In 2015, a number of states, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Canadian government signed the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, a deal to take action against Lake Erie’s infamous algal blooms by cutting nutrient loads to the lake by 40 percent by 2025. This month Ohio has released its specific plans, the “Domestic Action Plan 1.0.”
The “Domestic Action Plan 1.0” is about 30 pages longer than previous drafts, with timelines for more than 50 goals and milestones added in. However, critics have expressed concerns that the plan is not detailed enough. For example, some scientists have expressed frustration with the fact that few of the scientific details released in a September white paper on current algal bloom research didn’t make the plan’s cut.
This year’s algal bloom was the third largest in the past 15 years. It’s estimated to have covered approximately 1,000 square miles of Lake Erie at its peak.
Read the plan for yourself here: http://lakeerie.ohio.gov/Portals/0/Ohio%20DAP/DAP%20for%20USEPA%20FINAL%20DRAFT%2020171117.pdf.
