OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY Lake Erie: 2016 …€¦ · Lake Erie: 2016 Update Toxic Algae,...

OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY

OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY

Lake Erie: 2016 Update

Toxic Algae, Undrinkable Water, and Dead Zones in Lake Erie and

Ohio: Understanding the Problems and Solutions

Dr. Jeffrey M. ReutterSpecial Advisor, Ohio Sea Grant College Program

OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORYStoneLabOSU’sIslandCampus

OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY

Sea Grant and Stone Lab• Research, education (k-gray), outreach to public• Based at OSU, but involve all Ohio colleges• Focusing Ohio’s universities on real-world problem

solving• Stone Lab—25 college courses & credit workshops for

private sector and agency managers (~250 students), 250 field trips & conferences, and with Lighthouse and AVC, we are visited by over 30,000 people/yr

• 7 Extension specialists between Toledo and Conneaut • 2013, 14, and 15 National Evaluations rank us as one of

the top programs in the country!!

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OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY

Courses and Workshops• 1-weekCourses• 5-weekCourses• IntroductoryCourses• CoursesforTeachers• 1and2-dayworkshops

• Teachers• WaterTreatmentPlantManagers• NaturePhotography• SportFishing• FisheryTechniques

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TheREUProgram

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AquaticScienceFieldTrips/Workshops• Grades5-adult;1or2-dayprograms• 250+groups/yr• Programincludes

• Sciencecruise• Bird/Plant/Insectinterpretivehikes

• Trawlingandseining• FishidentificationandDissection

• Planktonidentificationwithmicroscopes

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First Lab in Sandusky

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First Field Trip to Pelee Island 1903

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Returning to Lab after Field Trip

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1940s Classroom

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Workshops•Algalidentification•NOAAScienceLiteracy•DealingwithCyanobacteria,AlgalToxinsandTasteandOdorCompounds

•OutdoorPhotography•LakeErieSportFishing•Fish-SamplingTechniques

OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY

Sea Grant and Stone Lab Significant Accomplishments

• RebirthofLakeEriein70s—DeadLaketoWalleyeCapital• 10artificialreefsinLakeErenearCleveland• EconomicdevelopmentinLorain• PreservationofMentorMarshandMentorLagoons• AshtabulaHarborCleanup• LakeErieWaterSnakenolongerendangered• Detergentphosphorusban• NewphosphorustargetstopreventHABs• Controllingzebramusselsatwaterintakes• Betterdesignofwaterintakes• Fishingregulationsforsmallmouthbass• CongressionalDays,StateLegislatureDays,CoastalCountyCommissionerandMayorDays,ScienceWriters,CharterFishingBusinessDevelopmentandEducation,CleanMarinaProgram

• LakeErieandGreatLakesLiteracyPrinciples

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Lake Erie has always been at the forefront of the algae and

nutrient problem.Why?

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Image:OhioSeaGrant

Southernmost

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Shallowest and Warmest

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80:10:10 Rule

•80% of water Detroit River from upper lakes•10% direct precipitation•10% from Lake Erie tributaries

•Detroit & Niagara Rivers—connecting channels•Maumee

•Largest tributary to Great Lakes•Drains 4.2 million acres of ag land•3-4% of flow into Lake Erie

OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY

Lake Erie Stats•LakeErie•9,906sq.miles•11th inarea17th volume•241mileslong57wide

•WesternBasin•Ave.depth24ft.•13%area,5%volume

•CentralBasin•Ave.depth60ft.•63%areaandvolume

•EasternBasin•Ave.80ft.,Max210ft.•24%area,32%volume

OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORYOHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY

Modified from Lizhu Wang et al. 2015; GLR-00879

0102030405060708090100

Superior Michigan Huron Erie Ontario

%LandCo

ver

MajorLandUsesintheGreatLakes

urban agriculture forest grassland wetlands

OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY

Because of Land Use, Lake Erie Gets:

•More sediment•More nutrients (fertilizers and sewage)• (The above 2 items are exacerbated by storms, which will be more frequent and severe due to climate change.)

•And Lake Erie is still biologically the most productive of the Great Lakes—And always will be!!!

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LakeErie:2% ofthewaterand50% ofthefish

Lake Superior:50% of the water and 2% of the fish

50:2 Rule(Notexact,butinstructive)

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Blue-green Algae Bloom 1971

Photo:ForsytheandReutter

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Cyanobacteria “Preferences”•Warm water—above 60F•High concentrations of nutrients

• Particularly phosphorus (P)• If nitrogen (N) is low, some cyanos are capable of fixing their own from the air

• Source of nutrients doesn’t matter

•Preferences tell us where to expect Cyanosanywhere in world

•Cyanos are capable of producing toxins

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• Reference Dose = amount that can be ingested orally by a person, above which a toxic effect may occur, on a milligram per kilogram body weight per day basis.

