Are We Closer to Solving Lake Erie's Toxic Blooms?

Are We Closer to Solving Lake Erie's Toxic Blooms? | Great Lakes Now

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Great Lakes Now

Күн бұрын

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@CuriousKL Ай бұрын

Michigan does not allow phosphorus in fertilizer. The question is, does Obio?

@teyink Ай бұрын

Are you sure about that? All plants require phosphorus to grow. If you stop putting phosphorus in fertilizer, eventually it will be depleted in the soil and crops will fail to grow.

@CuriousKL Ай бұрын

@@teyink yes I am. Google it.

@CuriousKL Ай бұрын

@@teyink Michigan restricts the use of phosphorus on lawns for residential and commercial use. Only agricultural is allowed phosphorus.

@ToledoTerps 28 күн бұрын

@@teyinkThat only happens then farmed poorly. You need to move crops around to enrich the soil. Fertilizers allowed for lazy farming. There’s plenty of farmers that control their crops and land just fine by properly managing the land in place of improperly managing chemical / waste application. It’s the nonstop monocrop that caused the dust bowl and fertilizer that pulled them out. It’s a starter. It should never have been relied upon. It should only be used to start the soil cycle back in dead dirt. Past that, bad land management. It’s a waste of money too. Manage right and save incredible amount. Just means more forethought.

@dansmock656 27 күн бұрын

Exactly and you think this will be an international problem because Lake Erie is international water with Canada -

@BoxdHound Ай бұрын

We are in effect subsidizing farmers by allowing them to externalize the costs of damaging the environment. "The cost of doing business", as it were, needs to go up for operations perfunctorily passing that cost onto the taxpayer.

@tvviewer4500 Ай бұрын

Synthetic fertilizers aren’t what is doing this

@nedkent5239 Ай бұрын

Yea it’s ridiculous! AND AND AND it gets better. Farmers sell their crops overseas to the highest bidder (so it doesn’t even stay in USA), causing our food prices to rise! Insanity! The equivalent of paying someone to kick u in the nuts!

@BufordDuckworth Ай бұрын

Wait until you hear about how stadiums are funded.

@tammyrobarge7601 29 күн бұрын

FERMI II is the issue. My friends were fishing near FERMI II and the water was extremely warm and there was green algae in Lake Erie 20 years ago when they were there. It's worse now. Fertilizer run off is a lame excuse.

@charlesbrown8156 Ай бұрын

It mentions in the program that farmers are applying four times as much fertilizer as needed for optimal growth. This fertilizer must be costing them something, why are they doing it?

@lanerothsailing2293 Ай бұрын

everyone uses fertilizer. home owners, business, golf courses college campuses and farmers. we all need to get together and cut back. I'm a Lake Erie sailor and it's a mess out there!

@lanerothsailing2293 Ай бұрын

4x the animal manure, I don't think anyone buys more fertilizer than they have to

@BoxdHound Ай бұрын

@@charlesbrown8156 Atomizing manure is probably more expensive than wasting large amounts of it when spreading via practical means.

@kentalanlee Ай бұрын

They are doing it for marginal improvement in yields. Both crops and herd size. Plus, farmers have to get rid of the animal waste somehow. It's a simple economics issue. If they don't turn it into the soil, they have to cost out the disposal. If there were a state program to centralize animal waste disposal into a commercial export product, then we might be able to turn into a net negative into a net positive. That soil amendment product would be valuable in other areas of the country, where now it's really overused in the Great Lakes watershed. Also, diversion of the flows into the Mississippi watershed wouldn't fix the problem. The excess nutrients there are causing a worsening hypoxic crisis in the Mississippi Sound in the Gulf of Mexico. As a whole, regulation of farmland stream flow nutrient levels needs to be standardized at a national level. Not just the Great Lakes.

@sherriianiro747 Ай бұрын

@@lanerothsailing2293 You're not kidding. They have known for decades it's caused by urea in lawn fertilizer that's washed into the lake from runoff, yet no action taken to go to the source.

@Gatorraider Ай бұрын

Live here, theres waaaaaaaaay more people fertilizing their lawns by tru greeen right ! Around! Toledo! Than there are large feed lots along the maumee. Most farms have miles! Of ditches with silt beds and cat tales to filterate run off before they hit erie! Theres far more fertilizing lawns with drainage that goes directly into the maumee!

@krustysurfer Ай бұрын

A wise person once suggested: *DON'T POOP WHERE YOU EAT/DRINK* I personally believe this wisdom valuable and relevant considering the ongoing disaster of cyanotoxin in the public water supply on up to us- people, the top of that food chain we as bioaccumulators... We fix it or we suffer generations into the future...

