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Water been over our breakwalls nearly every day since april... anyone need some drift wood? We have a massive pile. Being added to weekly

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Trying to get to work has been an issue sometimes 

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On 5/16/2019 at 4:53 PM, ColDayMan said:

Yearly Algae Forecast Looks Bad for Lake Erie

 

Last week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that Lake Erie could expect a larger than usual toxic algae bloom this summer. The potential bloom is likely to be more severe than last year, and perhaps on par with some of the blooms that have plagued the lakeside communities in recent years.

 

I don't really see this being the case anymore this year because barely any farmers in northern Ohio planted corn.  Corn gets the biggest dose of fertilizers which runoff contributes to algae bloom.  Still other triggers like animal manure runoff but the corn crop has been major contributor.

19 minutes ago, gottaplan said:

I don't really see this being the case anymore this year because barely any farmers in northern Ohio planted corn.  Corn gets the biggest dose of fertilizers which runoff contributes to algae bloom.  Still other triggers like animal manure runoff but the corn crop has been major contributor.

That is interesting to know.  What are they growing now instead of corn? Why have they moved from planting corn?

 

3 hours ago, freefourur said:

That is interesting to know.  What are they growing now instead of corn? Why have they moved from planting corn?

 

 

it's the rainiest season in over 30 years.  Corn needs to be planted by early May to be mature at harvest in spring.  For much of the midwest, corn crop is about 20% or less than what is typically planted.  It's pretty much past planting time for soybeans now also.

 

Many farmers are taking a major hit this year putting any crop out at this point - very likely to not even cover costs of fuel, seed, equipment, etc.  Some farmers I know are considering taking an insurance claim for "no crop" which is not much at all but it's better than spending money and effort to plant soybeans and risking a bad crop and low prices...

4 hours ago, freefourur said:

That is interesting to know.  What are they growing now instead of corn? Why have they moved from planting corn?

 

 

Quote

Here are some U.S. Department of Agriculture figures about Ohio, which hasn’t even taken the brunt of the nation’s flooding:

■ As of June 2 only 33 percent of Ohio’s corn acreage and 18 percent of the state’s soybean acreage had been planted.

■ By this time of year, at least 90 percent of corn should have been planted, and 79 percent of soybeans should have been planted. And that’s based only on the most recent five-year average. Years ago plantings were made much earlier in the spring.

■ Ohio’s whopping 57 percent deviation from its most recent average for corn is second only to Indiana’s 63 percent deviation. Numerous other states have fallen far off pace, as well, because of soaked fields that haven’t been able to dry out enough to plant.

■ Ohio was down 61 percent from its most recent five-year average for planting soybeans as of June 2.

It’s important to note those are statewide averages, skewed upward by more central and southern Ohio farmers able to get into their fields than those in other parts of the state.

https://www.toledoblade.com/business/agriculture/2019/06/08/2019-corn-crop-could-be-a-wash/stories/20190607146

I am assuming that his will have an effect on meat prices and other food prices?

 

  • 4 weeks later...

 

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

  • 4 weeks later...

 

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

  • 3 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

U.S. EPA announces $3.6 million in Lake Erie grants

Laura Johnston - Nov. 19, 2019

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2019/11/us-epa-announces-3-million-in-lake-erie-grants.html

 

"The U.S. EPA on Tuesday announced $3.6 million in grants to clean and protect Lake Erie. The five grants will remove the Brecksville dam on the Cuyahoga River ($800,000), improve wetlands on Sandusky Bay ($285,000), stabilize the banks of Euclid Creek ($374,865), reduce phosphorus runoff($1,000,000), control invasive species and address areas of concern across the lake.

  • 2 months later...
12 hours ago, TwoStickney419 said:


This article didn’t really explain why the opposition in any detail, but I’ll assume it’s 1. Polluted dredge material fears 2. possible intro of  non-native cattails. As an aside it’s 2020 and time for local/state governments to ONLY be allowed to plant native species. 
 

Anyhow I am pleasantly surprised to see the state moving forward with some serious wetland creation. Here’s hoping it all works out and sets a precedent for getting back our Lake wetlands - 97% was lost to development.  

1 hour ago, Cleburger said:

Water levels have been disastrous. There has to be a way to mitigate this. I know the Niagara Falls already artificially affect things to some extent. Would it be smart to consider selling off this extra water, if it could be done in an ecologically acceptable manner? 

On 2/1/2020 at 2:15 PM, surfohio said:


This article didn’t really explain why the opposition in any detail, but I’ll assume it’s 1. Polluted dredge material fears 2. possible intro of  non-native cattails. As an aside it’s 2020 and time for local/state governments to ONLY be allowed to plant native species. 
 

Anyhow I am pleasantly surprised to see the state moving forward with some serious wetland creation. Here’s hoping it all works out and sets a precedent for getting back our Lake wetlands - 97% was lost to development.  

So here's a makeshift petition that was dropped off to my work the other day.....  

 

It looks and sounds like a Donald Trump tweet

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^ Wow. This guy does not like wetlands, or spelling. 

