The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded Michigan, Indiana and Ohio $8.6 million in grants to reduce phosphorus runoff blamed for harmful algae growth
in the Great Lakes, John Flesher reports for The Associated Press. The grants will "provide farmers with technical assistance and
incentives while improving the measurement of phosphorus loads in Lake
Erie tributaries, regional director Susan Hedman said."
In August toxic algae was blamed for Toledo losing its drinking water for two days. In response to the incident, Ohio officials passed a measure requiring farmers to get fertilizer licenses. But some fear the law has a loophole that benefits large manure users. The Great Lakes Commission said last month that it wants to reduce phosphorus flowing into Lake Erie by 40 percent. (AP photo by Haraz Ghanbari: The City of Toledo water intake
"The grants will enable Ohio to expand water quality monitoring in the
Maumee River watershed, a leading source of phosphorus, said Craig
Butler, director of the state’s environmental protection department," Flesher writes. "Michigan
will hire four technicians to join three others working with farmers in
the Lake Erie watershed to cut phosphorus runoff, said Jim Johnson,
environmental stewardship director with the state agriculture
department. Among practices they’re encouraging is keeping water on
croplands long enough for sediments and nutrients to drop off before it
flows to streams and lakes." (Read more)
A digest of events, trends, issues, ideas and journalism from and about rural America, by the Institute for Rural Journalism, based at the University of Kentucky. Links may expire, require subscription or go behind pay walls. Please send news and knowledge you think would be useful to benjy.hamm@uky.edu.
Monday, October 27, 2014
Michigan, Ohio, Indiana get USDA grants to reduce phosphorus blamed for toxic algae growth
Labels:
agriculture,
animal welfare,
environment,
fertilizer,
fish,
fishing,
Great Lakes,
health,
local government,
tourism,
toxic substances,
water,
water pollution
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