TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - The Ohio EPA released a report Monday evening called the Nutrient Mass Balance Study.
It makes two points very clear: There has been no obvious decrease in runoff over the past five years and places in Ohio with more agricultural land have more phosphorous and nitrogen runoff.
Keep in mind, millions of dollars each year is being spent on voluntary farm incentives. As 2020 is quickly approaching, a benchmark was set by Ohio to have reduced its runoff by 20 percent.
This study covers watersheds draining to the Ohio River and Lake Erie. The study also states that the Maumee River delivered the highest annual phosphorous load.
The report specifically sites the large amount of agriculture lands as the number one reason for the draining.
For example: Watersheds that dump into the Ohio River are less used for agriculture and averaged a loss of 0.6 pounds of runoff per acre. Compare that to Lake Erie watersheds, which are used significantly more for cropland and produced nearly double that amount at 1.1 pounds per acre.
However it is important to note that this study does not recommend regulations. Rather, it is a scientific study.