Toxicity of Algal Toxins Relative to Other Toxic Compounds found in Water

Dioxin(0.000001mg/kg-d)

Microcystin LR(0.000003mg/kg-d)Saxitoxin (0.000005mg/kg-d)

PCBs(0.00002mg/kg-d)Cylindrospermopsin (0.00003mg/kg-d)Methylmercury (0.0001mg/kg-d)Anatoxin-A(0.0005mg/kg-d)

DDT(0.0005mg/kg-d)Selenium(0.005mg/kg-d)

Alachlor(0.01mg/kg-d)Cyanide(0.02mg/kg-d)Atrazine(0.04mg/kg-d)Fluoride(0.06mg/kg-d)Chlorine(0.1mg/kg-d)Aluminum(1mg/kg-d)EthyleneGlycol(2mg/kg-d)

BotulinumtoxinA(0.001mg/kg-d)

ToxinReferenceDoses

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What brought about the rebirth (dead lake to Walleye Capital)?

•Phosphorus reductions from point sources (29,000 metric tons to 11,000).

•In those days 2/3 of phosphorus sewage treatment

•Today, more than 2/3 is non-point source loading from agriculture

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JoeDePinto,LimnoTech

OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY

Photo:NOAASatelliteImage

October9,2011

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Microcystis, Stone Lab, 9/20/13

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Western Basin HAB July 28, 2015

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High Water and HAB on Stone Lab Dock, 7/25/15

PhotoCredit:Dr.DarrenBade

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HAB Lake St. Clair July 28, 2015

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2015:LakeErie’smostintensebloom

NewDPRmodelpredictedthis,asdidonetestversionoftheLimnoTechWLEEMmodels.

Modelswillbeexaminedmoreclosely,andused

10.5!

OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY

•Normally limiting nutrient in freshwatersystems

•P reduction is best strategy ecologically and economically

•Reducing both P and N will help the most

Why do we target phosphorus?

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Phosphorus and Toxins

•On a farm Phosphorus = a nutrient•Phosphorus is converted to toxins by algae in lakes

•Toxins = poisons•Therefore, in lakes, too much Phosphorus = poison

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Nutrient Loading•Pdischargesfromsewagetreatmentplantsvarylittlefromyeartoyear

•Pdischargesfromag tributariesvarygreatlyfromyeartoyeardependingonrainfall

• VastmajorityofPloadingoccursduringstormevents

•Frequencyofseverestormsup37-53%

OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY

57572828121121

132132

137137

156156

241241

325325

2016

81475

4949

7979105105

202202

264264

279279

366452452

475

2,0402,0403,8123,812

179179

206206

1,105

3232

3535

37374141

41414545

2828

5959

5959

6464

80808383

120120

137137

189189

240240

502502

2828

40269

4242

4343

5858

107107

124124

136136

201201

396396

601601

637637

658658

3232

3434

5252

6767

6969

8686

9090

7474

6262

100100

195195

210210

239239

240240

506506

575575

2828

29294141

61617777

9898

Legend

ConnectingChannel

TotalPhosphorus:>100MTA100

500TotalPhosphorus:<100MTA

GreatLakesTributaryTotalPhosphorusLoads(MTA)

2008

24

26

22

152

235

6157

22

OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY

HABs 2002-15

OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY

Not all P is created equal•Total P (TP) = particulate P (PP) and dissolved reactive P (DRP)

•PP is about 25% bioavailable•DRP is 100% bioavailable•DRP loading up 150%!•Most BMPs have focused on PP (stopping erosion)

•Removing 1 ton of DRP = removing 4 tons of PP•New info for many farmers = DRP dissolves in water and comes out through drain tiles—don’t apply more than is needed to achieve M3 of 28 ppm

•Follow the 4R’s: Right time, amount, place, & form

OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY

Agreement on Phosphorus Targets• Ohio Phos Task Force—P Targets March 2013 (Chaired by Dr. Jeff Reutter)

• 40% reduction based on NOAA model (Rick Stumpf)• Annual seasonal forecasts at Stone Lab since 2012• Collaboration: NOAA, Heidelberg, OSU, U Toledo, U

Mich., GLERL• International Joint Commission—P Targets Oct 2013

• Accepted Ohio P Task Force Recommendations• Annex 4 P Targets, Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, US and Canada—May 2015 (Dr. Jeff Reutter, US Chair)

• 9 models• Addresses HABs, dead zone, & Cladophora

• Ohio, Michigan, and Ontario agree to 40% reduction by 2025

OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY

Charge to Task Team•Providescience-basedrecommendationstoaddressHABs,hypoxia,andCladophora

• HABs—primarilyWesternBasinproblem• Hypoxia—CentralBasinproblem• Cladophora—primarilyanEasternBasinnorthshoreproblem

• Ascience-baseddecisiononrequiredPreductionstoaddressCladophora couldnotbereached.

