BP 42 Million Gallon Per Day Water Withdrawal Up For OEPA Review
The Western Lake Erie Waterkeeper, Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Alliance for the Great Lakes submitted comments to OEPA concerning the average daily us of 42 million gallons heated to a temperature of up to 118 degrees.
A request was made to count the fish caught against the screens(impingement) and the number of fish that go through the screens(entrainment). The BP intake is near the shore near the Otter Creek outfall and the discharge is in Maumee Bay near the shipping channel. The concern is that the BP intake is before the 750 million gallons of day used by Bayshore. It is estimated that the BP outlet is about one mile from the Bayshore intake. Fish that make it by BP's water withdrawal may be in artificial current that influences the fish path to the Bayshore intake.
OEPA's decision on the request for fish counts and thermal and cuirrent impacts will be made available.
Fermi 3 Coastal Wetlands
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality says this about Fermi 3's coastal wetland take will be one of the most significant coastal wetland take in the history of Michigan Coastal wetlands statutes. For the MDEQ statement to the Nuclear Regulatory Commissions click here
Study finds major source of ecoli is factory farms
A study to determine the sources of ecoli - human or animal has concluded that factory farms are the dominant contributor of ecoli into Lake Huron. Click here for the article
OPEN LAKE DUMPING CORPS seeks permit
The Army Corps of Engineers has drafted a Finding of No Significant Impact(FONSI) to continue the practice of open lake dumping up to 1.25 million cubic yards into Western Lake Erie. The depth of the water where the dumping occurs is 18' - 20'. The Corps claims the sediments remain where they are dumped - others believe the sediments resuspend and travel up to 100 miles. For the Corps report click here.
FISH KILLS BAYSHORE FIRST ENERGY
For presentations and information from
March 3 , 2009 Ohio EPA Bayshore Fish Kill Public Meeting click here
Toledo Blade article on fish kills says that fishing is at least an $800 million dollar business in Ohio. Click here for Feb. 23, 2009
Akron Beacon Journal article discusses fish kills - First Energy - fish kills do not matter Click here for March 3, 2009 story
CBS WTOL story on the fish kills click here
Toledo Blade March 4, 2009 on fish kill meeting on cost click here
Toledo Blade March 8, 2009 Bayshore Greener Steve Pollick click here
Press Publications March 5, 2009 Bayshore Thermal Impact article
For an aerial view of the Bayshore plant click here.
For the USEPA/OEPA consultant review of Kinetrics report from September 2008 click here. for the February 2009 Tetra Tech recommendations and review of the Bayshore plant click here
For the company Kinetrics summary report on fish kills click here
For the full company Kinetrics report on fish kills click here
To catch and eat fish requires a license and then there are rules. To kill the fish and do nothing - unlicensed - no rules. The Bayshore Power Plant is known as the Great Lakes largest fish killing power plant. The Bayshore plant, according to OEPA, kills more fish than all of the other Ohio power plants combined. ODNR says the power plant kills more fish than all the hatcheries produce annually,
The Bayshore First Energy power plant reports show fish kills averaging 126,000 fish a day caught on the screens and 6 million fish a day that go through the screens. . Find out more about the fish kills and comment at an Ohio EPA meeting March 3rd. Click here for a Fish Kill Meeting Flier.
For a petition asking Governor Strickland to stop the fish kills and pay for the fish impinged and entrained until the fish kills are reduced by the best available technology click here.. To send an electronic message - Sierra Club Take Action link to send a message to Governor Strickland and OEPA Director Chris Korleski to reduce the fish kills. For a power point presentation on the fish kills and Western Lake Erie email here.
Bayshore conducted studies of the fish kills in 2005 and 2006 which were released in 2008. Click here for a summary report on the 46 million fish caught against the First Energy Bayshore Power plant screens(known as impingement) and the 2.2 billion fish that go through the screens(known as entrainment). The First Energy Bayshore Power Plant appears to be to be the greatest fish killing power plant in the Great Lakes. For the full detailed report click here. The report indicates that most of the water is drawn from the Maumee River, and for at least two months in the two year period studied all of the water in the Maumee River went through the plant. The data indicates walleye, perch, and bass are killed along with emerald shiners that top the list. The Bayshore Plant is also said to kill more fish than all other Ohio power plants combined -click here. The Bayshore/First Energy plant has thermal impacts - click here for the report. For the December 2008 Kinetrics Benthic/Thermal Report click here. For the remedies being studied by First Energy called modeling click here(Note First Energy is not looking in to the best known solution, a cooling tower, which the nuclear plants in the area have). For the amount of Maumee River water that goes through the plant click here.
The Maumee River is the most biologically productive river in the Great Lakes and the power plant in the fall, according to power plant studies, pulls the entire Maumee River waters through the plant in a day. The Bayshore power plant is also thought to be the largest fish killing plant in the Great Lakes with company studies showing over 46 million fish per year caught against the screens and over 2 billion larval fish that go through the screens. This averages to 126,000 fish per day on the screens and 6 million larval fish per day through the screens. Limits are set on sports fish for all that catch the fish and eat them but the power company that harms the fish with mercury, kills the fish from thermal water use and feeds the algae by warming the water has no limits, pays nothing, and degrades the ecosystem of Maumee Bay and western Lake Erie....
