Governor outlines plans to help Grand Lake

CELINA — Gov. Ted Strickland came to the shores of Grand Lake St. Marys on Friday intent on announcing plans in progress to save the lake’s polluted waters. The governor left with an earful of stinging criticism for what many in the audience said was the state’s lack of action.

Local residents infuriated by the economic hardship their businesses are enduring as a result of the state’s advisories to have no contact with the water, slammed the slow response.

“Fourteen months to respond. Fourteen months to respond to what’s happening at this lake,” one man yelled during the governor’s comments. “You don’t care about us. You’re not even throwing us a bone.”

Blooms of cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, in the lake have prompted state officials to issue no-contact orders for the lake’s water.

Prior to the contentious question-and-answer session at Wright State University-Lake Campus, Strickland and members of his cabinet laid out short- and long-term plans to deal with the toxic algae choking the lake.

Part of the plan is to treat the water itself. The other part will involve better regulation and control of manure and other nutrient runoff that spills into the lake providing the food for the algae blooms that produce the toxins.

“It is difficult to say and even more difficult to hear, but please do not go in or on this lake at any time,” Strickland said. “This crisis has been generations in the making. It will take all of us and future generations working together to try to restore this lake and community to health and prosperity.”

Chris Korleski, director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, said that in September a 20- to 40-acre site in the lake will be treated with alum. The chemical binds to the abundant supply of phosphorus that state officials said comes as direct result of treatment on farmland in the lake’s watershed. Once bonded to the phosphorus, it sinks, making it unavailable to feed the algae.

Korleski conceded officials don’t know if it will work.

“The lake is unstable. It is changing rapidly,” he said. “There is no silver bullet. There is no magic wand. This has been years in the making. But, I’m not convinced that it’s hopeless.”

Officials also want to test whether creating conditions favorable to diatoms, non-harmful algae, would muscle out the harmful cyanobacteria, Korleski said.

Ted Goodwin, manager of nearby Kozy Marina, said his business lost $100,000 last year. Dock customers are selling their boats and leaving the lake in droves this year. Lake traffic is nonexistent, he said.

“The only hope I’ve seen is from the local people raising the money we’ve had to get this stuff and go to the state and show them what we’re doing,” Goodwin said. “The majority of things that have been found have been locally. It’s not come from Columbus. I believe there’s more crap coming from Columbus than there’s coming into the lake.”

Read more about this story later today on LimaOhio.com and in Saturday’s The Lima News. This story was first posted at 11:11 a.m. and updated at at 11:47 a.m., 1:09 p.m. and 6:45 p.m.