“Fragmities” = phragmites? 

My hovercraft is full of eels

  • 2 weeks later...

Lake Erie just broke February high water record -- and the lake level keeps rising

Feb 10, 3:40 PM -  Laura Johnston

Link: https://www.cleveland.com/news/2020/02/lake-erie-just-broke-february-high-water-record-and-the-lake-level-keeps-rising.html

 

"Lake Erie rose 5 inches in January. By the end of the month, lake levels were 7 inches above last January’s. And by Monday, the lake broke the February high water record, set in 1987."

Ohio plans tighter runoff rules to help Lake Erie

 

Ohio wants to put Lake Erie on a stricter pollution diet to fight back against the blooms of toxic algae that have flourished for more than a decade, environmental regulators said Thursday.  The state plans to establish tougher regulations on runoff that’s feeding the outbreaks, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency said.  It would limit how much of the pollution is allowed to flow into the lake’s western end.

 

It’s a significant shift in Ohio’s strategy to clean up the lake and comes after Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine committed to spending $172 million over the next two years on a more comprehensive effort to clean up the shallowest of the Great Lakes.  For years, environmental groups have criticized the state’s resistance to adopting strict regulations, contending that the blooms have been preventing the lake from meeting basic water-quality standards.  “This is a giant step forward,” said Gail Hesse, director of the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes water program.

 

A draft plan released Thursday outlines how the Ohio EPA will develop the regulations over two to three years, the agency said.  That process includes a close review of the pollution sources, determining how much pollution to reduce from each source, and coming up with an action plan. ... Nearly all of the phosphorus that fuels the blooms comes from farm fertilizer and livestock manure, researchers have found.  Supporters of the tougher regulations hope that farmers will be forced to change how they fertilize their fields and dispose of livestock manure.

 

MORE:  https://www.thisweeknews.com/news/20200214/ohio-plans-tighter-runoff-rules-to-help-lake-erie

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

The wetland area in the southern portion of the picture is about 2 ft deep, * and that's w the high water we've had.. and theres a ton of drift wood accumulating as well as garbage I can see when the water does go down on my drive to work,.  I've never seen a boat go in there once aside from the launch area at Cullen park ramp. I'm no scientist, but that southern portion could easily be about 70% of the area shown, and it wouldn't impede anything....

 

On 2/1/2020 at 2:22 PM, surfohio said:

Water levels have been disastrous. There has to be a way to mitigate this. I know the Niagara Falls already artificially affect things to some extent. Would it be smart to consider selling off this extra water, if it could be done in an ecologically acceptable manner? 

 

That's a precedent I hate to set, because the "customers" would start to feel entitled to lower prices and access even when it's not at a high level.  My instincts are "Our water is like your sunshine and warmth:  not transferrable".

One possibility might be to decide what constitutes a "high" level, and set a channel at that depth.  Then dig a huge pit somewhere undeveloped and allow water to be sold from that only.  Ironically it would be easier to do that from Canada because the lakeshore there isn't anywhere close to as developed.

  • 2 years later...

I found myself on the NOAA website today and was looking at the Marine Sanctuaries when I saw that there is a proposed Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary. The page starts off,

 

Quote

In April 2019, in response to a community-based sanctuary nomination, NOAA announced its intent to designate a new national marine sanctuary in New York's eastern Lake Ontario. With input from the public, stakeholders and in consultation with the state of New York, NOAA is publishing this draft environmental impact statement and draft management plan to designate a national marine sanctuary in eastern Lake Ontario and the Thousand Islands region of the St. Lawrence River.

 

Lake Huron has Thunder bay and Lake Michigan has Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast. These sanctuaries claim to expand public access, recreation, tourism, research, and education.

 

Old Woman Creek in Huron is already designated a 'National Estuarine Research Reserve' on Lake Erie.

 

Seems like something we should be pushing for to try and get some more federal money to the region to help with pollution in the lake.

  • 11 months later...

NOAA recommends nearly $2.3 million for Northeast Ohio water conservation, litter reduction programs

Ideastream Public Media | By Zaria Johnson

Published April 24, 2023 at 6:00 AM EDT

 

"NOAA proposed $299,000 in funding for a trash clean up program that would also serve as job training opportunities for underrepresented students in the Cleveland area.

 

Participants in the program would use new trash-cleaning robots to support water and beach cleanups, all while being exposed to robotics, technology and other STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) industries."

 

"The administration also proposed $1.7 million in funding for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) for its Chagrin River Floodplain Land Conservation Project. With the funds, ODNR would acquire 105 acres along the river bank.

 

The project will help conserve the floodplain, according to the news release, while also maintaining public access and recreation along the river from Willoughby to Lake Erie.

 

NOAA recommended $300,000 to fund a partnership between the Wisconsin and Ohio Sea Grant programs to implement a single-use plastic reduction program in Cleveland. The program would model and expand education and outreach efforts used by the Plastic-Free MKE program in Milwaukee."

 

https://www.ideastream.org/environment-energy/2023-04-24/noaa-recommends-nearly-2-3-million-for-northeast-ohio-water-conservation-litter-reduction-programs

  • 4 months later...

