Lake Erie algal bloom

https://greatlakes.org/2025/06/toxic-algal-blooms-should-not-be-the-new-normal/

Monitoring Milestone in Fight Against Lake Erie Pollution

On: October 24, 2024

In: Lake Erie algal bloom

Lansing, Michigan (October 24, 2024) – A critical milestone in the fight against algal blooms on Lake Erie was reached as the installation of water quality monitoring equipment in five critical sub-watersheds feeding into the lake’s western basin was finalized. The monitoring network has started collecting data and is now the most comprehensive monitoring network in these sub-watersheds with a goal of better understanding headwater water quality and flow trends.

Rows of sensor parts. — Sensor assembly. Photo courtesy of LimnoTech/Freeboard Technology.

A group of boxes on legs. — Phosphorous monitoring equipment: Continuous online soluble reactive phosphorus and automated ISCO. Photo courtesy of LimnoTech/Freeboard Technology.

Lake Erie’s bloom is a persistent threat to human health and the local economy while also driving up drinking water costs. Blooms are fueled largely by nutrient runoff. In the Western Lake Erie Basin, agricultural land is the primary source for nonpoint nutrient pollution. To prevent blooms from damaging our economy and the environment, it’s critical to reduce the amount of nutrients entering rivers and streams in the WLEB.

The new monitoring network was made possible thanks to Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s bipartisan budget, which provided the funding for a $4.86 million grant from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), and a $600,000 grant from the Erb Family Foundation.

The Alliance for the Great Lakes is working in partnership with MDARD to increase the department’s ability to track and monitor water quality in five of Michigan’s priority sub-watersheds in the WLEB. Technical assistance is being provided by the Michigan State University’s Institute of Water Research, LimnoTech and Freeboard Technology. The project runs through 2029, and continuous data will be available throughout the monitoring effort’s lifetime.

A worker wades into the water to install equipment. — Installation of Turbidity Sensors near Adrian, Michigan. Photo courtesy of LimnoTech/Freeboard Technology.

Instrumentation along a waterway. — Instrumentation installed near Adrian, MI measuring soluble reactive phosphorus, total phosphorus, flow, conductivity, turbidity, weather, and soil conditions. Photo courtesy of LimnoTech/Freeboard Technology.

One approach to fight algal blooms has been to spend government funds at both the state and federal levels on farm-level conservation practices. Despite years of work and hundreds of millions in taxpayer funds spent, that approach has largely failed. Alliance for the Great Lakes research shows that farm conservation measures in Ohio and Michigan are woefully underfunded and, despite years of investment, adoption rates of conservation practices are still far behind where they need to be. Given the magnitude of the problem and the inadequate funding, states must prioritize and target funding to the highest priority areas and the most cost-efficient practices. 

“Water quality data indicate a lack of progress on achieving appreciable reductions of nutrient losses from agricultural sources. Progress moving forward is going to take a change in approach, a commitment to research, investments in monitoring, and enhanced expertise on the ground,” said Dr. Tim Boring, MDARD Director. The improved monitoring is essential to better understand the local hydrology, transport mechanisms, and the impacts of agronomic practices. Functioning alongside new research into areas such as soil health, this monitoring data informs necessary changes in targeting and incentivization approaches.

Boring added that achieving improved environmental outcomes is a core mission area of MDARD’s new Regenerative Agriculture program. The program aims to deliver greater farm prosperity, improved farm ecosystems, increased community health, and a more vibrant food system. This ambitious approach is focused on realizing more definitive outcomes, including water quality.

“Understanding, tracking, and predicting where nutrient pollution comes from is difficult due to weather, cropping complexities, and a lack of data. This makes properly targeting conservation funding complicated,” said Tom Zimnicki, Alliance for the Great Lakes’ Agriculture and Restoration Policy Director.

“Understanding how nutrient pollution and water moves through the watershed will equip agencies and practitioners with accurate data to better target conservation and land management practices to improve water quality outcomes. We applaud the leadership of MDARD Director Boring who has continually emphasized the importance of expanding monitoring and data collection to help guide conservation decision-making.”

A map shows monitoring locations. — Monitoring locations: New sampling locations under this project are depicted with red and yellow circles.

