Phosphorus runoff studied at Ohio farms as reduction efforts begin

The Columbus Dispatch reports that action is being taken against Lake Erie’s toxic algae blooms that contaminated Toledo’s drinking water in early August.

In November 2013, a group of activists hoping to prevent future algae blooms in Lake Erie suggested that Ohio find ways to reduce phosphorus runoff by 40%, although further action wasn’t taken on the matter. Now, after Toledo’s city-wide water ban, groups are urging that the reductions begin.

Phosphorus runoff from fields is being studied at 30 farms located in northwestern Ohio and northern central Ohio. The runoff amounts depend on the amount of rainfall, but different farming practices can affect the amount of runoff, too.

From The Columbus Dispatch:

“Hundreds of farmers in the Lake Erie area, at the urging of conservation groups and officials, agreed to change methods of tilling to reduce the amount of phosphorus that ran from their fields into waterways each time it rained.”

Via: The Columbus Dispatch > Phosphorus control efforts have slipped as algae problem grows