Domestic action plan to reduce phosphorus in Lake Erie
The Ohio Lake Erie Commission and the State of Ohio have released an updated draft of the Ohio Domestic Action Plan to reduce phosphorus entering Lake Erie under the binational Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
This draft Ohio plan is a continuation of the Western Basin of Lake Erie Collaboration Implementation Framework finalized by the State of Ohio in early 2017 and supports Governor DeWine’s H2Ohio plan, which was released in Nov. 2019.
The Ohio Lake Erie Commission will finalize the update of the Ohio Domestic Action Plan in coordination with Ohio EPA, Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA), Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), which each share responsibility for implementing the plan.
New action items included in the draft focus on:
•Establishing science-based priorities for agricultural best management practices and state programs to support H2Ohio efforts to encourage farmers to implement scientifically backed best practices;
•The importance of wetland restoration and outlining ODNR efforts to create, restore, and enhance wetlands for nutrient reduction as part of H2Ohio;
•Updated actions for communities including H2Ohio support for home sewage treatment system remediation;
•Integrating the role of watershed planning at the local level for siting projects to reduce nutrients efficiently, including a distribution of the load reduction throughout the Maumee River watershed based on the Ohio EPA Nutrient Mass Balance method.
Targeted solutions
Through the H2Ohio plan, Ohio is investing in targeted solutions to help ensure safe and clean water through new programs for nonpoint source nutrient reduction.
The adaptive management process is central to the long-term implementation of the Ohio Domestic Action Plan so that the plan can be adjusted as new nutrient reduction actions are developed and evaluated to meet the goals of the binational Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. This plan is being updated to ensure Ohio is focusing on the correct practices to achieve significant nutrient reductions.
The draft plan is available at https://lakeerie.ohio.gov/LakeEriePlanning/OhioDomesticActionPlan2018.aspx
Public comments can be emailed to dap@lakeerie.ohio.gov and are being accepted until the close of business on March 2, 2020.
OLEC was established to preserve Lake Erie's natural resources, protect the quality of its waters and ecosystem and promote economic development in the region. The director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) serves as the commission's chairman. Additional members include the directors of the state departments of Transportation, Health, Development Services, Agriculture, Natural Resources and five additional members appointed by Governor Mike DeWine.