Ohio Department of Agriculture receives $2M grant for H2Ohio initiative

OHIO — The U.S. Environmental Safety Agency (USEPA) awarded the Ohio Division of Agriculture (ODA) with a $2 million grant from the Good Lakes Restoration Initiative Which will go in the direction of Gov. Mike DeWine’s H2Ohio plan.

The H2Ohio plan, launched in November 2019, goals To reinforce water extreme quality throughout the state by serving to To Scale again algal blooms, enhance watershed infrastructure and implement lead contamination prevention. This grant will particularly go in the direction of the Maumee Watershed.

“After the preliminary signup interval for H2Ohio agriculture biggest administration practices, there was appreciable curiosity from farmers Inside the 14 counties of the Maumee Watershed with over 1,800 farmers signing up and over 1 million acres of farmland enrolled,” ODA wrote in a press launch. “With such great curiosity Inside the H2Ohio program from farmers, ODA will use the funds To current extra assist to Soil and Water Conservation Districts throughout the Maumee River Watershed to implement H2Ohio practices and To hint program progress and accomplished practices.”

The Maumee Watershed, located shut to Toledo, drains An complete of 5,024 sq. miles in Ohio, Based mostly on the USEPA. It goes by way of An complete of 18 counties. Primary municipalities partially or absolutely Inside the watershed embrace Toledo, Defiance, Findlay, Lima, Van Wert, Napoleon and Perrysburg. 

The western basin of Lake Erie, which the watershed is An monumental trihoweverary of, Not currents consuming water As a Outcome of of dangerous algal blooms. 

Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) expects this yr’s algal blooms in Lake Erie to be smaller than regular this summer time.

NOAA said final month It is anticipated to be Across The identical measurement as these in 2016, 2018 and 2020, however not shut toly as huge as these in 2017 and 2019, which had A pair of of The Most very important blooms ever recorded. 

How huge and extreme the western Lake Erie algal blooms are Rely upon The quantity of phosphorus that flows by way of the Maumee River between March 1 and July 31, Based mostly on the agency. 

It additionally Relys upon The quantity of rainful, which NOAA expects to be regular all by way of June.