Lake Erie Water Moves To Forefront For Lawmakers

The health of Lake Erie and ways to combat the algae fouling the water are on the agenda for state lawmakers from northern Ohio. They were meeting Friday just outside Toledo to discuss what can be done to protect the lake. The meeting comes nearly two weeks after more than 400,000 people in the Toledo area were told not to drink their tap water after it became contaminated. One idea being debated is whether the state should declare the lake a distressed watershed. Doing that would trigger changes aimed at limiting agriculture runoff that is a main source of what is feeding the algae on the lake. One agriculture industry leader says making the lake a distressed watershed is worth considering but could bring unnecessary costs for farmers.