A chart showing real-time results from October 12-15, 2024. — Real-time sampling results.

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Contact: Don Carr, Media Director, Alliance for the Great Lakes dcarr@greatlakes.org

More About this Project

Learn more about expanded water quality monitoring in the Western Lake Erie Watershed.

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https://greatlakes.org/2024/10/monitoring-milestone-in-fight-against-lake-erie-pollution/

New MDARD Partnership Will Improve Water Quality Monitoring

On: April 3, 2024

LANSING, MI (April 3, 2024) – Nutrient pollution is a severe threat to water quality across the Great Lakes region and is particularly important in the Western Basin of Lake Erie. Understanding, tracking, and predicting where this pollution comes from is difficult due to weather and cropping complexities and a lack of data. This makes it difficult to properly target where conservation funding should be spent.

Through a new $4.86 million grant from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) and a $600,000 grant from the Erb Family Foundation, the Alliance for the Great Lakes will work in partnership with MDARD to increase the agency’s ability track and monitor water quality in five of Michigan’s priority subwatersheds of the Western Basin of Lake Erie. Technical assistance will be provided by the Michigan State University Institute of Water Research and LimnoTech.

The partnership aims to increase monitoring capacity by deploying higher spatial density monitoring instrumentation with a particular focus on understanding phosphorus trends. The information gleaned from this effort will help MDARD better understand various drivers of nutrient transport and allow for better targeting of conservation efforts to combat nutrient pollution.

“Ultimately, understanding where nutrient pollution is coming from and how it travels through the watershed will allow agencies and practitioners to better target conservation and land management practices to improve water quality outcomes. We are excited to partner with MDARD on this effort and applaud the leadership of Director Boring who has continually emphasized the importance of expanding monitoring and data collection to help guide conservation decision making,” said Tom Zimnicki, Alliance for the Great Lakes’ Agriculture and Restoration Policy Director.

“Our department has recognized the need for improved water quality monitoring in WLEB. We know that more holistic farm management focusing on soil health and regenerative agriculture principles can be expected to improve nutrient losses. Through the State of Michigan’s Domestic Action Plan adaptive management approach of continuous assessment and improvement, the scientific outcomes of this work improve our ability to make meaningful progress toward water quality improvements,” said MDARD Director Tim Boring.

The project will run from 2024 to 2029 and cover five of Michigan’s priority sub watersheds – Lime Creek, Stony Creek (South Branch River Raisin), Headwaters of the Saline River, Nile Ditch, and the S.S. LaPointe Drain. Area hydrology, sediment transport, and phosphorus transport in the sub watersheds will be tracked by the program. Data collected will be publicly available.

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Contact: Don Carr, Media Director, dcarr@greatlakes.org

More about Nutrient Pollution

Read more about agricultural runoff and harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie.

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https://greatlakes.org/2024/04/new-mdard-partnership-will-improve-water-quality-monitoring/

Plan to Improve Lake Erie Water Quality Lacks Elements Critical for Success

On: September 28, 2023

In: Lake Erie algal bloom

Chicago, IL (September 28, 2023) – Earlier today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S EPA) approved the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed total maximum daily load (TMDL) for the Maumee River – the main tributary feeding the Western Basin of Lake Erie.

The Ohio EPA’s proposed TMDL was developed in response to chronic algal blooms that occur due to excessive nutrient pollution from surrounding land use. Agriculture is a major uncontrolled contributor to these blooms. A TMDL lays out a “pollution diet” necessary to meet water quality targets. The Ohio EPA was required to develop the TMDL per a recent consent decree.

In response, Tom Zimnicki, the Alliance’s Agriculture & Restoration Policy Director, issued the following statement:

“The Western Basin of Lake Erie is a vital resource to the region. Despite millions of dollars of investment over decades, it remains plagued by chronic harmful algal blooms. A TMDL is an important tool in combating these blooms and the nutrients that feed them. However, in its decision, U.S. EPA has doubled down on the same tired, status quo approach that led Ohio to need a TMDL in the first place.

“As it stands, the approved TMDL does not address crucial elements needed to improve Lake Erie water quality. We remain committed to protecting and restoring Lake Erie for those who depend on it, and we will continue to advocate for stronger standards and programs in Ohio to address nutrient pollution.”

