Lake St. Mary's in Ohio say your prayers

[Bill Purmort]

I don't know if many of you have been following this issue but it's a sad story...and one I'd like to hear from Bob Lusk about.
The largest and probably oldest man made lake in the state has been declared unfit for fishing boating and swimming due to an algea problem...so severe that the lake is a dull green-blue. The cause has been a severe runoff of fertilizer and manure which has deposited a deep layer...4-5' deep on the bottom of the lake. I would guess the average depth of the lake is 6-8'...and with all this goop in the lake and more coming in all the time...how are they going to fix it?
Of course the State budget doesn't have a few extra million in it for frivolous projects like this....but it sure is a real problem. A huge impact on the local economy, home values around the lake, and then there is the fishing!!
I think they need to blow the damn and start over....any ideas?

[bigpanfish]

Our country gives away billions to hostile and/or lazy entities yet has no help for the people who earn all the money.

[Vic Tankersley]

I agree with bigpanfish, we can spend millions which end up as weapons against our own troops or give away trillions to illeagals from Mexico but our own people are homeless and our waterways are polluted from our big companies greed. I have been to this lake about 8 years ago and it was beautiful, I hope they can stop this disasster before it takes another good piece of fishing away from all who enjoys it.

[Michael A. Naso]

 

 This is a shame. There was a lot of discussion about it on www.ohiogamefishing.com a while back. There is still a "Do not Swim" in effect, but apparently The Fish Consumption Ban was lifted. Here is a link to a whole bunch of info.      http://www.epa.state.oh.us/pic/glsm_algae.aspx                                                                                                                        

[dick tabbert]

That would be a start but wouldn't be the fix. Fact is it is farming country and as long as they use fertilizers and pesticides you will be right back were you started. Heaven knows what a great fishery it use to be now brought down to its knees. Can't swim or eat the fish sometimes even touch the water. It's scary with no real fix in sight.

[Geoff Simons]

we had something simuler but it was mercury from long abandoned gold mines this was a lake that had good populations of largemouth bass,nice blue gill and crappie stocked in the winter with rainbows the forest service and fish&game dept. drained then dreged the lake.then some group found the dreaded chirichuahua leapord frog also inhabited the area so now the lake only has trout probably the southern most trout lake in the US. its only 16 miles from the mexican border roughly  they were worried about the bass and bluegill eating the frogs and young .did make for a nicer place to fish from what i hear .if the state can find the funding ie. licence fees and such they can do good