TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — New research says dumping tons of mud and soil in western Lake Erie isn’t contributing to the rising number of harmful algae outbreaks.
The study released by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finds that sediment dumped into the lake isn’t a main source of the phosphorus that feeds the algae.
Pressure to stop the dumping has been increasing even before toxins produced by the algae in Lake Erie contaminated the tap water for 400,000 people in Ohio and southeastern Michigan in early August.
Two members of Ohio’s congressional delegation proposed legislation last week that would force the Army Corps to end dumping sediment from Great Lakes shipping channels into the open water.
Many environmental groups also have long suspected a connection between the algae and sediment dumping.
