Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat News
The Newsletter of the Great Lakes
Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund
The Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat News is the newsletter of the Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund, published five times per year. The News is intended to provide a forum for the free exchange of ideas among citizens and organizations working to protect aquatic habitats in the Great Lakes Basin.
Volume 15, Number 6 • Spring 2007
Lake Michigan
Basin Update
Local Michigan Groups Take Action to
Reduce Phosphorus in Lake Michigan
By Jamie Cross, Alliance for the Great Lakes
The dangerous and unsightly algae
blooms that pronounced Lake Erie “dead”
in the 1970’s are returning to the region.
Shoreline areas in northern Michigan,
Wisconsin and along Lake Erie are knee
deep in the green stuff during summer
months. Algae is not only unsightly but
can harbor dangerous bacteria and toxins
that can impair water quality and pose a
risk to public health.
During the 1970’s phosphorous was identified as the key contributor
to algae growth in the Lakes, and as a result its use was banned in
laundry detergents.The results were almost an overnight success, as
the Lakes bounced back while the algae disappeared. According to
Michigan Environmental Council’s report Something’s Amuck,
released in June of 2006, "one pound of phosphorus can stimulate
the growth of as much as 500 pounds of algae." What is the cause
of the recent algae blooms? The resurgence of algae is likely due to
phosphorus inputs and the invasive mussel species. The feeding
habits of the invasive mussels have increased the clarity of water
which increases the amount of sunlight that fosters algae growth.
In an effort to combat the problem groups are initiating local
controls to reduce phosphates.
West Michigan puts the stopper on phosphates in lawn fertilizer
Muskegon County: In June 2006, the Muskegon County Commission
passed a county-wide ordinance to ban the sale of phosphates in
lawn fertilizers. The ordinance was stimulated by an educational
campaign spearheaded by the Mona Lake Watershed Council on the
concerns of algae growth in Mona Lake.
Ottawa County: In December 2006, Ottawa County followed
Muskegon County’s lead and passed an ordinance that restricts the
use of phosphates in lawn fertilizers. Clean-up Our River
Environment, a newly formed group in West Michigan, was helped
along by the support of the Lake Macatawa Shoreline Association in
getting the local ordinance introduced and passed.
In addition to the ordinances in West Michigan, the Huron River
Watershed Council was successful in getting a similar ordinance
passed in the City of Ann Arbor. These efforts have helped to
broaden the support for statewide phosphate reduction legislation.
For more information on reducing phosphates
in your community, contact Jamie Cross,
Manager of Outreach Programs, Alliance for the Great Lakes
at 616-850-0745 ext. 12 or jcross@greatlakes.org.
Door County,Wisconsin Groups Work to
Reduce Phosphates in Surface Waters
By Jerry Viste, Executive Director, Door County Environmental Council
After a long campaign by local organizations
and agencies in support of the need
to control the amount of nutrient
discharge into our surface waters, the
Door County Board of Supervisors
approved a phosphorus control resolution.
This newly enacted resolution requires
that all lawn owners be restricted to using
phosphorus fertilizer only when the need is
determined by an actual soil test. Local fertilizer
suppliers and lawn maintenance
firms will be cooperating in this effort.
This initiative was stimulated by the Door
County Environmental Council and the
Door Property Owners organization
along with the Door County Soil and Water
Conservation Their efforts led to a draft
resolution submitted to and approved by
the County Board in November. Since that
time the draft has been used as a model for
a similar resolution that was introduced at
the state convention of Soil and Water
Conservation Districts. That group
passed the resolution and now support is
being solicited in the state legislature for
passage.
In addition to the resolution, a cooperative
message paper enumerating the danger
of dishwasher detergent containing
phosphorus and urging use of non-phosphorus
detergent was created. The paper
was furnished to all towns for inclusion
with the tax parcel billings so individual
homeowners could benefit from the
information and make the choice to
request non-phosphorus dishwasher
detergent, the amount of phosphates in
dishwashing detergent varies from brand
to brand.
Through the slow processes of public education
we can achieve the goal of phosphorus
free detergent and sustainable stewardship
of lawn and municipal grassy areas
eventually halting the discharge of the
excess nutrient into our surface waters.
For more information contact:
Jerry Viste, Executive Director, Door County
Environmental Council
at 920-743-6003 or jerrymv@itol.com.
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