State Agency Directors to Discuss
Grand Lake St. Marys Projects at Community Meeting
Two in-lake projects at Grand Lake St. Marys will begin in September and will be leading topics for discussion at a community meeting at the Celina High School field house, 715 E. Wayne St., Celina, on Tuesday, September 7, 2010. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. and will adjourn at 9 p.m.
One project involves dosing six controlled areas of the lake with aluminum sulfate (alum) to capture phosphorus in the water, then carry it to the bottom of the lake and bind it in the sediment, making it unavailable for blue-green algae growth. A second project will treat a controlled area with silica (sand) to help beneficial and toxin-free green algae to grow and out-compete blue-green algae, with the goal of a better lake and improved fishery.
The directors of Ohio EPA, Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Ohio Department of Health, along with staff from their agencies and the Ohio Department of Agriculture, will highlight these and other immediate and long-term plans to improve water quality in the lake and its watershed. They will be joined by the Grand Lake St. Marys Lake Restoration Commission’s newly hired facilitator. Also, representatives of the environmental consulting firm, Tetra Tech, and Algaeventure Systems Inc., which is working on the green algae project, will be available in the audience for questions.
After opening remarks, there will be short presentations, followed by a question and answer session. Due to the time limit and to accommodate an anticipated large audience, people will be asked to write their questions on cards available at the sign-in table. The meeting moderator will read the questions and panel members will respond. Similar questions will be grouped together for a single response.
This format will ensure that as many people as possible get time to have their questions addressed during the meeting.