Tracking the progress of individual strategies to control phosphorus
Specific activities identified by Lake Erie states, the province, and federal governments within Domestic Action Plans are tracked on ErieStat as Investments. Tracking these investments will enable the adaptive management of phosphorus control efforts and eventually, provide “big picture” views of phosphorus control Progress.
Investments made in the Lake Erie basin to control phosphorus aren’t expressed only as dollars – it’s also the programs implemented and the people and organizations who implement them. Investments include on-the-ground practices, research and monitoring, infrastructure upgrades, and outreach and education.
The Lake Erie watershed has been identified through New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's Clean Water Planning Initiative as a high priority for water quality improvement, and Lake Erie is currently the focus of binational efforts under Annex 4 (Nutrients) of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) to assess and reduce nutrient loadings. The objectives of this project are:
New York State's Water Quality Rapid Response Team, national experts and local stakeholders collaboratively developed Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Action Plans for twelve priority lakes that are vulnerable to HABs. These twelve lakes represent a wide range of conditions and the lessons learned will be applied to other impacted waterbodies in the state.
New York State (NYS) was not required to prepare a Domestic Action Plan (DAP), as binational phosphorus targets have not been established for the eastern basin under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA). The Lake Erie Watershed Protection Alliance (LEWPA), in partnership with NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), is developing a Nine Element (9E) Watershed Plan to maintain the “Interim Substance Objective for Total Phosphorous Concentration in Open Waters of Eastern Basin of Lake Erie.”
New York State (NYS) implemented a ban on phosphorus-containing residential fertilizers in 2016 and will continue its active enforcement/surveillance program to monitor the compliance of residential fertilizer retailers.