Lake Erie Basin

Description

The Lake Erie Basin encompasses two countries, five U.S. states, more than ten thousand square miles of farmland, and the urban centers of Ft. Wayne, Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, Erie and Buffalo. 10 million people rely on Lake Erie for fresh drinking water, swimming and fishing and other services. Harmful algal blooms (HABs) in Lake Erie have been reoccurring over the last decade, threatening the drinking supply and use of the Lake.

HABs occur from eutrophication, when concentrations of algae grow at a fast rate, creating toxic and harmful effects for fish, marine animals, birds, and people. Algae lowers oxygen levels in natural and marine waters, which can kill organisms living in this environment. Every U.S coastal and Great Lakes state experiences HABs. Occurrences of algal blooms can range from a few days to months, typically in the summer months. When the algae eventually dies, microbes begin to decompose the algae, taking up more oxygen (generating a “dead zone”), which kills fish and plant life. HABs produce toxins that have the capacity to cause illness or irritation, sometimes even death in pets, livestock and humans. Eutrophication occurs naturally over time, but human activity has sped up the rate from point-source discharges and non-point pollution such as nitrogen and phosphorus. The main contributor to HABs is fertilizer runoff from agricultural fields. The effects of climate change have increased the need for farmers to load their fields with fertilizer. Studies show there has been an increase in the proportion of dissolved reactive phosphorus in the Great Lakes. The spike can be attributed from a combination of agricultural practices combined with increased storms, particularly higher intensity spring rain events.

State and Local Level Government Response

The Lake Erie Basin saw their strongest elected official responses from Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and Ohio Governor Mike Dewine. These public officials share a heavy economic and social interest in what the Lake offers to the communities they represent and therefore were the ones to lead the charge. In 2015, the Governors of Ohio and Michigan, along with the Premier of Ontario, set a public goal of reducing nutrient pollution by 40% by 2025, with 2020 as a halfway interim goal of 20%. Efforts such as that by Ohio Governor Mike Dewine’s implementation of H2Ohio are leading these efforts as the halfway point of the goal has just previously been crossed in the year 2021. “Launched by Governor Mike DeWine in 2019, H2Ohio is a comprehensive water quality initiative that is working to strategically address serious water issues that have been building in Ohio for decades. Such problems include harmful algal blooms on Lake Erie caused by phosphorus runoff from farm fertilizer, failing drinking water, wastewater, and home sewage treatment systems due to aging infrastructure, and lead contamination from old water pipes and fixtures”. This project was granted $172 million USD in 2020-2021 to help achieve their clean up goals while promoting sustainability through local collaboration efforts moving forward. While it addresses water quality issues that go past the scope of Lake Erie algal blooms, the water quality issues of Lake Erie are certain to absorb much of the attention and funding of the project. In Michigan, similar efforts are taking place. “The Michigan Lake Erie DAP calls for the state to implement an “active” adaptive management approach at two levels: the Michigan-specific level and the binational Lake Erie basin level. Michigan is following the adaptive management framework as defined by the U.S. Department of the Interior. This involves “…exploring alternative ways to meet management objectives, predicting the outcomes of alternatives based on the current state of knowledge, implementing one or more of these alternatives, monitoring to learn about the impacts of management actions, and then using the results to update knowledge and adjust management actions.” It can be seen on the state level, the goal is to use public funding backed by science and top level research teams to address these issues.

Federal Level Government Response

In an extensive 114 page document released in February, 2018 the United States EPA released their plan to address the Lake Erie Basin algal blooms. “The primary goal of this plan is to enable U.S. federal and state partners and our stakeholders to measure and track our collective progress in meeting the phosphorus reduction targets in Lake Erie”. Their objectives aimed to identify current state and federal commitments, identify the potential needs of policies and programs and the subsequent allocation of needed resources, and establish a framework that promotes accountability for the results and actions of the program. The federal government stands with the state and local level governments on the public goal of reducing nutrient pollution by 40% by 2025, with 2020 as a halfway interim goal of 20%. What the federal government further provides is the bridge necessary to facilitate the collaboration between state legislators and international bodies of government such as the aforementioned Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford. Furthermore the federal government contributes to the large pool of monetary and knowledge resources. The federal government also carries the jurisdiction within the United States to enforce policies and regulations to ensure the ambitious goals are met in a timely manner. The plan involves the contributions of federally funded organizations such as USEPA, USDA, USACE, USGS, and NOAA. Collaboration between the state, federal, and international bodies of governance is crucial to the impending successes or failures of the efforts to resolve and prevent harmful algal blooms in the Lake Erie Basin.

Non-Profit and Stakeholder Response

In governing a solution to harmful algal blooms in the Lake Erie Basin, it is important to acknowledge the influence that is created by non-profit environmental and public health groups as well as the stakeholders who depend on Lake Erie monetarily. In any sort of wicked problem situation, these are the groups that can often sway higher up decision making one way or the other. Cooperation between all stakeholders and decision makers are vital to conserving the health of the Great Lakes. “A wicked problem is characterized by a high degree of scientific uncertainty and social conflicts that include discrepancies regarding its values. The difficulty in solving a wicked problem stems from reasons such as poor knowledge, conflict between stakeholders involved, and its persistence (Balint, P.J et al., 2011)”. On Lake Erie’s waters and coastline, there is a significant group of stakeholders who depend on the water quality to earn their livelihoods. “Our stakeholders include community groups like anglers, ship captains, public water system operators, beach goers, public health professionals, natural resource mangers, and many others”. It is clear how such an economically dependent portion of the community has leverage in the decision-making processes for the governance of the Lake Erie Algal Blooms. But it is not just economic concerns which carry weight when it comes to decision-making. Many environmental groups have voiced their opinion on the matters, at times offering their take on the situation in both the form of praise and criticism. These groups are both from the regional and national level. Groups such as NRDC, a respected international environmental group, offer educational resources on their website to help inform the public on what is taking place. Regional groups such as the Alliance for the Great Lakes, Freshwater Future, Michigan Environmental Council, and the Ohio Environmental Council offer similar resources but take a stronger stance as these issues are closer to home and more immediately pressing in their list of concerns. Each group carries with it a large following of individuals who identify as a part of their efforts to engage in the most environmentally and scientifically responsible actions available. This kind of influence like as is seen with economic stakeholders plays an equal role in shaping the governance decisions of the Lake Erie Basin algal blooms. Whether it be through lobbying, or an attempt to appease public opinion these voices are often heard.

Governance of harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie

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