OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
Lake Erie: 2016 Update
Toxic Algae, Undrinkable Water, and Dead Zones in Lake Erie and
Ohio: Understanding the Problems and Solutions
Dr. Jeffrey M. ReutterSpecial Advisor, Ohio Sea Grant College Program
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORYStoneLabOSU’sIslandCampus
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
Sea Grant and Stone Lab• Research, education (k-gray), outreach to public• Based at OSU, but involve all Ohio colleges• Focusing Ohio’s universities on real-world problem
solving• Stone Lab—25 college courses & credit workshops for
private sector and agency managers (~250 students), 250 field trips & conferences, and with Lighthouse and AVC, we are visited by over 30,000 people/yr
• 7 Extension specialists between Toledo and Conneaut • 2013, 14, and 15 National Evaluations rank us as one of
the top programs in the country!!
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OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
Courses and Workshops• 1-weekCourses• 5-weekCourses• IntroductoryCourses• CoursesforTeachers• 1and2-dayworkshops
• Teachers• WaterTreatmentPlantManagers• NaturePhotography• SportFishing• FisheryTechniques
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
TheREUProgram
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
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AquaticScienceFieldTrips/Workshops• Grades5-adult;1or2-dayprograms• 250+groups/yr• Programincludes
• Sciencecruise• Bird/Plant/Insectinterpretivehikes
• Trawlingandseining• FishidentificationandDissection
• Planktonidentificationwithmicroscopes
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First Lab in Sandusky
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First Field Trip to Pelee Island 1903
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Returning to Lab after Field Trip
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1940s Classroom
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Workshops•Algalidentification•NOAAScienceLiteracy•DealingwithCyanobacteria,AlgalToxinsandTasteandOdorCompounds
•OutdoorPhotography•LakeErieSportFishing•Fish-SamplingTechniques
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
Sea Grant and Stone Lab Significant Accomplishments
• RebirthofLakeEriein70s—DeadLaketoWalleyeCapital• 10artificialreefsinLakeErenearCleveland• EconomicdevelopmentinLorain• PreservationofMentorMarshandMentorLagoons• AshtabulaHarborCleanup• LakeErieWaterSnakenolongerendangered• Detergentphosphorusban• NewphosphorustargetstopreventHABs• Controllingzebramusselsatwaterintakes• Betterdesignofwaterintakes• Fishingregulationsforsmallmouthbass• CongressionalDays,StateLegislatureDays,CoastalCountyCommissionerandMayorDays,ScienceWriters,CharterFishingBusinessDevelopmentandEducation,CleanMarinaProgram
• LakeErieandGreatLakesLiteracyPrinciples
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
Lake Erie has always been at the forefront of the algae and
nutrient problem.Why?
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
Image:OhioSeaGrant
Southernmost
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Shallowest and Warmest
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80:10:10 Rule
•80% of water Detroit River from upper lakes•10% direct precipitation•10% from Lake Erie tributaries
•Detroit & Niagara Rivers—connecting channels•Maumee
•Largest tributary to Great Lakes•Drains 4.2 million acres of ag land•3-4% of flow into Lake Erie
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
Lake Erie Stats•LakeErie•9,906sq.miles•11th inarea17th volume•241mileslong57wide
•WesternBasin•Ave.depth24ft.•13%area,5%volume
•CentralBasin•Ave.depth60ft.•63%areaandvolume
•EasternBasin•Ave.80ft.,Max210ft.•24%area,32%volume
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORYOHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
Modified from Lizhu Wang et al. 2015; GLR-00879
0102030405060708090100
Superior Michigan Huron Erie Ontario
%LandCo
ver
MajorLandUsesintheGreatLakes
urban agriculture forest grassland wetlands
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
Because of Land Use, Lake Erie Gets:
•More sediment•More nutrients (fertilizers and sewage)• (The above 2 items are exacerbated by storms, which will be more frequent and severe due to climate change.)
•And Lake Erie is still biologically the most productive of the Great Lakes—And always will be!!!
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LakeErie:2% ofthewaterand50% ofthefish
Lake Superior:50% of the water and 2% of the fish
50:2 Rule(Notexact,butinstructive)
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Blue-green Algae Bloom 1971
Photo:ForsytheandReutter
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
Cyanobacteria “Preferences”•Warm water—above 60F•High concentrations of nutrients
• Particularly phosphorus (P)• If nitrogen (N) is low, some cyanos are capable of fixing their own from the air
• Source of nutrients doesn’t matter
•Preferences tell us where to expect Cyanosanywhere in world
•Cyanos are capable of producing toxins
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
• Reference Dose = amount that can be ingested orally by a person, above which a toxic effect may occur, on a milligram per kilogram body weight per day basis.