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Media contact: Please connect with our media team at TeamGreatLakes@mrss.com.

More about Lake Erie’s Algal Blooms

Read background and recent updates about Lake Erie’s algal blooms.

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https://greatlakes.org/2023/09/plan-to-improve-lake-erie-water-quality-lacks-elements-critical-for-success/

DC Update: Are Great Lakes Priorities Advancing in an Era of Divided Government?

On: August 23, 2023

Don Jodrey, Director of Federal Government Relations

Note: This blog is part of a periodic series of updates from Don Jodrey, the Alliance’s Director of Federal Government Relations, with his view on Great Lakes policy from Washington, DC.

At the beginning of the year, we announced an ambitious Great Lakes federal policy agenda. We also noted that it was the start of a new Congress and an era of divided government. We predicted that there were likely to be major policy disagreements between the Republican House, the Democratic Senate, and the Biden administration that might result in a stalemate or lack of progress on some issues.

We’re now past the halfway mark of the year, and Congress is on its August recess. So we’re asking: Are Great Lakes priorities making progress? And what else can we do to advocate for the Great Lakes?

Budget battles: Funding holds for Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, but disagreements threaten water infrastructure & environmental justice

After several months of protracted negotiations to deal with the debt ceiling, which resulted in legislation to keep nondefense spending flat in FY 2024 and provide a small 1% increase in FY 2025, both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have marked up the bills that contain funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). The House committee provided $368 million, which is the same as last year’s enacted level, while the Senate committee provided a $5 million increase for a total of $373 million. These funding levels are well short of the program’s authorized level of $425 million. However, given the major funding reductions proposed by the House elsewhere in the bill and in the debt ceiling agreement, holding the GLRI program at the same level as last year demonstrates the strong bipartisan support for this program throughout the Great Lakes delegation.

Unfortunately, water infrastructure programs did not fare well in the House bill markup. The House Appropriations Committee proposed steep cuts – more than $1.7 billion – to water infrastructure funding that supports state clean water and drinking water programs. House Republicans rationalized these reductions by noting that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 provided major increases for water infrastructure for the next several years. However, the House’s proposed reduction is alarming. These cuts are not consistent with the debt ceiling agreement both parties agreed to earlier this year and backtrack on much-needed federal support for essential drinking water, sewer, and stormwater projects.

The House also proposes eliminating environmental justice funding for the Environmental Protection Agency and rescinding more than $1.4 billion in funding for environmental and climate justice programs provided by the Inflation Reduction Act.

In contrast, the Senate Appropriations Committee proposes to maintain water infrastructure and environmental justice funding consistent with last year’s level and with the Inflation Reduction Act.

Given these major policy disagreements over federal funding, it is highly unlikely that the House and Senate will be able to come to agreement on the individual spending bills this year. The potential for a government shutdown is high and a continuing resolution is a certainty. The debt ceiling deal requires Congress to pass all 12 annual spending bills by January 1, and if they are not passed or a short-term funding extension is in place, then an automatic funding reduction of 1% will occur.

Plastics legislation is introduced in the Senate

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has held several hearings on the topic of plastic pollution this year. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) has introduced “The Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act” to begin the effort to address the problems posed by plastic pellets in our waters, including the Great Lakes. The bill would require the Environmental Protection Agency, using its Clean Water Act regulatory authorities, to prohibit the discharge of plastic pellets and other pre-production plastics into waterways from facilities and sources that make, use, package, or transport plastic pellets. Plastic pellets, like other microplastics, pose a danger to human health, as well as to fish, wildlife, and ecosystems. It is estimated that more than 250,000 tons of plastic pellets are in our waterways, and more than 42 of 66 beaches in the Great Lakes have been found to have serious pollution issues associated with plastic pellets. Although a companion House bill has not yet been introduced and other plastic pollution reduction measures are likely to be introduced in the Senate in the coming months, this is likely to be an area that Congress will debate for some time.

On the Administrative side, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released for public comment its draft national strategy to address plastic pollution. We at the Alliance, along with some of our partners, strongly advocated that EPA utilize its existing authorities under the Clean Water Act to regulate and reduce microplastic pollution in our water.

