Unfortunately, Ohio’s bodies of water are having major issues.  Most Ohioans know about the issues with Grand Lake St. Marys, but as of late Lake Erie and Buckeye Lake have posted warning signs and even in some cases, closed their beaches due to toxic algae blooms, caused by high phosphorus levels.  These blooms are a huge threat to the billions of dollars in revenue these lakes bring in to the state each year.   

With the help of the state and other project funding and grants, there have been alum treatments to Grand Lake St. Marys the past two springs, since the lake’s closing in 2010.  The treatments are the world’s largest to ever be done, and because of the massive size of the inland lake, more still needs to be done.   

There is no simple, quick fix.  The state is doing all it can with the funds it has, and currently those funds are being spread thin.  To fix this problem, there needs to be an overhaul of the lakes entirely.  This overhaul would consist of dredging, professional alum treatments, monitoring the water quality of not only the lakes but the tributaries and watersheds, and other various tasks to make sure the lakes stay safe for the future.  This work does not come cheap; the overhaul would be millions of dollars for each lake.

We can only sit back and cross our fingers that these upcoming summer months stay safe for each of the lakes, and the blooms stay under control until the state, local governments, and also private businesses and organizations can find the funds to pursue addressing the toxic algae blooms threating our great state of Ohio and its revenue dollars.