Toxicity of Algal Toxins Relative to Other Toxic Compounds found in Water
Dioxin(0.000001mg/kg-d)
Microcystin LR(0.000003mg/kg-d)Saxitoxin (0.000005mg/kg-d)
PCBs(0.00002mg/kg-d)Cylindrospermopsin (0.00003mg/kg-d)Methylmercury (0.0001mg/kg-d)Anatoxin-A(0.0005mg/kg-d)
DDT(0.0005mg/kg-d)Selenium(0.005mg/kg-d)
Alachlor(0.01mg/kg-d)Cyanide(0.02mg/kg-d)Atrazine(0.04mg/kg-d)Fluoride(0.06mg/kg-d)Chlorine(0.1mg/kg-d)Aluminum(1mg/kg-d)EthyleneGlycol(2mg/kg-d)
BotulinumtoxinA(0.001mg/kg-d)
ToxinReferenceDoses
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What brought about the rebirth (dead lake to Walleye Capital)?
•Phosphorus reductions from point sources (29,000 metric tons to 11,000).
•In those days 2/3 of phosphorus sewage treatment
•Today, more than 2/3 is non-point source loading from agriculture
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JoeDePinto,LimnoTech
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
Photo:NOAASatelliteImage
October9,2011
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Microcystis, Stone Lab, 9/20/13
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Western Basin HAB July 28, 2015
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
High Water and HAB on Stone Lab Dock, 7/25/15
PhotoCredit:Dr.DarrenBade
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HAB Lake St. Clair July 28, 2015
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2015:LakeErie’smostintensebloom
NewDPRmodelpredictedthis,asdidonetestversionoftheLimnoTechWLEEMmodels.
Modelswillbeexaminedmoreclosely,andused
10.5!
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
•Normally limiting nutrient in freshwatersystems
•P reduction is best strategy ecologically and economically
•Reducing both P and N will help the most
Why do we target phosphorus?
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
Phosphorus and Toxins
•On a farm Phosphorus = a nutrient•Phosphorus is converted to toxins by algae in lakes
•Toxins = poisons•Therefore, in lakes, too much Phosphorus = poison
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
Nutrient Loading•Pdischargesfromsewagetreatmentplantsvarylittlefromyeartoyear
•Pdischargesfromag tributariesvarygreatlyfromyeartoyeardependingonrainfall
• VastmajorityofPloadingoccursduringstormevents
•Frequencyofseverestormsup37-53%
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
57572828121121
132132
137137
156156
241241
325325
2016
81475
4949
7979105105
202202
264264
279279
366452452
475
2,0402,0403,8123,812
179179
206206
1,105
3232
3535
37374141
41414545
2828
5959
5959
6464
80808383
120120
137137
189189
240240
502502
2828
40269
4242
4343
5858
107107
124124
136136
201201
396396
601601
637637
658658
3232
3434
5252
6767
6969
8686
9090
7474
6262
100100
195195
210210
239239
240240
506506
575575
2828
29294141
61617777
9898
Legend
ConnectingChannel
TotalPhosphorus:>100MTA100
500TotalPhosphorus:<100MTA
GreatLakesTributaryTotalPhosphorusLoads(MTA)
2008
24
26
22
152
235
6157
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OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
HABs 2002-15
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
Not all P is created equal•Total P (TP) = particulate P (PP) and dissolved reactive P (DRP)
•PP is about 25% bioavailable•DRP is 100% bioavailable•DRP loading up 150%!•Most BMPs have focused on PP (stopping erosion)
•Removing 1 ton of DRP = removing 4 tons of PP•New info for many farmers = DRP dissolves in water and comes out through drain tiles—don’t apply more than is needed to achieve M3 of 28 ppm
•Follow the 4R’s: Right time, amount, place, & form
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Agreement on Phosphorus Targets• Ohio Phos Task Force—P Targets March 2013 (Chaired by Dr. Jeff Reutter)
• 40% reduction based on NOAA model (Rick Stumpf)• Annual seasonal forecasts at Stone Lab since 2012• Collaboration: NOAA, Heidelberg, OSU, U Toledo, U
Mich., GLERL• International Joint Commission—P Targets Oct 2013
• Accepted Ohio P Task Force Recommendations• Annex 4 P Targets, Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, US and Canada—May 2015 (Dr. Jeff Reutter, US Chair)
• 9 models• Addresses HABs, dead zone, & Cladophora
• Ohio, Michigan, and Ontario agree to 40% reduction by 2025
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
Charge to Task Team•Providescience-basedrecommendationstoaddressHABs,hypoxia,andCladophora
• HABs—primarilyWesternBasinproblem• Hypoxia—CentralBasinproblem• Cladophora—primarilyanEasternBasinnorthshoreproblem
• Ascience-baseddecisiononrequiredPreductionstoaddressCladophora couldnotbereached.
