Michigan's plan to improve water quality in Lake Erie won't get the job done

Water protection groups submit comments on draft plan

The state of Michigan's plan to reduce pollution in Lake Erie shows good intentions but lacks teeth to make sure we will actually see any significant improvement in the water quality of the lake.

On Thursday the Michigan Environmental Council and eight water protection groups submitted extensive comments on the draft Domestic Action Plan to the Department of Environmental Quality to improve Michigan's plan and ultimately, improve the health of Lake Erie. The public comment period ends today.

"The draft recommends voluntary measures to reduce phosphorous runoff from agricultural lands," said Tom Zimnicki, MEC agriculture policy director. "Researchers continually conclude agriculture is a primary contributor of pollution to Lake Erie. Voluntary measures for farms are not effective enough to curb pollution and will not get the job done."

The comments point out the lack of a robust system or data for measuring progress. They also provide detailed recommendations for improving the plan to help Michigan meet regional goals, including comprehensive soil testing and the implementation of minimum conservation standards.

A copy of the comments are available on the Michigan Environmental Council website:

http://environmentalcouncil.org/mecReports/LakeErieDomesticActionPlanComments.pdf

CONTACT

Tom Zimnicki
313-969-3499