Nutrients

The Governments of Canada and the United States are pleased to release the 2019 State of the Great Lakes Highlights Report, which provides an overview of the status and trends of the Great Lakes ecosystem. Overall, Great Lakes water quality is assessed as “fair and unchanging.” While progress to restore and protect the Great Lakes has occurred, including the reduction of toxic chemicals, challenges cited in the report include invasive species and excess nutrients that contribute to toxic and nuisance algae. 

The purpose of this Lake Erie Binational Phosphorus Reduction Strategy is to describe the framework for binational cooperation under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement Nutrients Annex towards the achievement of the 2016 binational phosphorus reduction targets.

This 2018 presentation summarizes the GLWA’s work toward converting soluble Phosphorus to particulate Phosphorus during the treatment process using both chemical and biological techniques.

This strategy brings together diverse nutrient management activities for point sources and nonpoint sources across the state. It documents the progress of ongoing activities implemented by federal, state, or local agencies and identifies outstanding needs.

The United States Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) developed this computer-generated model to estimate the nutrient loads coming from sub-basins in areas with insufficient water quality monitoring data. The model has been run in areas like the Lower Maumee where there is enough water quality monitoring data to calibrate the program.

This interactive map viewer identifies potential causes of impairment and pollutant sources that need to be controlled to achieve desired phosphorous load reductions and reduce the Harmful Algal Blooms in the Western Lake Erie Basin.

This report provides the recommended updates to phosphorus load targets for Lake Erie, based on several models and consideration of other factors that affect Lake Erie water quality.

Ohio Sea Grant performs a wide range of research, outreach, and education on Lake Erie harmful algal blooms.

The University of Michigan is completing a modeling project to characterize nutrient loads to the Detroit River and then compare the efficacy of different management options.

Heidelberg University’s National Center for Water Quality Research collects and analyzes approximately 450-500 water samples for pollutants at each monitoring station each year. From that information it calculates annual pollutant loads from each station and the loads of nutrients, sediments and pesticides delivered to Lake Erie or the Ohio River.

The Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) program encourages implementation of practices that reduce phosphorus loadings from farms.