Ann Arbor, Mich. – Following months of work through the Great Lakes Commission, the Lake Erie Nutrient Targets (LENT) Working Group, comprised of the four states bordering the lake (Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York) and the province of Ontario released today a nine-step interim Joint Action Plan for nutrient reduction. The interim Joint Action Plan complements and provides additional detail to the Collaborative Agreement signed by the western basin governors of Michigan and Ohio and the premier of Ontario on June 13.The nine steps in the interim Joint Action Plan address:
- Application of fertilizer and manure on frozen and snow-covered ground
- The 4Rs Nutrient Stewardship Certification program and similar comprehensive management approaches
- Discharges of phosphorus from seven key municipal facilities in the western and central basin
- Investments in green infrastructure for urban stormwater and agricultural runoff
- Open water disposal of dredged material
- Performance-based incentives to reduce nutrients
- Residential phosphorus fertilizer
- Adaptive management to validate and refine reduction targets and timelines
- Collaboration toward an integrated monitoring and modeling network.
The press release with full details is here.
Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments | www.tmacog.org
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