Another $1M in fed money coming to help Grand Lake St. Marys
Dayton Daily News – COLUMBUS — The U.S. Department of Agriculture will forward nearly $1 million in emergency funding to combat the outbreak of toxic cyanobacteria at Grand Lake St. Marys, Gov. Ted Strickland and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown said Tuesday, July 20.
“The funding will enable farmers in the Grand Lake St. Marys watershed to apply conservation measures that will benefit water quality in the lake,” Brown said. He added that the funding is provided by the USDA’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program, which is administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Friday, July 16, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency said that the levels of bacteria are so high that boating and all water contact at Grand Lake should be avoided.
“The health of Grand Lake St. Marys is at risk and today’s announcement of cleanup funds is welcome news for western Ohio. These new federal dollars will build upon our long-term strategy of reducing runoff and improving the water quality,” Brown said. “Hundreds of thousands of Ohioans rely upon Grand Lake St Marys for recreation, for drinking water, and for their jobs—its cleanup is a priority and I will continue to work with (USDA) Secretary (Tom) Vilsack and Governor Strickland until the job is done.”
