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Another $1M in fed money coming to help Grand Lake St. Marys

David Culver View over the side of a power boat churning up bright green Cyanobacteria July 14 near the middle of Grand Lake St. Marys.

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By Steve Bennish, Staff Writer Updated 10:01 AM Wednesday, July 21, 2010

COLUMBUS — The U.S. Department of Agriculture will forward nearly $1 million in emergency funding to combat the outbreak of toxic cyanobacteria at Grand Lake St. Marys, Gov. Ted Strickland and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown said Tuesday, July 20.

“The funding will enable farmers in the Grand Lake St. Marys watershed to apply conservation measures that will benefit water quality in the lake,” Brown said. He added that the funding is provided by the USDA’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program, which is administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Friday, July 16, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency said that the levels of bacteria are so high that boating and all water contact at Grand Lake should be avoided.

“The health of Grand Lake St. Marys is at risk and today’s announcement of cleanup funds is welcome news for western Ohio. These new federal dollars will build upon our long-term strategy of reducing runoff and improving the water quality,” Brown said. “Hundreds of thousands of Ohioans rely upon Grand Lake St Marys for recreation, for drinking water, and for their jobs—its cleanup is a priority and I will continue to work with (USDA) Secretary (Tom) Vilsack and Governor Strickland until the job is done.”

The $1 million in emergency federal funding won’t end the crisis, Gov. Ted Strickland’s office said. But it’s a needed step following an eruption of cyanobacteria that jeopardizes lake tourism valued at up to $200 million annually.

“This is certainly not all that we will need to address this situation,” said Strickland spokeswoman Amanda Wurst. “The governor has asked for financial help as well as technical assistance so we can get the best experts to work on this challenge.”

Tuesday, Strickland huddled with U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to work on the crisis, Wurst said. The situation “is one of the most significant environmental issues we are working on,” she said. “State agencies are working closely at all levels of government to find the best solution to best deal with the challenges of the lake.”

The $1 million in funding is in addition to $2.5 million allocated in the past two years through the USDA for assistance at the lake, Strickland said. In April 2010, Grand Lake St. Marys received $1 million in funding for the creation of buffer strips along creeks running into Grand Lake St. Marys and for the planting of cover crops.

Strickland, in a prepared statement, said that “Grand Lake St. Marys is a key to the economic engine of this region. We are committed to Grand Lake St. Marys’ recovery so tourists can return which will provide a big boost to area businesses.”

Strickland praised Secretary Vilsack’s “leadership and for his quick response to our requests for assistance in restoring the lake to what it once was,” adding, “I also want to thank Sen. Brown for his persistent efforts to secure these cleanup funds and ensuring the lake is a priority of the federal government.”

Brown said the funding will provide “winter cover on agricultural land receiving manure in the fall of 2010 and also for land with low crop residue to reduce soil erosion.”

Brown said that NRCS field offices in Mercer and Auglaize Counties will be taking applications immediately and continue taking applications until the funding is exhausted.

In addition to the EQIP funds for agricultural producers, a second monitoring station will be placed in the watershed. Data collected from the two stations in the watershed will provide benchmark data and track long-term improvements resulting from the improved conservation measures being implemented by agricultural producers, Brown said.

Brown said he’s the first senator from Ohio to serve on the Agriculture Committee in 40 years.

In April 2010, Grand Lake St Marys received $1 million in funding for the creation of buffer strips along creeks running into Grand Lake St. Marys and for the planting of cover crops.

Experts say the situation is an environmental disaster that will take from 10 to 20 years to fix even if livestock waste runoff that fuels toxic cyanobacteria stops tomorrow. Cyanobacteria, an organism billions of years old, is commonly called blue-green algae.

Toxins generated by the bacteria also threaten to kill the state’s St. Marys Fish Hatchery, a nearly century-old facility on 160 acres on the eastern shore of Grand Lake St. Marys where walleye, saugeye and yellow perch are raised in the spring and fat head minnows and catfish in summer.

Cyanobacteria, an organism billions of years old, is commonly called blue-green algae.

Had the bacteria blooms occurred earlier this year, the hatchery would not have been able to function.

Nutrients from unchecked livestock manure runoff are a powerful fuel for the blooms. St. Marys’ watershed has 300 livestock farms, the highest livestock concentration in the state. The Grand Lake St. Marys watershed encompasses 59,160 acres across Mercer and Auglaize counties. Tourism at the lake is estimated to contribute as much as $200 million to the local economy.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7407 or sbennish@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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