EPA Plan Aims to Reduce Phosphorus Pollution in Lake Erie

The U.S. EPA’s Chicago-based Region 5 office released a plan for reducing phosphorus contamination in Lake Erie, which contributes to algae blooms. The plan calls for a 40% reduction in the amount of phosphorus entering Lake Erie by 2025, meaning a reduction of 7.3 million lb annually. However, the plan calls for no new federal regulations and instead relies on existing state and local volunteer programs, as reported by The Chicago Tribune.

EPA’s plan offers advice to farmers to monitor fertilizer-related phosphorus pollution by reducing use on frozen ground or before a significant rainfall. The plan also recommends best management practices such as creating wetlands and planting cover crops.

“There’s no accountability, no consequences if we don’t meet the benchmarks and projection in this plan,” said Frank Szollosi, Great Lakes campaign manager for the National Wildlife Federation.

According to the Toledo Blade, an Ohio-based news source, Michigan declared their Lake Erie waters impaired under the Clean Water Act in 2016 and there is pressure for Ohio to follow suit. Environmentalists hope that declaring Ohio’s Lake Erie waters impaired will convey the urgency of the phosphorus contamination.