Rep. Kaptur Celebrates $1,264,717 to Reduce Nutrient Loading into Lake Erie

Urges federal funds to be directed where science shows most harmful nutrient runoff

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-9) celebrated news today that the Great Lakes Commission (GLC), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) have awarded a collection of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) watershed grants that could help prevent future harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie. The awards are part of the Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program (GLSNRP).

“These targeted projects show that good science can lead the way in our ongoing work to stop harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie,” said Rep. Kaptur. “Especially in rainy years like we have seen this year, nonpoint source agricultural runoff is far and away the biggest source of the nutrients that cause Lake Erie’s harmful algal blooms. Projects like these are a useful model for approaching this situation in a focused way, using the best technologies and techniques available to reduce the amount of phosphorous entering Lake Erie tributaries. But much more also needs to be done on a much larger scale to stop these nutrients at the source.”

For reference, the projects directly impacting Lake Erie are listed below followed by a description of each project.

Ohio

Subsurface Soil Incorporation of Phosphorus Fertilizer

Conservation Action Project

$193,180

Due to the increase in Dissolved Reactive Phosphorus (DRP) entering the Lake Erie Western Basin, phosphorus fertilizer applications need to be incorporated into the soil to reduce the migration of DRP via surface runoff and subsurface drainage into Lake Erie. The ability to precisely place the phosphorus fertilizer in a band that does not affect the subsequent planting operation is a much better alternative than a broadcast application. The Subsurface Soil Incorporation of Phosphorus Fertilizer project will retrofit the available existing application equipment with newly developed incorporation components. Retrofitting existing equipment results in more pieces of equipment being able to cover more acres in a shorter period of time with a low disturbance phosphorus incorporation tool than trying to purchase new equipment. WS05-14-08

Personalized Phosphorous Reductions in Wolf Creek

Seneca Soil & Water Conservation District

$235,949

The Personalized Phosphorous Reductions in Wolf Creek project area is dominated by agricultural (row crop) land use, clay-based soils and extensive subsurface drainage systems. This combination leads to large nutrient and sediment loads into the Western Lake Erie Basin. To reduce nutrient loadings in this unique area, three conservation practices have been selected for the project. They are: Develop a Personalized Phosphorous Plans (Nutrient Management), Plant Cover Crops and a choice of one of 3 DRP Tests for Updating Personalized Phosphorous Plan including plant tissue test of a growing cover crop, soil test for soluble nutrients in a cover crop field or water runoff or subsurface drainage sample test from a cover crop field. The final non-traditional feature of this project, to ensure the long term improvements to Lake Erie, will be a required final project meeting. At the final meeting the participating farmers will debrief the project, share ideas, results, successes and failures and discuss current and future phosphorous management, as it applies to their local watershed and Lake Erie.

Reducing Agricultural Sources of Phosphorous in the Maumee

Wood Soil and Water Conservation District

$244,413

The Reducing Agricultural Sources of Phosphorous in the Maumee project will install 4000 acres of single-species cover crops and 2500 acres of cover-crop mixes in the Lower Beaver Creek, Tontogany Creek, and Sugar Creek-Maumee River in the Western Lake Erie Basin. The project will reach two different types of producers; those who are new to cover crops, and those who have seen the benefits and want to take the next step towards improving their soil health. In addition, the project will financially assist the installation of 25 controlled drainage structures on existing tile systems, and five water quality inlets to replace risers. Also, as soil health is critical to reducing nutrients runoff, soil respiration tests will be conducted before and after practices are implemented.

Sediment & Phosphorus Reduction in the Miller City Cutoff

Putnam Soil and Water Conservation District

$247,763

The Sediment & Phosphorus Reduction in the Miller City Cutoff project will implement cover crop and conservation tillage, precision nutrient management plan (PNMP), Grassed waterways andBlind Inlets in the Pike Run Creek and the Miller City Cutoff ditch. The Putnam SWCD, watershed coordinator, ODNR and NRCS will identify producers willing to accept assistance to install one or more of the three conservation practices. Once the producers have applied for assistance, their application will be graded and scored to select the practices to be installed in the most beneficial areas. The following criteria will be used: for cover crops and conservation tillage, fields located nearer waterways will receive a higher score and fields with higher erodible soils will receive a higher score. For the PNMP,soil tests will be assessed to make a final decision. For Blind Inlets, the more water able to infiltrate the higher the score.

Sediment and Phosphorus Reduction in the Middle Riley Creek

Blanchard River Watershed Partnership

$29,930

The Sediment and Phosphorus Reduction in the Middle Riley Creek project is located in one of the five tributaries in the Riley Creek watershed. Agriculture is the largest land use in this project area. Farming practices have resulted in an estimated sediment loading of almost 3000 tons/year and particulate phosphorus loading of over 6,000 lbs/yr. This project will install 630 acres of conservation tillage and 630 acres of cover crops.

Tiffin River Sediment & Nutrient Reduction Initiative (SNRI)

Fulton SWCD

$29,500

The Tiffin River Sediment & Nutrient Reduction Initiative (SNRI) Project will focus on implementing three conservation practices: Filter strips, cover crops, and erosion control structures on lands in the Flat Run and Bates Creeks. The project will target installation based on soil type by prioritizing implementation on two floodplain soil types and on two upland soil types. Landowners adjacent to the creek with Lenawee silty clay loam and Sloan silty clay loam soils will be notified and encouraged to implement filter strips and erosion control structures. In upland areas, landowners with Latty clay and Fulton silty clay loam will be targeted to implement cover crops.

Indiana

Removing Dissolved Phosphorus from Agricultural Drainage

The Nature Conservancy

$170,856

In Cessna Creek (Blanchard River watershed) and North Powell Creek (Auglaize River watershed), natural hydrology is highly impacted by ditch maintenance, with the majority of these two watersheds being channelized along roads and farm fields. This hydrologic alteration allows for the quick transport of phosphorus (P) from soils to surface waters and is one of the main causes of water quality degradation in the two watersheds. This project will construct three P removal structures using steel slag as phosphorus traps. Also, the project will demonstrate, during field events and with a video, how a P removal structure can be constructed on a subsurface tile drainage system. The award will also fund training of a local environmental contractor in design and construction of P removal structures.

Michigan

Phosphorus Reduction of the St. Joseph River/Lake Erie Watershed

Hillsdale Conservation District

$113,126

The St. Joseph River of the Maumee is one of the largest tributaries of Lake Erie. The Phosphorus Reduction of the St. Joseph River/Lake Erie Watershed project will implement the use of the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Program and install conservation practices including; cover crop seeding, hayland planting, strip cropping, filter strips and conservation tillage practices such as no-till, vertical-till, and strip-till. The Hillsdale Conservation District will establish criteria and a ranking system to target implementation based upon total phosphorus savings, soil savings, and lack of local Farm Bill Funds (i.e. Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP).

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