
ODNR Division of Soil and Water Resources - Grand Lake St. Marys Water Quality

Mailing Address:
Division of Soil & Water Resources
2045 Morse Rd
Building B-3
Columbus, OH 43229
Phone (614) 265-6610
FAX: (614) 262-2064

For general information about the Division of Soil & Water Resources, e-mail your questions here.

Grand Lake St. Marys Water
Quality Improvement Initiatives

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) and partners announced a cooperative plan to help curb the nutrient loading that has contributed to declining water quality at Grand Lake St. Marys.

The plan encourages partnerships between the area residents and other private and public entities, including Mercer and Auglaize Soil and Water Conservation Districts and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, to minimize pollution sources within the watershed.

Please visit the Grand Lake St. Marys Action Steps Fact Sheet for more information on these efforts.

Below are Documents Regarding the Water Quality Improvement Initiatives

Initiatives and Reports:

9/28/2011
Grand lake saint marys alum treatment report Grand Lake St. Marys Alum Treatment Exceeds Expectations

A state-sponsored alum treatment at Grand Lake St. Marys in June successfully reduced the intensity of harmful algal blooms in the lake this summer, according to a recent report by a U.S. EPA environmental consultant, Tetra Tech, Inc.
(Download report now, 127Kb PDF)

1/2011
Distressed Watershed Designation Analysis; Grand Lake St. Marys Watershed

This report provides information related to the analysis of Grand Lake St. Marys as being a “watershed in distress” as defined in Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) 1501:15-5-20(A) Read all Sections of ORC 1501:15-5 (01-20) Animal Waste and Agricultural Pollution here.

Download report now. (6.3 Megabytes) or View News Release Here.

7/30/2010
State Actions for Water Quality Improvement at Grand Lake St. Marys
On July 30, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, joined by several state agency directors, announced both short- and long-term action plans to help restore Grand Lake St. Marys, Ohio's largest inland lake.
(Download this 8 page Action Plan now, 76Kb PDF)

05/20/2010 Progress Report Highlights
(Download this 2 page report now, 92Kb PDF)

Full Progress Report - March 2010
(Download this 8 page report now, 220Kb PDF)

09/2009
Grand Lake St. Marys & Its Watershed: Water Quality Improvement Initiatives
(Download this 8 page report now, 1.2Mb PDF)

Supporting Documents/Data Regarding the Initiatives:
News Releases:
	6/23/2011 Alum Treatment Program Applications of phosphorous reducing agents is scaled up in Grand Lake St. Marys. View informational video here
	2/07/2011 Fish Tissue Results from Grand Lake St. Marys Show No Microcystin One-page report provides an analysis of the fish tissue sample taken at Grand Lake St. Marys in October of 2010. Download Report Now (23k PDF) or View News Release Here
	01/18/2011 ODNR Designates Grand Lake St. Marys Watershed Distressed
	09/21/2010 Alum Treatment Pilot Project Begins
	05/21/2010 Progress Report Update News Release from ODNR
	11/16/2009 Initial News Release from ODNR
Fact Sheets:
1/28/2011	Watershed in Distress Fact Sheet - Grand Lake St. Marys Compliance with revised Agriculture Pollution Abatement Program Rules in the distressed GLSM watershed. (Download this Fact Sheet now.)
1/27/2011	Grand Lake St. Marys Action Steps Agriculture, EPA, and Natural Resources are implementing a multi-tiered plan to improve water quality at Grand Lake St. Marys. (Go to Fact Sheet on Grand Lake St. Marys Action Steps)
9/21/2010	Alum Treatment Pilot Project begins at Grand Lake St. Marys Alum treatment will begin Thursday, September 23 and be completed by late Friday, September 24 at demonstration areas around Grand Lake St. Marys. (Download this 3 page Q&A fact sheet about the treatment, 172Kb PDF)
Watershed Plans:
	Grand Lake St. Marys – Wabash R. Watershed Action Plan (Download this plan now, 11.5Mb PDF)
	Browse our FTP server list of endorsed watershed plans.
	Visit the Ohio Watershed Program web page.
Monitoring Data:
	USGS Water Quality Monitoring Buoy in Grand Lake The provisional data recorded by this buoy is being provided as a public service by the USGS. The buoy samples water at two depths in the lake.
	NRCS Water Quality Data for Chickasaw Creek 2011 Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) Allocation Summary (Download Summary 436 KB PDF) 2010 Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) Allocation Summary (Download Summary 440 KB PDF) Analysis of Chickasaw Creek Concentrations and Loads: Summary of Major Findings (Download this summary 15Kb PDF) Analysis of Chickasaw Creek Concentrations and Loads, Water Year 2009 (Download full analysis 656 Kb PDF)
Algae Information:
	ohioalgaeinfo.com Clearing house web site for latest information on State agency response and strategy regarding harmful algal blooms. This site is sponsored by the Ohio Departments of Health, EPA and Natural Resources. Ohio EPA GLSM Algae Information EPA Harmful Algal Bloom Advisory RSS News Feed Fish Tissue Results Show No Microcystin 02/07/2011 Analysis of the fish tissue sample taken at Grand Lake St. Marys in October of 2010. Download Report Now (23k PDF) Algal Toxins – Common Questions (Download this 40 Kb PDF) Microcystin Data (Download this data, 44Kb PDF)
	Ohio Department of Health Algae Information Local health districts can report suspected human illnesses associated with exposure to a Harmful Algal Bloom to the Ohio Department of Health at 614-995-5599. Reports of suspected animal illnesses can be reported to the Ohio Department of Health at 614-752-1029, select option 2.