Stay tuned for the Farm Bill

Both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees have held hearings and significant outreach on the 2023 Farm Bill and have introduced “marker bills” (bills that will not be passed but that are placeholders) for this must-pass piece of legislation. It is likely that legislative text will emerge in September. But the disagreements in funding between the House and the Senate for some Farm Bill programs indicate that this traditionally bipartisan piece of legislation may face some tough challenges this year. We have encouraged Great Lakes members to support increased funding for conservation programs, as well as provisions to ensure accountability for conservation programs that address agricultural runoff pollution.

Engineering and design continues for invasive carp protections

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is continuing its pre-construction, engineering, and design work for invasive carp protections at Brandon Road Lock and Dam in Illinois. This important project is intended to stop the spread of invasive carp into the Great Lakes. The project received much-needed funding boosts from the States of Illinois and Michigan, which included funds in their state budgets to cover the state share of the construction costs for the project. The next step is for the State of Illinois and the Corps to sign a project partnership agreement so that the first phase of construction may commence in mid-2024.

Looking ahead, your voice matters

The legislative process will continue for the rest of the year – and, as noted earlier, there are major disagreements between the House and Senate over funding. Your voice can make a difference. Contact Congress about the issues that are of concern to you, particularly in areas where major reductions to clean and safe drinking water programs are proposed, or if federal legislation would be helpful to address a particular need like reducing plastic pollution or addressing harmful nutrient runoff. Let your members of Congress know how important clean and healthy Great Lakes are to you.

Protect the Great Lakes & Our Communities

Too many Great Lakers experience polluted water – whether it is lead-tainted water coming from taps in homes or algal blooms fouling beaches. Visit our Action Center and learn how you can take action.

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The post DC Update: Are Great Lakes Priorities Advancing in an Era of Divided Government? appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2023/08/dc-update-are-great-lakes-priorities-advancing-in-an-era-of-divided-government/

Region not on track to meet phosphorus reductions needed to limit western Lake Erie’s harmful algal blooms

On: June 29, 2023

In: Lake Erie algal bloom

Chicago, IL (June 29, 2023) – Earlier today, NOAA and its research partners released the annual western Lake Erie harmful algal bloom forecast. In response, Alliance for the Great Lakes Agriculture and Restoration Policy Director Tom Zimnicki made the following statement:

“Regardless of this particular forecast’s results, it is abundantly clear that the region will not meet the 2025 phosphorus reduction targets the Ohio and Michigan state governments set for the Western Basin of Lake Erie. Our lack of overall progress, particularly on reigning in agricultural nutrient losses, means the basin will continue to experience algal blooms, tourism will suffer, and municipal ratepayers will continue to foot the bill for any meaningful phosphorus reductions entering the basin. Despite hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, both Michigan and Ohio — the states with the lion’s share of the basin’s drainage area — remain woefully behind in regard to the necessary financial investment and acres of conservation practices in the watershed. It is imperative that the states outline a new, more rigorous strategy to address nutrient loading in the basin that goes beyond the status quo approach.”

More About Lake Erie

Check out our latest reports, stories and podcasts about Lake Erie’s harmful algal blooms.

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https://greatlakes.org/2023/06/region-not-on-track-to-meet-phosphorus-reductions-needed-to-limit-western-lake-eries-harmful-algal-blooms/

DC Update: House water champions emerge amidst rising national backlog of water infrastructure projects

On: April 20, 2023

Note: This blog is part of a periodic series of updates from Don Jodrey, the Alliance’s Director of Federal Government Relations, with his view on Great Lakes policy from Washington, DC.

Don Jodrey, Director of Federal Government Relations

Early this year, we published our list of federal priorities for 2023, and chief among them was the need to increase funding for water infrastructure. We believe that clean water is a basic need. No one should be without clean, safe, affordable drinking water or worried about sewage back-ups in their homes or community flooding that damages property. With communities across the Great Lakes grappling with antiquated drinking water and sewer systems, we have called on Congress to more than double current annual levels of funding for both the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds from $2.5 billion to $8.7 billion, which is the authorized level of funding for those programs that Congress established in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.

