Lake Erie is Ohio’s Great Lake which is home to a diverse ecosystem and the economic pulse to the communities surrounding it. However, the lake is at risk from nutrient pollution that causes harmful algal blooms that impacts water quality for recreation, drinking water, and the creatures that call it home. Additional risks include invasive species, climate change driving warmer waters and more intense storms, aging water infrastructure, shoreline erosion, industrial pollution, and legacy phosphorus already built up in sediments. Together, these stressors threaten the long-term health, resilience, and economic value of the lake.
Since the 2014 Toledo Water Crisis, OEC has been working on these issue. During the Crisis residents lost the drinking water and usable water for 3 days due to harmful algae blooms (HABS). The impacts of the lake don’t just affect the environment, but they also affect the financial stability and public health of the communities surrounding it.
State Water Quality Initiatives
At the OEC we work with other partners and organizations to generate real change for Lake Erie and the communities that depend on it.
