GINLC Newsletter: Save Lake Erie

Many of us remember when Lake Erie was declared dead: algae were fouling the beaches and large dead zones starved of dissolved oxygen were making life nearly impossible. The culprit was the massive amount of phosphorus released into the lake by the Detroit and Cleveland sewer systems.

A ban of phosphates in laundry detergents and upgraded sewage treatment showed rapid improvements and soon the lake was teeming with plenty of fish.

Unfortunately now algae have returned and phosphates again are suspected. This time agricultural fertilizers and run off from massive livestock operations appear to be the main culprits.

We can do our part to decrease the phosphate load on the suffering lake: use phosphate-free detergent in your dishwasher and phosphate-free fertilizer on your lawn. Mature lawns do not need phosphates. The second number on your fertilizer bag is the percentage of phosphates, therefore it should be zero.

It's a small effort, but worth it.