(WTOL) - State leaders in Michigan have declared their Lake Erie waters "impaired." This is because of damage to wildlife in the lake caused by harmful algal blooms.
It means there could be stronger enforcement measures and maybe more funding to clean up algae.
It's a move Ohio leaders have refused to make.
Rod Derbeck is a life-long resident of Luna Pier and comes down to the water twice a day. He also fishes there.He doesn't like what he has been seeing. "Certain times of the year you see all this stuff coming up on shore. Hey, that's not good," he said.
The state says extensive algae blooms have been caused by excessive levels of phosphorus and the impact on aquatic life and other wildlife has forced the state to act.
The impaired designation doesn't come with specific demands for reducing algae, but the goal is to have only mild algae blooms nine out of ten years.
"I believe whatever they have to do to clear the water up for drinking would be a great thing, and they should do it. Whatever they have to do. I know it's probably going to make some people upset, but it has to be done I believe," Derbeck said.
Lucas County Commissioners have called for an impairment designation for the entire western Lake Erie basin but have been denied by the state and federal government.
Commissioner Carol Contrada said Michigan's decision should be the push that's needed here.
"The science is solid, the law is solid, and it really challenges the state of Ohio to do the same," Contrada said. "The right solution is to declare the entire Western Lake Erie Basin impaired and get on with it."
Ohio Lt. Governor Mary Taylor told WTOL two weeks ago that the state will not declare Lake Erie impaired because it could hurt tourism and fishing.
We received a response from the Ohio EPA. Even with no impaired designation of the whole western basin, a spokesman tells us in 2015, the state listed the shoreline and area around drinking water intakes as impaired.
The Ohio EPA also said Michigan is following the same path Ohio is already taking with that agreement to reduce phosphorus by 40 percent.