•Recommendedandneededapprovalofanadaptivemanagementapproachbeforeproceedingwithrecommendations

• WillHABslike2012besatisfactory,willclimatechangeresultinseverebloomsmorethan1yearin10,etc.

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OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY

HABs Goal and Strategy

•Produce HABs smaller or equal to 2004/2012 9 years out of 10

•2008 will be the base year•Discharge was only exceeded 10% of time•Approximately equal to discharge during the wettest years

•Good dataset for loading numbers•Models were run for that year

•Loading data from the Maumee River is most reliable, therefore, use it as surrogate for all tributaries

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Annex 4 Targets to Solve Problems (based on multiple models)

• Identified 14 priority tributaries for P reductions•HABs: 40% spring TP and DRP load reduction

•Maumee Load: 860 TP and 186 DRP•Maumee FWMC: TP = 0.23 mg/l, DRP = 0.05 mg/l

•Dead Zone: 40% annual TP load reduction•Cladophora: Not enough information to set target

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- Ann. discharge = 8.0 billion m3

- Spring discharge = 3.4 billion m3

- Ann. P load = 3,800 tonnes- Spring P load = 1,400 tonnes

- Ann. discharge = 6.2 billion m3

- Spring discharge = 5.0 billion m3

- Ann. P load = 3,100 tonnes- Spring P load = 2,300 tonnes

- Ann. discharge = 6.1 billion m3

- Spring discharge = 1.0 billion m3

- Ann. P load = 2,500 tonnes- Spring P load = 400 tonnes

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New Research Results—6 Models

•Models agree on hot spots•Models show that it is possible to achieve a 40% reduction in P, but it will require extensive changes and is not likely to be accomplished voluntarily.

OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY

CEAP Results—NRCS •99% of farm acres have at least 1 BMP•Soil loss cut in half from 2003-12•42% of acres responsible for 78% of P & sediment loss

•42% of acres apply P above removal rates•1% of acres account for 40+% of sediment loss•40% of acres exceed total P loss of 2 lbs/acre•44% of acres exceed DRP loss of 1 lb/acre

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Annex 4 Subcommittee Response

•US and Canada officially approved loading targets on 2/22/16

•Working on domestic action plans to reach target loads

•Formation of 3 new, binational Work Groups to address recommendations•Tributary Monitoring Work Group (30 members)•Load Estimation Work Group (14 members)•Algae and Lake Monitoring Work Group (18 members)

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OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY

Ohio Sea Grant and HABs•Since 1990: 69 research projects •Currently coordinating 55 projects valued at ~$9 million for Ohio Dept of Higher Education, OSU, and Ohio Sea Grant.

•Review on our website: www.ohioseagrant.osu.edu

•Renovated Stone Lab water quality lab• Currently doing water testing for coastal communities and emergency tests for OEPA

OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY

Workshops•Algalidentification•NOAAScienceLiteracy•DealingwithCyanobacteria,AlgalToxinsandTasteandOdorCompounds

•OutdoorPhotography•LakeErieSportFishing•Fish-SamplingTechniques

OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY

Ideas for Cities and Individuals• Sewage treatment plants—GLWQA target 0.5 mg/l of P• Reduce CSO’s• Stormwater management• Reduce consumption and runoff—Low-flow toilets and shower heads, rain barrels and rain gardens

• No P in lawn fertilizers• Septic tanks• Cleaners and detergents—Low P and use recommended amount

• Climate change—Warmer and more frequent storms• Solar panels, solar thermal, reduce power consumption

OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY

For more information:Dr. Jeff Reutter, Special Advisor

Ohio Sea Grant and Stone LabOhio State Univ.1314 Kinnear Rd.Col, OH 43212614-292-8949Reutter.1@osu.eduohioseagrant.osu.edu

Stone LaboratoryOhio State Univ.Box 119Put-in-Bay, OH 43456614-247-6500

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