Health of Grand Lake St. Marys, farm interests being balanced

Proposals seek to control agricultural runoff into Grand Lake St. Marys.

Manure ban won’t help  St. Mary’s until 2012

Man, 68, drowns at Caesar Creek Lake
12:49 a.m.
Water rescues prompt warning from health officials
11:42 p.m.
Beach Waterpark sued for failure to deliver
11:37 p.m.
Raleigh Trammell’s defense opens in felony trial
11:37 p.m.
UD to move satellite campus to Dublin
11:32 p.m.
> More headlines

By William Hershey, Staff Writer Updated 8:51 AM Friday, August 6, 2010

COLUMBUS — A proposed rule banning farmers in the Grand Lake St. Marys watershed from applying manure to their fields in the winter reflects the balancing act Gov. Ted Strickland is trying to perform with the state’s effort to save the lake from an environmental crisis caused by a toxic bacteria outbreak.

The 13,500-acre lake, Ohio’s biggest inland lake, is basically closed to all purposes. Restoring it is crucial to both the health and economy of Mercer and Auglaize counties, about 60 miles north of Dayton.

However, Strickland and state officials, in the process, don’t want to damage the livelihood of farmers in the region.

The rule is part of a package of regulations that state officials hope to have in place by Dec. 15 and attempts to satisfy both needs. It would let farmers in the watershed continue to apply manure this winter and next winter, but only if they follow federal standards aimed at preventing environmental damage. After that, the ban would be permanent.

The rules must be reviewed by the legislature’s Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review as the committee is known, must make sure the Department of Natural Resources has the authority under current law to impose the tougher regulations. If JCARR hasn’t finished its work by Dec. 15, the date state officials want the rules to take effect, Strickland can issue emergency rules that take effect immediately.

Generally, farmers prefer to comply voluntarily, but most of them knew something like the rule on manure application was coming, said Mercer County farmer Dennis Howick, whose farm includes about 50 acres in the lake’s watershed.

“It’s going to cause some problems. ... Mercer County’s pretty resilient. Some people may not like it. Nobody likes more rules and regulations but everybody’s going to have to adapt,” said Howick.

Dan Manning, owner of The Sportsman, a bait and tackle and marine store at the lake, was not as understanding.

“I didn’t know it was being phased in,” said Manning, who’s down to five employees from 12. “This is very frustrating.”

Manning said that he is a Republican but that the blame for letting the lake deteriorate over recent years goes beyond Democrat Strickland, who’s been in office since 2007.

“I don’t think the Republicans have done crap either,” said Manning.

Runoff from manure applied in the winter is only part of the problem. The lake has fluctuating levels of cyanobacteria that produce neurotoxins which can affect the brain and nervous system and also has hepatoxins, which affect the liver.

State officials said the cleanup must both affect internal loading from phosphorous and other nutrients now in the lake sediment and external loading, nutrients running into the lake from feeder creeks, especially during heavy rains and snow melt.

Contact this reporter at  (614) 224-1608 or whershey @DaytonDailyNews.com.

Share this article