Summer is on its way and there is much to do along the Lake Erie shoreline. 

Algae Watch 2012…There was some visible surface algae when the weather warmed up in March but as the temperature dropped the visible algae went away.  Right now the lake is beautiful – very clear.  In 2011 there were record heavy rains that put a lot of debris in the lake and boats were dodging logs all the way to the islands.  In 2012 there is little debris and the temperature is in the mid 50′s.  Algae generally appears when water temperatures are near 80 degrees which means that near shore shallow areas see the algae first.  Also observe the waters after a rain or wind event when the tributaries and the bottom sediments stir lake waters and make the water muddy.  This is where Lake Erie gets the phosphorous that fuels the algae growth.   Lake Erie, particularly western Lake Erie, that has an average depth of 24′,  is susceptible to rain and wind inputs.  Over 80% of Lake Erie’s water comes from the Detroit River and western Lake Erie turns over about every month so conditions can change rapidly.

Stay tuned for algae updates

The next Lake Erie Improvement Association meeting is Wednesday, June 14^th at 8:30 am at the Lake Erie Visitors Center on Rt. 53 in Port Clinton, Ohio. Meetings are open to the public. The agenda will be posted by the Monday before the meeting. Please call the governor and other elected officials in support of Randy Gardner’s amendment for $3 million to help Lake Erie. House Bill 487, Ohio implementing legislation is in the Senate and should be improved by reducing the 90 day withdrawal averaging to 30 days, allowing tributary impact assessment rather than only lake, and allowing users not just property owners and businesses to appeal withdrawal decisions.  Cal your state senator to ask for these changes.

LAKE ERIE CONDITION – how do we know if Lake Erie’s algae problem is getting better or worse? What factors contribute to the problem?  We know that wastewater plants, agriculture, manure, storm water runoff, lawn fertilizers and septic systems are phosphorous sources.    In the 1970′s and 1980′s we monitored the lake and major outfalls.  That program was ended in the 19680′[s for lack of funding.  Lake Erie needs continuous monitors at strategic locations to determine if efforts to reduce phosphorous are working in the lake.  This is what was done the last time Lake Erie recovered to a healthy state.  Continuous monitors and accountability are what is needed for Lake Erie today. Monitoring efforts need to be coordinated between Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Ontario, Pennsylvania and New York.  A centralized data collection system that is accessible, is need to determine Lake Erie’s health.  The monitoring needs to include the Lake Erie headwaters at Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River.

You can help… join us…promote Lake Erie… tell your elected federal, state and local officials  how important Lake Erie is….ask for help with monitoring, in water techniques that reduce algae/phopshorous

Lake Erie News

Latest Headlines

From May 18th

MLive.com — Lake Erie algae a top focus for US-Canadian panel

Pittsburgh Post Gazette — Great Lakes threat: The Corps must be as aggressive as Asian carp

13abc Action News — Keeping the water flowing in Toledo

Center for Biological Diversity

Becoming a Clean Marina

One way marinas can help Lake Erie water is by becoming a ‘Clean Marina’ . Boat owners can help keep the environment clean by adopting a series of best management practices developed through the Ohio Clean Marinas Program. To become a ‘Clean Marina’ Here are some of the Clean Marina requiremen

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