•Recommendedandneededapprovalofanadaptivemanagementapproachbeforeproceedingwithrecommendations
• WillHABslike2012besatisfactory,willclimatechangeresultinseverebloomsmorethan1yearin10,etc.
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OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
HABs Goal and Strategy
•Produce HABs smaller or equal to 2004/2012 9 years out of 10
•2008 will be the base year•Discharge was only exceeded 10% of time•Approximately equal to discharge during the wettest years
•Good dataset for loading numbers•Models were run for that year
•Loading data from the Maumee River is most reliable, therefore, use it as surrogate for all tributaries
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Annex 4 Targets to Solve Problems (based on multiple models)
• Identified 14 priority tributaries for P reductions•HABs: 40% spring TP and DRP load reduction
•Maumee Load: 860 TP and 186 DRP•Maumee FWMC: TP = 0.23 mg/l, DRP = 0.05 mg/l
•Dead Zone: 40% annual TP load reduction•Cladophora: Not enough information to set target
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- Ann. discharge = 8.0 billion m3
- Spring discharge = 3.4 billion m3
- Ann. P load = 3,800 tonnes- Spring P load = 1,400 tonnes
- Ann. discharge = 6.2 billion m3
- Spring discharge = 5.0 billion m3
- Ann. P load = 3,100 tonnes- Spring P load = 2,300 tonnes
- Ann. discharge = 6.1 billion m3
- Spring discharge = 1.0 billion m3
- Ann. P load = 2,500 tonnes- Spring P load = 400 tonnes
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
New Research Results—6 Models
•Models agree on hot spots•Models show that it is possible to achieve a 40% reduction in P, but it will require extensive changes and is not likely to be accomplished voluntarily.
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
CEAP Results—NRCS •99% of farm acres have at least 1 BMP•Soil loss cut in half from 2003-12•42% of acres responsible for 78% of P & sediment loss
•42% of acres apply P above removal rates•1% of acres account for 40+% of sediment loss•40% of acres exceed total P loss of 2 lbs/acre•44% of acres exceed DRP loss of 1 lb/acre
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
Annex 4 Subcommittee Response
•US and Canada officially approved loading targets on 2/22/16
•Working on domestic action plans to reach target loads
•Formation of 3 new, binational Work Groups to address recommendations•Tributary Monitoring Work Group (30 members)•Load Estimation Work Group (14 members)•Algae and Lake Monitoring Work Group (18 members)
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OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
Ohio Sea Grant and HABs•Since 1990: 69 research projects •Currently coordinating 55 projects valued at ~$9 million for Ohio Dept of Higher Education, OSU, and Ohio Sea Grant.
•Review on our website: www.ohioseagrant.osu.edu
•Renovated Stone Lab water quality lab• Currently doing water testing for coastal communities and emergency tests for OEPA
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
Workshops•Algalidentification•NOAAScienceLiteracy•DealingwithCyanobacteria,AlgalToxinsandTasteandOdorCompounds
•OutdoorPhotography•LakeErieSportFishing•Fish-SamplingTechniques
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
Ideas for Cities and Individuals• Sewage treatment plants—GLWQA target 0.5 mg/l of P• Reduce CSO’s• Stormwater management• Reduce consumption and runoff—Low-flow toilets and shower heads, rain barrels and rain gardens
• No P in lawn fertilizers• Septic tanks• Cleaners and detergents—Low P and use recommended amount
• Climate change—Warmer and more frequent storms• Solar panels, solar thermal, reduce power consumption
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For more information:Dr. Jeff Reutter, Special Advisor
Ohio Sea Grant and Stone LabOhio State Univ.1314 Kinnear Rd.Col, OH [email protected]
Stone LaboratoryOhio State Univ.Box 119Put-in-Bay, OH 43456614-247-6500
OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY