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Senator Faber’s Weekly Newsletter
Grand Lake St. Mary’s
Visitors urged caution; Urbana Clean Ohio assistance
May 23, 2011
Visitors to Park Beaches
at Grand Lake St. Marys Urged to Exercise Caution
ODNR--Recreational users of the three public beaches at Grand Lake St.
Marys State Park are advised against swimming and wading, water should
not be swallowed, and surface scum should be avoided, according to the
Ohio departments of Environmental Protection, Natural Resources, and
Health. Advisories will be erected at West, East, and Camp beaches
which are located at the eastern end of the lake.
The State is recommending that visitors exercise caution because an
algal bloom has been indentified at Grand Lake St. Marys. Water samples
taken earlier this week at the three beaches by the Ohio EPA indicated
that Planktothrix was the dominant cyanobacteria in the water. The
bloom is not confined to the beaches, but is visible over most of the
lake. This type of bloom holds the potential for producing algal
toxins, including mycrocystin, such as those experienced at the lake in
recent years.
Algal blooms can produce neurotoxins (which affect the nervous system)
and hepatotoxins (which affect the liver). The toxins can potentially
impact the health of people and animals that come into contact with
water where algal toxins are present.
Testing is ongoing and the State of Ohio has chosen to post
advisories in order to assure that lake-goers are aware of the levels
of risk that exist, and the steps they can take to minimize those
risks. For updated information, visit the Ohio EPA’s Web site at
www.epa.ohio.gov/dsw/HAB.aspx.
The State of Ohio remains committed to working with regional partners
on improving the water quality of the lake. Efforts by the state
include:
Addition of a third dredge and a longer dredging season
Rough fish removal
Water quality testing
Funding for in-stream treatment trains
Alum testing demonstrations earlier this spring
Nearly 5,000 acres of the central lake area will receive a concentrated
dose of aluminum sulfate beginning the first week of June.
City of Urbana Applying
for Clean Ohio Assistance Fund
The City of Urbana is applying for an $265,822 Clean Ohio Assistance
Fund (COAF) grant to help support the cleanup and redevelopment of
19.999 acres of property located at 605 Miami Street in Urbana for the
future development of the Q3 JMC, Inc. Redevelopment project. The
application is available for review beginning May 13, 2011, at the
Champaign County Library, 1060 Scioto Street, Urbana.
A public meeting on this grant application is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
on Tuesday, June 28, 2011, in the City Council Chambers at Urban City
Hall, 205 S. Main Street, Urbana. A copy of the application
summary, a legal notice published in the Urbana Daily Citizen
announcing the public meeting, and a copy of the sign posted at the
property to announce the project is included in this PDF. For
more information regarding the Q3 JMC, Inc. COAF application, contact
Douglas Crabill, Assistant to the Director of Administration, at (937)
652-4305.
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