LimnoTech quantified the cost of meeting water quality goals for the Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB) through increased adoption of agricultural conservation practices to address nonpoint source nutrient runoff.
A map of the western Lake Erie basin with five priority HUC-12 subwatersheds highlighted in gray. The subwatersheds include the Headwaters of the Saline River, South Branch River Raisin, Lime Creek, Nile Ditch, and S.S. LaPointe (Muddy Creek).

Location:
Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB)

Client:
Alliance for the Great Lakes

Partners:
Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD), Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)

Service Areas:

Our Expert:

  • Derek Schlea
  • Principal, Senior Agricultural & Ecological Engineer
  • dschlea@limno.com

LimnoTech provided technical support to the Alliance for the Great Lakes. We quantified the cost of meeting water quality goals for the Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB) through increased adoption of agricultural conservation practices to address nonpoint source nutrient runoff.

The Challenge

Excess nutrient pollution has led to the re-emergence of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) as a major concern in the Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB). The watershed for this basin spans more than seven million acres, encompassing most of northwest Ohio, portions of northeast Indiana, and southeast Michigan. It is one of the most significant networks of inland rivers and streams in the United States. Over the last two decades, HABs of unprecedented severity and toxicity have caused ecosystem, economic, and human health impacts.

How We Helped

LimnoTech provided technical support to the Alliance for the Great Lakes. We quantified the cost of meeting water quality goals for the Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB) through increased adoption of agricultural conservation practices to address nonpoint source nutrient runoff. An initial phase was conducted for the entire Michigan and Ohio drainage areas to the WLEB. LimnoTech successfully assessed the increase in spending amounts needed relative to the current annual spending for agricultural conservation.

As part of a subsequent phase, LimnoTech applied a similar analysis at a smaller subwatershed scale. We leveraged recent data generated by the State of Michigan to develop field prioritization maps for each subwatershed to help identify where agricultural conservation practices could be placed to have the greatest benefit. The work also included estimating nutrient load reductions for each subwatershed and the costs associated with the conservation practice adoption scenarios.

A summary report by LimnoTech and Alliance for the Great Lakes details the work done for Michigan’s priority subwatersheds.

Projects

Return to top

Start typing and press Enter to search