From hometownstations.com:
It’s the beginning of Labor Day Weekend, but there aren’t a lot of boats on Grand Lake Saint Marys. Although the state of Ohio has downgraded the toxic level alert for grand lake, the Lake Improvement Association is still working hard to improve conditions, and now they’re developing a new cleaning system to help get rid of all the blue green algae.
Chris and Carole Kerns are in Celina visiting family this Labor Day Weekend. The couple resides in Washington D-C right now, but they were born in Celina– and this is the first time they’ve seen the lake in a while. They say they’re disappointed in how polluted the lake has become.
"It’s very green. It’s such a beautiful lake. I hate to see it in this condition," Carole said.
The Lake Improvement Association wants to help families like the kerns. Today at LIA’s monthly meeting, the group talked about one of the plans they are going to implement in cleaning up the lake.
"There is still a lot of toxins in the lake," said Tim Lovett, President of the LIA, "but we’ll be back in the lake by next year.
The new method they’re talking about is called a treatment train. The Mercer County Community Development Department is planning on installing collectors inside the lake near the boat docks and that system will take in all the blue green algae near the area through dredging and irrigation methods.
These collectors will be put at the bottom of the lake and will not harm anyone that may be on the lake, which is exactly what the Kerns family hopes will happen for the lake.
"It’s just a tragedy to see how bad the lake is. It’s going to hurt this region," Chris Kerns said.