Ohio Lake Erie Commission releases draft 2020 plan; Black River targeted

A draft 2020 plan to protect and restore Lake Erie was released Wednesday by the Ohio Lake Erie Commission. The last plan was released in 2016. There are nine outlined priorities that the commission and its area partners will work on over the next several years. Currently, the draft plan is out for public comment before it is officially adopted. One priority outlined in the plan is to remove portions of Black, Cuyahoga, Maumee and Ashtabula rivers from the list of Great Lakes areas of concern. Black River's area of concern runs from the main part from Lorain to Elyria, the French Creek watershed, the Outer Harbor and the nearshore of Lake Erie. Since 2010, more than $23.5 million in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding has helped clean up Black River. Two impairments on the river were removed in 2016 and one, fish tumors or other deformities, is in recovery. There are seven impairments left to remove and be checked off before Black River can be removed as an area of concern. According to the Lake Erie Commission's draft plan, work would continue toward removing the rivers from areas of concern. It's also a goal to remove Ashtabula River from the area of concern. By July 1, Ohio's law will prohibit the practice of open lake disposal. Eight federal commercial Lake Erie harbors, including Lorain Harbor, remove naturally accumulated sediment from its harbors, known as dredging. That material is then dumped into the lake. Because harbors will still need to dredge material after July 1, the Ohio Lake Erie Commission made it a goal to determine beneficial use of dredge materials for each Ohio harbor — finding a place where it could be dumped that would be beneficial. In 2018, Lorain Harbor got $2.5 million for dredging from the Consolidated Appropriations Act passed by Congress in March. Addressing harmful algal blooms is also a priority on the draft plan. Harmful algal blooms occur when there is a shallow body of water, warm temperatures, sunlight and excessive amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen in the water. Historically, algal blooms tend to be on the western side of the lake. In 2019, the expected harmful algal bloom was a 7.5 on a 1-to-10 severity index. In 2018, the bloom was at 3.6, and the worst years for the algae were in 2011 and 2015. The Ohio Lake Erie Commission wants to reduce excess phosphorus and nitrogen by implementing several initiatives that would coordinate funding and partners and identify new technologies for real-time monitoring and tracking. Other priorities outlined on the draft plan are to support the Great Lakes Compact, promote economic opportunities for tourism and jobs, minimize the potential for invasive species, restore and reintroduce native flora, fauna and fish as well as wetlands and improving water quality for recreational uses on Lake Erie. The public comment period for the draft plan will close Feb. 28. The commission will host one public meeting and webinar to present the plan and solicit public comment 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18. Those interested can can join the meeting live at the Ohio EPA Northeast District Office, 2110 East Aurora Road, Twinsburg, or join at https://ohioepa.webex.com/mw3300/mywebex/default.do?siteurl=ohioepa&service=6. Contact Laina Yost at (440) 329-7121 or lyost@chroniclet.com. Follow her on Twitter @MissLainaMae.