US, Canada to Seek 40 Percent Cut in Lake Erie Phosphorus
Source: Associated Press
US, Canada to Seek 40 Percent Cut in Lake Erie Phosphorus
By JOHN FLESHER, AP ENVIRONMENTAL WRITER
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Feb 22, 2016, 5:57 PM ET
The U.S. and Canadian governments called Monday for deep cuts in phosphorus runoff from farms and other sources into Lake Erie, where an overload in recent years has fed harmful algae blooms that have fouled drinking water and killed fish.
The deal targets a 40 percent reduction of phosphorus for the lake's central and western sections, a target previously endorsed by Ohio, Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario. Those are the areas hardest hit by increasingly massive algae blooms. Last year's was the biggest on record, while another in 2014 left more than 400,000 people in Toledo, Ohio, and southeastern Michigan unable to consume tap water for two days.
"The first step in our urgent work together to protect Lake Erie from toxic algae, harmful algal blooms and other effects of nutrient runoff is to establish these important phosphorus limits," EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said. "But establishing these targets is not the end of our work together. We are already taking action to meet them."
Both nations agreed to develop plans for achieving the reductions within two years.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/us-canada-seek-40-percent-cut-lake-erie-37119994
