-P-0363 in 09/2014
**Google and read it for yourself. To sum up, industrial pre-treatment is not
working and has never worked and nothing has been done about it. It ends up in
biosolids and sewage plant effluent.
**So when you hear anyone from the multi-billion dollar sewage industry or anyone with monetary ties to any part of the sewage industry say the chemicals in biosolids are minimal and inconsequential or that they support composting with biosolids, ask them for any test showing the degree of hazard and concentrations of 80,000 chemicals that are found in biosolids or a composted biosolids like Milorganite from Milwaukee.
**Chemicals that are persistent in the environment, bio-accumulate in people and/or wildlife, and are toxic are called PBTs and neurotoxins such as microcystin (a hemotoxin), phycotoxins, domoic acid, brevetoxin. Because of these features, as long as they remain in commerce and may therefore be released into the environment, they will threaten the health of humans, wildlife including aquatic life.
**Did I mention sewage sludge or biosolids spread on farms is loaded with unregulated phosphates? The main ingredient in proliferating algae.
Now add pathogens and parasites which the sewage process, anaerobic digestion, exclaims gets rid of most of the bacterial contamination. Did I say most? What about the rest?
Good Luck

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