Dr. Julie Weatherington-Rice gave an update on the Ohio Lake Erie Phosphorous Task Force at the Franklin Soil and Water quarterly brown bag, August 24, 2010.

1. The Ohio Lake Erie Phosphorus Task Force August 24, 2010 Update Julie Weatherington-Rice, PhD, Adj. Asst. Prof. OSU Dept. Food, Agricultural, & Biological Engineering Sr. Scientist Bennett & Williams Co-coordinator OFFWG (OAS) Presented on behalf of the Ohio Fracture Flow Working Group NASA 4/2/08

2. After Decades of Work to Reduce Sediment Loading to the Great Lakes, Changing Agricultural Practices are Still Delivering High Sediment Loads NASA 4-2-08 Western Basin

3. What Triggered This Crisis Now? Blue-Green Algae Invasion of Western Lake Erie Fueled by Soluble (Dissolved) Reactive Phosphorus (S/DRP) and Nitrogen Arrived Autumn 2006 & has Continued to Grow Needs Nutrients, Warm & Stagnant Water to Thrive Photo 4-3-07, Sandy Bihn, Western Lake Erie Waterkeeper Maumee Bay State Park shoreline

4. By June 2007, the beaches on Maumee Bay were matted with a new Blue-Green Algae - Lyngbya Wollei Photos: Susan Rice, 6-22-07

5. To get to open water, have to walk over dried and blooming toxic algal mats and then wade through toxic algae in the water – in flat settings a 10 to 30 yard trek or more

6. Near-shore and beach conditions just west of Maumee Bay State Park June 2007 To Respond to the Crisis, Ohio EPA Phosphorus Task Force formed Spring 2007 to determine causes and possible solutions, Agricultural Practices in the Watershed appear to be the major source of nutrients

7. Lyngbya Wollei Benthic mats become buoyant and float to surface (Maumee Bay State Park) T. Fisher That Fall we learned…

8. ~30 Task Force Members from: Columbus Dispatch 9-07 Federal Agencies – US EPA, USGS, USDA ARS & NRCS State Agencies – Ohio EPA, ODNR-DSW & Wildlife, ODA, OSU Sea Grant & Ext, Ohio Lake Erie Comm. Local Agencies – Henry SWCD, NE Ohio Regional Sewer Dist Academia –Heidelberg, Ohio State, U Toledo, Case Western Scientific Organizations – Ohio Academy of Science OFFWG Producer Organizations – Farm Bureau Also Guests - Many backgrounds

12. Identified Sources: Agriculture ~90?% Animal Feeding Operations – all forms manures land applied Uncontrolled Pasture-based animal operations Commercial ag fertilizer – surface & over-applied – soil buildup Municipal WWTP Biosolids & Biosludges applications Rural stormwater runoff Delivery – surface runoff & tile drainage to streams/ditches

17. Permanent Sedimentation Pre-mussels Post - mussels Buildup and Recycle of Phosphorus in Biomass, Mussels, Gobies, Cladophora (green algae) Export of Phosphorus and Sediment to deep water and permanent burial Much of the input to lakes comes from tributaries. In deeper water the probability a particle will remain in sediment permanently is highest. ( L. Ontario traps >80% of P input.) Thus, offshore concentrations tend to be lower than those near shore . algae bacteria

27. 10-18-09 Overflight, the loading continues

31. 2010 “Summer of Bloom” * Stone Lab Pier, 8/11/10 Photo Jeff Reutter

35. What is a Bioreactor? Promoted by Iowa Soybean Assoc. for nitrate removal ( http://www.iasoybeans.com/environment/bioreactorbasics.html ) Should also work for SRP, NRCS offering cost share funding for installations, OSU FABE looking for cooperating farmers

37. Help Us Restore ALL the Lakes