New data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) shows the urgent need for water infrastructure funding. The agency just released its 7^th Drinking Water Information Needs Survey and Assessment (DWINSA), which estimates that there is a $625 billion backlog in drinking water systems nationwide. Based upon more than 3,500 individual survey responses from public drinking water systems around the country, the 7th DWINSA represents drinking water infrastructure projects that are necessary over the next 20 years for public water systems to be able to provide safe drinking water to the public. For the first time, information on lead service line needs is included, and it is worth noting that the backlog represents a 32% increase since the last survey was completed about five years ago.

Given that water infrastructure needs are growing, it is gratifying to see that some Members of Congress are taking up the charge. One of our newest Great Lakes members, first-term Representative Emilia Sykes from Ohio’s 13^th congressional district, is leading the way. Representative Sykes, along with Representative Grace Napolitano from California’s 31^stcongressional district, both recently submitted a letter to the House Appropriations Committee signed by 31 other members of Congress calling for increased funding for water infrastructure. Representatives Sykes and Napolitano, both members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, noted the importance that access to clean water has for both public health and economic benefits and requested increased funding for both the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, the Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Municipal Grant Program, the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program, and numerous other smaller programs that support water infrastructure workforce development and environmental justice. We appreciate their leadership and know that increasing federal appropriations for water infrastructure will be a tough sell this year in Congress, but given the unrelenting need, it is an issue that deserves our continued attention.

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Michelle Farley

DC Update: Great Lakes Advocates Head to Washington, President’s Budget Released

On: March 22, 2023

Note: This blog is part of a periodic series of updates from Don Jodrey, the Alliance’s Director of Federal Government Relations, with his view on Great Lakes policy from Washington, DC.

Don Jodrey, Director of Federal Government Relations

The first week of March was a busy time in Washington, DC, as Great Lakes advocates from around the region, including the Alliance, gathered for the annual “Great Lakes Days” to lobby Congress for funding and laws to protect and restore the Great Lakes. The event, organized by the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes coalition, brought hundreds of Great Lakes advocates to Washington, DC, to meet with Members of Congress.

The Alliance was tapped to lead the Illinois delegation and brought together allies from several Illinois-based organizations, including Friends of the Chicago River, the Illinois Environmental Council, and Stantec. Our group met with over 10 Illinois congressional offices on March 9 to discuss Great Lakes policy priorities. Overall, we believe we had a productive and frank dialogue, especially noting the difficulty of achieving some of our funding and legislative priorities this year with a divided Congress.

We couldn’t have timed our advocacy better as the White House released the FY 2024 President’s Budget the same day of our congressional visits. While we did not see the increases we had hoped for in all of the programs targeting the Great Lakes, the budget does have some good news. We appreciate that the Administration proposed a $1.9 billion (19%) increase for US EPA’s budget, with the majority of these funds targeting programs supporting water infrastructure improvements for rural and underserved communities. In addition, US EPA’s budget includes increases for programs that reduce lead in schools and support actions to address PFAS, including EPA’s first-ever draft rule to regulate PFAS in drinking water.

The budget debate now moves to Congress, and it is going to be contentious as House Republicans are determined to reduce federal spending. Overall, House Republicans have vowed to cut federal non-defense programs back to FY 2022 levels or lower. With the Senate in Democratic hands, it is unclear how top-line spending policy will ultimately be worked out, but we will continue to advocate for programs that protect our water resources.

In addition to the release of the President’s Budget, the House considered and passed a Congressional Review Act resolution to disapprove the Biden Administration’s recently released “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) Clean Water Act rule that sets forth protections for the nation’s lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands. We supported the development of the “Waters of the United States” rule and opposed the congressional resolution to disapprove the rule as the rule provides important Clean Water Act protections to the region’s water resources. The Senate is anticipated to take up the resolution soon, although the final vote is unclear, and the Biden Administration is expected to veto the resolution if it passes.

With all of these events occurring during Great Lakes Days, it gave us a great opportunity to talk about our federal priorities to our congressional representatives and to build a foundation upon which to continue the dialogue as we move forward in the legislative process. We will keep you informed of how developments in Washington, DC, this year and appreciate your support for programs that protect and restore the Great Lakes.

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