On Lake Erie, getting rid of problem algae starts with giving it less food

Associated Press

OREGON, Ohio (AP) — Western Lake Erie is an ideal environment for the bacteria that make up algae. It’s about 30 feet deep, the shallowest part of the shallowest Great Lake, and it heats up faster when temperatures are warm. It’s also where fertilizer from farm fields throughout the basin eventually drain into the Maumee River, which dumps into Erie at Toledo. And algae love to feast on the phosphorus and nitrogen in that fertilizer. Reducing the phosphorus reaching the lake by 40% by 2025 was one focus of an agreement between the United States and Canada. Researchers say progress has been made but the target likely won’t be met. The latest figure shows phosphorus is down about 32%.