"the continued overapplication of manure, coupled with the addition of more animals to the watershed, should guarantee that the problem will get worse, not better."
 

U.S. EPA should reject Ohio’s flawed plan to fix Lake Erie’s toxic algae crisis: Jeff Reutter

https://www.cleveland.com/opinion/2023/08/us-epa-should-reject-ohios-flawed-plan-to-fix-lake-eries-toxic-algae-crisis-jeff-reutter.html

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

  • 1 month later...

New pump station will reduce sewer overflows into the Cuyahoga River (video)

Published: Oct. 12, 2023, 8:13 a.m.

By Peter Krouse, cleveland.com

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District is nearing completion of a pump station on the near West Side of Cleveland that should help make the Cuyahoga River cleaner for years to come.

 

The pump station, expected to go into operation around the first of the year, will allow the new Westerly Storage Tunnel to start taking in wastewater, including about 300 million gallons of combined storm runoff and sanitary sewage that would otherwise be dumped into the Cuyahoga each year at the Walworth Run outfall in the Flats.

 

The storage tunnel is one of seven such tunnels either completed or under construction that are designed to greatly reduce the number of combined sewer overflows into local waterways that occur during heavy rains.

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2023/10/new-pump-station-will-reduce-sewer-overflows-into-the-cuyahoga-river.html

So once all the construction is completed, our sewer bills will be reduced, right?

  • 7 months later...

Cleveland-skyline-Scranton-Peninsula-Cuy

 

County secures funding for Fresh Water Institute
By Ken Prendergast / May 23, 2024

 

Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne announced a $250,000 grant from the Cleveland Foundation to support the creation of a Fresh Water Institute in Greater Cleveland. He made the announcement yesterday during the Climate Leadership Conference in Downtown Cleveland.

 

MORE:

https://neo-trans.blog/2024/05/23/county-secures-funding-for-fresh-water-institute/

 

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

^ Interesting. It may take some real focused coordination to make this org not redundant with all of the other stakeholders out there. The educational and research aspects seem a good sign, but why not invite all of the colleges in the state to participate? 

 

The more you think of it the more you realize this is really an enormous task.  

^ yes, it can be a great thing. there is similar and relatively new established out here in nyc on governor’s island. they have been trying to re-seed the ny bay with oysters. lots of school groups go there for activities and there is even a specialized city hs partnered with it. in the next few years stony brook college will have a satellite environmental annex too. 

This could be a great thing, but I can't help but wonder if it's really necessary... Would it be more useful/efficient to assign this to an existing organization? Laudable goals, but if I'm being honest this has the scent of government bloat. I'm all for protecting and promoting our freshwater resources, but I also want to make sure our taxpayer dollars are used responsibly and efficiently. Idk, maybe it's just a failure of imagination on my part. 

3 hours ago, Ethan said:

This could be a great thing, but I can't help but wonder if it's really necessary... Would it be more useful/efficient to assign this to an existing organization? Laudable goals, but if I'm being honest this has the scent of government bloat. I'm all for protecting and promoting our freshwater resources, but I also want to make sure our taxpayer dollars are used responsibly and efficiently. Idk, maybe it's just a failure of imagination on my part. 

 

Agree. Perhaps it would be best if the new org simply just makes it easier for the multitude of existing groups and municipalities to apply for federal dollars. 

 

[edit] this is already done at the state level through the not-very-well-publicized ODNR Coastal Management Program: https://ohiodnr.gov/buy-and-apply/apply-for-grants/grants/cmag 

Edited by surfohio

  • 11 months later...

Front page story on the BBC today. True to form for the good old Beeb, it’s a decent read and there’s some substance to the story being told beyond the usual ‘burning river’ cliches.

'If we can come back from that,...
No image preview

'If we can come back from that, we can come back from any...

The Cuyahoga River was so polluted it regularly went up in flames. Images of one dramatic blaze in 1952 shaped the US's nascent environmental movement, long after the flames went out.

My hovercraft is full of eels

1 hour ago, roman totale XVII said:

Front page story on the BBC today. True to form for the good old Beeb, it’s a decent read and there’s some substance to the story being told beyond the usual ‘burning river’ cliches.

'If we can come back from that,...
No image preview

'If we can come back from that, we can come back from any...

The Cuyahoga River was so polluted it regularly went up in flames. Images of one dramatic blaze in 1952 shaped the US's nascent environmental movement, long after the flames went out.

It was the 1969 river fire (which was tiny and short lived) that became illustrated with the more photogenic 1952 fire and used as a symbol.

During this era, river fires were common.

23 minutes ago, E Rocc said:

It was the 1969 river fire (which was tiny and short lived) that became illustrated with the more photogenic 1952 fire and used as a symbol.

During this era, river fires were common.

Yeah, the article explains how Time used the ‘52 pic for dramatic effect without specifying that’s what they were doing.

My hovercraft is full of eels

Agree. Good article. Hope this story can be used as timely example of positive Governance to offset the other sh#$ happening.

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