Resolution on Reducing Nutrient Pollution in the Great Lakes Region
WHEREAS, clean water is essential to support a healthy population, a thriving economy, and a well-functioning ecosystem; and
WHEREAS, polluted runoff from agricultural lands and communities (nonpoint sources) and discharges from point sources such as wastewater treatment plants results in excess nutrients in the water bodies of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River region, with significant consequences for public health, the environment, and the economy; WHEREAS, excessive phosphorus and nitrogen, for example, contribute to the growth of harmful algal blooms of cyanobacteria, most notably in the western basin of Lake Erie; in 2014, the bloom was so severe that residents of the City of Toledo, Ohio, lost access to their drinking water for three days while the residents of Pelee Island, Ontario, lost access to their tap water for two weeks; and WHEREAS, excessive phosphorus and nitrogen can lead to the formation of dead zones in water bodies such as central Lake Erie and Green Bay in Wisconsin; these dead zones result from the growth, death, and decay of bacteria, thereby depleting deeper, colder water of oxygen and causing harm to aquatic organisms; and WHEREAS, remedying the problem of nutrient pollution requires a holistic approach that begins with a clear understanding of the scope of the problem, the relative contribution of different sources of pollution, past and ongoing programs and practices intended to reduce pollution, the effectiveness of these actions, and possible solutions based on the best available evidence; and WHEREAS, the 2019 Patricia Birkholz Institute for Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Policy gave members of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Legislative Caucus (GLLC) the opportunity to study the issue of nutrient pollution for the purpose of devising
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