@YouTubeisduke Ай бұрын

Try speaking to local municipalities about clear cutting the creeks. Monroe County MI always has agri runoff and they cut everything that would help soak up the excess nutrients. It's all a joke honestly.

@bkark0935 Ай бұрын

Maybe they need to do a “Chicago River-Illinois River solution” (the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal) and reverse the Flow of the Maumee River (and its Tributaries the Saint Joseph and Saint Mary’s Rivers at Fort Wayne) by building a canal and Lock system for it to flow South West into the Wabash River! Unfortunately, they’d need the co-operation of three states (and the Feds) to make this happen as the Maumee watershed encompasses Ohio, Michigan and Indiana! The army corps of Engineers would also have to Build a Lock at the mouth of the Maumee River at Toledo.

@RavenclawFtW3295 Ай бұрын

Reverse the flow of the Maumee River? Keep in mind the Maumee River is the largest river that empties into the Great Lakes, and that Toledo is much further from the boundary between the Mississippi and Great Lakes watersheds than Chicago is.

@krustysurfer Ай бұрын

*MNI WICONI* Water is life!

@MrChristianDT 29 күн бұрын

Acquire a rich mix of Native grass seed & spread it wide all along the Miami River, or whichever one is up there. The problem will diminish greatly within a couple of years. Only downside is more difficult access to river by pedestrians. But, it'll grow quick- especially as a mix. It'll get really tall & thick, too.

@Plarux Ай бұрын

The accidental experiment that happened in 2019 should be an indication to professionals that agriculture is not the only concern. HABs in Western Lake Erie is a complex issue that involves EVERY source of phosphorus. Why does no one ever speak about the city of Maumee dumping more than their allocations allowed for sewage over the past 20 years? How about the sewer systems themselves? We’re pointing the finger at the easiest contributor for scientists to see and fail to examine those who are protect by money and more resources. The science does NOT absolutely point towards agriculture as the primary source. We need more data and awareness on the complexity, so we can actually create a holistic approach to a solution. The bottom of the western basin is another source of phosphorus that has accumulated over decades that scientists ignore.

@dansmock656 27 күн бұрын

Ok - build a dam on the river so that it’s possible to filter out The toxins from the farming agricultural land before re-introducing it to Lake Erie !!!! If you can spend that much money on building a water treatment plant- you can certainly build a water filtration system on the river before entering Lake Erie

@seanb2604 Ай бұрын

Bet there's 50 sewer line breaks underground in Toledo

@Tsuter1978 Ай бұрын

It wouldn’t matter for this issue. By the time that makes it way into the watershed, it would be of no real impact. Sand and soil are great filters.

@amyburgess7684 Ай бұрын

Especially on the East side..lol😂

@gptiede Ай бұрын

Why not pay for all the costs of drinking water upgrades and operation along with all other clean up with a tax on the fertilizer. That will quickly make alternative agriculture strategies attractive. No lawsuits will be necessary.

@krustysurfer Ай бұрын

You are on to something 😉

@jonpeterson9733 Ай бұрын

Every waterway across the midwest to the east coast is contaminated with partially, or untreated sewage, it's disgraceful, so, no I don't believe the strong assertions that Ag is solely to blame for this.

@CallMeSandyBob 24 күн бұрын

If you limted farmers on fertilizer, and the phosphorus levels still havent dropped. Then logically there is more to the problem than just farmers spreading fertilizer. Its just they're an easy target for politicians to scapegoat.

@raymattson7928 Ай бұрын

Maybe diesel exaust fluid will fix it. ? 😅

@davegeorge7094 Ай бұрын

The sewer water needs be treated hospital clean or we may never enjoy the lake again! Think how much we pay water&sewer service rates to live, are we being ripped off by them polluting?

@davidblevins9513 Ай бұрын

Problem is most city’s were built with both storm and sanitary together and to separate a city like Cleveland lol better get some free money.

@Tsuter1978 Ай бұрын

@@davidblevins9513Cleveland has been spending quite a bit on building CSO overflows throughout the city and surrounding area.

@Tsuter1978 Ай бұрын

Toledo has been building CSO overflow structures as well to combat the discharges into the watershed.

@davidblevins9513 Ай бұрын

@@Tsuter1978 I can walk right up to the overflow at edgewater beach on the lake front? Also the entire city once again entire city is on combined storm and sanitary. Now I’m a small city like rocky river near Cleveland the epa has came in and forced the city to change there lines which in force made the homeowners separate as well on there own dime or else be fined. It’s going to be along time and a ton of federal money to fix that problem.

