A recent report outlined the deteriorating condition of Lake Erie's water.
"The public has told us, and research has confirmed, that Lake Erie is impaired by an excess of nutrients that feed harmful" Lana Pollack, U.S. chair of the International Joint Commission, said in a news release. "We commend the U.S. and Canada for their work and investments to help Lake Erie, but it's time for governments at all levels to put the lake on a diet by setting targets and achieving real reductions in nutrient loads."
The IJC found the water quality of the lake has steeply declined over the past decade. The change has affected "ecosystem health, drinking water supplies, fisheries, recreation, tourism and property values," the news release reported.
"I grew up on Lake Erie and know firsthand that this precious lake can't afford more fouled beaches, dead fish and contaminated drinking water," Gordon Walker, Canadian chair, said in the news release. "Government action saved Lake Erie in the 1970s and the IJC is confident that with timely action, the U.S. and Canada can save Lake Erie again."
The IJC has made 16 recommendations for improving Lake Erie's water quality.
"Setting loading targets" is one of these recommendations. The IJC believes The team believes an immediate reduction in nutrient the loading of nutrients into the lake, especially dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP), which the IJC calls for a 37 percent reduction in over the next year.
The majority of these phosphorous sources come from agricultural operations.
"To address this complex challenge, the IJC recommends that governments throughout the watershed refocus agri-environmental management programs to explicitly address DRP," the news release reported. Encouraging "green infrastructure" in nearby urban environments could also make a big difference.
Other recommendations include restoring local wetlands and performing more research on the famous lake's condition.
