Issues
Grand Lake St. Marys is facing a crisis that threatens its very existence, the lives of the animals and plants it supports, and the safety, economical and recreational opportunities of the people who call the Wabash Watershed “Home.” The water quality of the lake is degrading at an alarming rate, and if it is not improved Grand Lake St. Marys – Ohio’s Other Great Lake – will become little more than a lifeless, foul-smelling pool that threatens to drain the livelihood of all the area’s individuals, families, and businesses.
The Grand Lake St. Marys water crisis has been brought on by a number of conditions over the past decades, including:
Nutrient runoff from surrounding land, especially phosphorous, that fuels the overproduction of toxin-producing bacteria such as blue-green algae. These toxins not only degrade water quality, they can cause health complications in humans and animals ranging from mild rashes and sneezing to severe gastrointestinal distress and convulsions, respiratory distress and failure, paralysis, and death. Learn more
Elimination of natural banks from shoreline development and erosion. Banks populated with native flora act as natural filters for runoff nutrients and help maintain lake stability and water quality. Learn more
Industrial and residential drainage piped directly into the lake adds unfiltered wastewater, nutrients, and chemicals to the problem. Learn more
Shallow lake depth that makes it easy for winds to move water, stir up nutrient-rich bottom sediment, and spread blue-green algae rapidly. Learn more
Political inactivity that has stagnated progressive thinking along with the water. Learn more
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