New tracking of pollutants into rivers and Lake Erie
By Shaun Hegarty |
Posted: Fri 5:48 PM, Jun 03, 2016
TOLEDO (13abc Action News) - New efforts are underway to track what is going into our rivers and streams and eventually into Lake Erie. It’s a project undertaken by Lucas County and the city of Toledo. All with the hope to make sure you have clean drinking water.
While so many people worry about the health of Lake Erie and the algae bloom out there, the problems really start in rivers and streams. Now new research tries to pin down exactly where it's coming from and how much is going in.
Before Lake Erie looks more like that green pea soup, nutrients have to get into the lake from places like streams and rivers.
"We have to look to the entire Lake Erie basin in order to understand how to solve these phosphorus problems and where in the world is it all coming from," said Lucas County Commissioner Tina Skeldon Wozniak.
Lucas County and Toledo now enter into the next phase of tracking those pollutants like phosphorus. Research and tracking will identify places like fields, wastewater treatment plants even septic tanks that could be putting these harmful items in the water.
"It provides for us to locally have information that we will have more local control and local information to understand how we address this issue," said Toledo Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson.
"Right now the lake is in great shape, excellent shape," said charter boat captain Dave Spangler.
Spangler sees lake conditions first hand every day. He says with the calm weather in some parts clarity of the lake goes down 20 feet.
"The clarity of the water is unbelievably clean for the past week," said Capt. Spangler.
With this tracking the ultimate goal is to determine who's putting what into the rivers and streams and where it's happening. That data will go online for everyone to see.
"They're showing some leadership on getting us critical information on exactly where the nutrient runoff is coming from," said Frank Szollosi of the National Wildlife Federation.
"Right now I am optimistic, yes. But all it will take is one mammoth rain like we had last year and that will change immediately," said Capt. Spangler. This research and data isn't free. Mayor Hicks-Hudson said the city council will get legislation to spend $125,000 from the storm water fund to pay for this next round of research.