@Tsuter1978 Ай бұрын

@@davidblevins9513 no doubt the outfalls are still in place, but the frequency of the overflow events should be lessened. Cleveland is also likely paying fines for discharges as well. It’s crazy to think that our ancestors thought it was a good idea to dump our non treated sewerage into the waterways. But now we are working to fix those issues. Detroit had the largest CSO outfall in the state and built a large catch basin/treatment plant at the site of the discharge. There are still more in the state, but they are getting dealt with over time.

@PredecessorProfessor Ай бұрын

All we have to do is start swapping out factory farms with regenerative farms...Problem solved. Your welcome.

@sherriianiro747 Ай бұрын

Recently there was a documentary on this very subject and they said the average homeowner uses four times more fertilizer on their lawns than farmers do. The runoff goes directly into the lake thru storm sewers.

@CoryTrevor13 Ай бұрын

Farmers all over have fertilizer they put on their field runs of into creeks and rivers. Roadway with traffic and city have stormdrains in which car pollutions and city businesses industrial businesses and peoples houses all contribute. Overflowing water treatment plants go into rivers with heavy rain. let not just point the finger at the farmer feeding us. I love rivers and fishing but understand we need food.

@BoxdHound Ай бұрын

Sure, but that just means we need to address city runoff as well, not use it as an excuse to let agriculture off the hook.

@DiatomAlgae Ай бұрын

Using the Nutrients in water to grow food in water is the solution. Diatoms are the best food to grow in water, since they are the natural feed for Zooplankton and Fish. Diatoms require more micro-nutrients than Cyanobacteria, so dosing micro-nutrients into drains, streams, rivers, tanks in WWTPs, ponds, lakes, etc. is the solution to grow Diatoms.

@kentalanlee Ай бұрын

@@DiatomAlgae The conversion of a lot of North American riverine wetlands into farm production or residential areas has prevented the natural processes of nutrient sinks doing just that. A reconsideration of how we treat our runoff nationally would do a lot to settle out those excess nutrients. Using algael harvesting for biomass production sure could help. And we need biomass for a lot of different reasons.

@DiatomAlgae Ай бұрын

@@kentalanlee You have missed the point in my comment. Since there is pressure on land, We need to grow food in water. Fish is the best food to grow in water. Diatoms are the natural feed for fish. So growing Diatoms is the solution. There is no NEED to harvest Diatoms, They WILL BE consumed by Zooplankton and Fish. You can call this Biological Harvesting.

@alecphoenix6631 28 күн бұрын

Big Ag, which was created by the War Machine, did this. Welcome to Insane DeathCult ClownWorld.

@overwatch3950 25 күн бұрын

Grand Lake St. Mary’s in NW Ohio is a damn mess and has been for years…Lakes all over the country are turning green…

@jasondevault5066 Ай бұрын

Whole home water filter.

@weltraumaffe4155 Ай бұрын

Let them drink money.

@DiatomAlgae Ай бұрын

@krustysurfer Ай бұрын

Deadly cyanotoxin's ......

@DiatomAlgae Ай бұрын

@@krustysurfer Growing healthy non-toxic Diatoms is the solution to prevent bloom of toxic Cyanobacteria.

@BufordDuckworth Ай бұрын

As long as there's profit to be made in destroying our resources, we'll never solve the problemm. Hooray capitalism!

@Kd8OUR 27 күн бұрын

Well run off plus being a shallow lake, f'ing duh.

@Sailor376also Ай бұрын

Blaming agriculture is wrong. Two reasons One is every home owner fertilizes their lawn or has a lawn service do it. The rate of application is nominally 3 times or more the application rate of any farm. Nutrients spread at the best rate, which means less is applied, a minor amount will leave the property. Nutrients applied at the lawn service rate, home owner rate, most of the nutrients will be in the run off. An acre of farm land may have a one pound run off per acre,, but the residential rate is 10 times that per acre. STILL, there re many more acres of farm vs residential,, but6 the same figures suggest that if a homeowner spreads 90% less,, the lawn will look just as good,, and it will eliminate 1/3 of the nutrients running into Lake Erie. We eat what the farms produce. We do not eat the grass from our lawns. Reduce the amount spread on lawns and 1/3 of the run off into Lake Erie is eliminated. The one third that grows nothing but grass clipping and sore backs.

@davegeorge7094 Ай бұрын

I think nutrient run-off is not the real target problem,. Except flooding farms. Let the farmer contain all water to his land. Livestock land should include methane producing plants that return useful other products and re-fertilize the land.

@DiatomAlgae Ай бұрын

Every farm and CAFO should have an Aquaculture pond. The nutrients in the fertilizer runoff and manure should be to used to grow Diatoms and fish. Thus the nutrients will not be wasted and will not flow into streams and lakes and cause algal blooms.

@Gatorraider Ай бұрын

They're attacking the farmer!