I figure by now everyone has heard or read that Ohio EPA and the Governor’s office have made the decision to include the open waters of the Western Lake Erie Basin on a list of impaired waters of the state due the persistent algae blooms over the past near decade. What does this word “impaired” mean and what will the response be? Two questions that nobody has a clear answer for. Impairment is a federal designation that says that a body of water is either not fit for recreation, drinking, or both. The Chesapeake Bay watershed has been operating under this impaired status for a number of years. Continue reading From Across the Field – Impairment in the Western Basin
Lake Erie
Ohio Agriculture Reacts To Lake Erie Impairment Designation
From Ohio Ag Net
Today, Ohio EPA released the draft 2018 water quality report that outlines the general condition of Ohio’s waters and includes a list that identifies impaired waters that are not meeting their federal or state water quality goals, as well as waters that have improved to meet federal standards.
In the draft for 2018, the Agency is proposing to designate the open waters of Lake Erie’s Western Basin (from the Michigan/Ohio state line to the Marblehead Lighthouse) as impaired for recreation due to harmful algae and drinking water due to occurrences of microcystin. Previously, only the shoreline area of the Western Basin and drinking water intakes had been designated as impaired. Continue reading Ohio Agriculture Reacts To Lake Erie Impairment Designation
Get Your Fertilizer Certification…Before Planting Begins
By: Eric Richer, CCA, Ohio State University Extension
Ohio is now seeing full implementation of Ohio’s Agricultural Fertilizer Applicator Certification regulation. The regulation was result of Senate Bill 150, which can be found at http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/905.322 and http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/905.321. The 2014 regulation required farmers to complete a fertilizer certification program if they applied fertilizer to more than 50 acres of land in agricultural production primarily for sale. Exemptions included fertilizer applied through a planter, individuals whose crops remained on the farm for their livestock and not sold, or fertilizer applied by a commercial applicator. Continue reading Get Your Fertilizer Certification…Before Planting Begins
Study Shows Most Farmers are in Compliance With Fertilizer Recommendations in Western Lake Erie Region
From Ohio Ag Net
As farmers prepare for their 2018 crop, newly released research shows that a large majority of those whose fields drain into western Lake Erie are adhering to ag experts’ guidelines for fertilizer rates and application practices. The study concludes, however, that the recommendations themselves should be re-examined to better protect western Lake Erie from pollution resulting from agricultural runoff.
The findings are presented in a special issue of the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation published by the Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS). Continue reading Study Shows Most Farmers are in Compliance With Fertilizer Recommendations in Western Lake Erie Region
A Look at Acid Rain and the Farm Phosphorus Conundrum with Water Quality
By Matt Reese, Ohio’s Country Journal
Farmers understand that Lake Erie turns green in the summer and that part of the blame is rightfully being directed at agriculture due to issues related to nutrient management, specifically phosphorus. What is less understood is why this is happening.
In a time period where on-farm phosphorus application levels have decreased substantially and recommended conservation practices have increased in the agricultural landscape, the troubling harmful algal blooms again started showing up in the Western Basin of Lake Erie after many thought the water quality issues had been corrected decades earlier. Continue reading A Look at Acid Rain and the Farm Phosphorus Conundrum with Water Quality
Revised Phosphorus Index Can Help Curb Agricultural Runoff
From Ohio’s Country Journal
Ohio farmers will soon have access to a newly revised tool that can quickly and easily tell them their risk of agricultural phosphorus runoff that could potentially move into Ohio waterways such as Lake Erie.
The revised Ohio Phosphorus Risk Index is a program developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service to help farmers assess their risk of phosphorus moving off farm fields. It will soon allow farmers to input their farm-specific data to generate their risk of phosphorus in agricultural runoff through an online program. Continue reading Revised Phosphorus Index Can Help Curb Agricultural Runoff
Conservation efforts working in Lake Erie
Ohio farmers are making positive impacts to water quality in the Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB), according to a new report from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). This new report shows applied conservation practices reduce sediment losses from fields by an estimated 80% and reduce the amount of sediment being delivered to Lake Erie by an estimated 40%. Continue reading Conservation efforts working in Lake Erie