Environmental Concerns and Restoration Efforts
Due to the increasingly high levels of lake pollution, E. coli bacteria, and related algae levels, Grand Lake could be dying off as a destination lake and is considered by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to be "impaired" due to "stream channelization, drainage tiles, loss of floodplains and streamside vegetation, manure runoff and untreated sewage flowing from failing home septic systems and small communities without any wastewater collection or treatment."
Runoff from farmland is one of the greatest problems. Nutrients of livestock waste and natural and chemical fertilizers are laden with phosphorus and nitrogen. These elements upset the natural balance of the lake and increase the growth of blue-green algae. The algae is a bacterium. The bacteria produce toxic peptides that can be harmful to plants and animals. Humans are also affected by the toxins. Microcystin can harm the liver and cause other health problems including mild rashes and sneezing and even severe gastrointestinal ailments. Agriculture runoff is not the only source of pollution in the lake. Industrial and commercial drainage contribute to the problem as does drainage from out of date septic tanks and municipal sewage systems.
Heavy deposits of silt into the lake also contribute to the degradation of the lake. Development of homes along the shore has reduced the number of native plants that helped to strengthen the shore and reduce erosion. Development has also increased the level of phosphates entering the lake by over fertilization of lawns. These excess phosphates directly contribute to plant growth, including the algae in the lake. The native flora that has been reduced served as a filter to keep the excess nutrients out of the water.
Read more about this topic: Grand Lake St. Marys State Park
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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