The power plant owners, Bayshore/Toledo Edison/First Energy comment on the fish kills in a September 28th, 2008 Press Publication article. Mark Durbin, Edison Communications, states that a fish diversion plan and cooling tower are both options First Energy is looking at. He calls the cooling tower possible but not probable - click here for the story.
Ottawa River Toxic Cleanup
The Ottawa River's contaminated sediments are close to getting dredged. The cost - and estimated $48 million. Agreements by responsible parties have been reached and the project should by underway this summer. Thanks to US Fish & Wildlife and USEPA for keeping the public informed and making this project happen.
FERMI 3 to require significant coastal wetlands loss
Fermi Three will draw 49 million gallons of water from the Western Basin of Lake Erie - just under the radar of 50 million gallons that would require an analysis of the increased fish kills and the thermal plumes. The Fermi application said that phosphorous is not a problem in the Western Lake Erie basin. The application also denied the existence of Maumee Bay. These are major problems in the application that need to be addressed as part of the EIS.
Lyngbya Excavated from Luna Pier, Michigan Shoreline
Algae Problems Grow in 2008
Luna Pier, Michigan on the Northern Shores of Maumee Bay has Lyngbya -click here for news article. The new algae that was first observed late summer 2006 washes ashore after strong winds. Luna Pier excavates the lyngbya and puts it on compost piles. The summer of 2008 was not as hot so the piles of lyngbya were less than a year ago but still prevalent in the waters and along the shorelines.
The traditional late summer/fall algae was worse this year - more of it and 9 of 11 samples taken off of West Sister show that the toxicity levels exceed world health organization guidelines.
University of Toledo Professor Tom Bridgeman call is 'Green Kool Aid'. Click here for the article.
clock here. The increased algae floats into Lake Erie's Central Basin where it
dies and absorbs oxygen which then results in the growing dead zones. Fish need the bottom aquatic life and the growing algae - green water - dead zones impact water quality and fish.
Green Water Grows
Lyngbya - Microcystis
Algae - green at the shore
The water spraying off the motor in the back of the boat was green in September 2008. The algae is getting worse every year researchers tell us. Lake Erie is once again at a tipping point.
Lyngbya wollei is a new invasive algae in our Western Lake Erie.
What can people do to help? Use dishwasher detergent with no or low amounts of phosphorous - some have 8.5% - others have none. If you use lawn fertilizer, when your lawn is mature no phosphorous is needed. The middle number on the bad should be zero - if you hire your lawn to be fertilized - ask for no phosphorous. Get in touch with the Waterkeeper and get a group top check the levels of phosphorous in a ditch, creek, or river near where you live.
The type of algae that grows in the sediments that first appeared in 2006 was not as bad in 2008 as it was in 2007, when it mounded to the size of a house, apparently because it was a cooler summer. The green water in late August and September is from the traditional algae - microcystis. UT's Tom Bridgeman says that this years annual algae was very abundant. The green waters and algae are caused by too many nutrients - dissolved phosphorous is the primary driver in West Erie. Lowering water levels, increased temperatures and additional nutrient sources appear to be the cause of the waters continuing to turn greener each year.
See a picture lyngbya taken August 17th, 2008. Lyngbya is found on the northern shores of Maumee Bay, in 'warm water bay' and on the northern shores of the far end of Western Lake Erie. Lyngbya coats the bottom of Maumee Bay and the far western basin of Lake Erie. Lyngbya snuffs out the oxygen and impacts the bottom of the fish food chain. This invasive first appeared in Maumee Bay in late-summer 2006 and has since blanketed much of the southern shore of Maumee Bay. In 2007 it was seen in mounds out in the Bay. Now in August 2008, the water is clear and the lyngbya is growing in the sediment. Lyngbya spreads and will never go away - it is like crab grass - if starved of nutrients it will find another 'food.'.
Lyngbya is known as the "beast" and "cockroach" of algae, it is so tough it can withstand our winters.
Unlike other algae which free floats, Lyngbya wollei attaches to sediments and massively grows in short periods of time.
Like all algae, it readily feeds on phosphorous, but Lyngbya wollei also likes nitrogen. It especially thrives in warm, stagnant water with fecal waste.
Unfortunately, the Army Corps of Engineers keeps tossing the dredged sediments in the open lake. This will feed, and therefore spread, this already problematic algae.
The suspended sediments are predicted to travel over 100 miles, which would be east of Cleveland.
To comment on the spreading of Lyngbya wollei via open lake dumping, please email Craig Forget of the Army Corps of Engineers at Craig.M.Forget@usace.army.mil and OEPA Director Chris Korleski at chris.korleski@epa.state.oh.us
A request to stop open lake dumping and the spreading of the was made to the Lake Erie Commission.
Lake Erie Predicted to drop 34" in next 60 Years
The July 2008 report entitled 'Economic Impacts of Climate Changes in Ohio' by the Center for Integrative Research, university of Maryland, predicts that Lake Erie will loose 15% of its surface area and lake levels will drop 34' over a sixty year period(page seven of report). Furthermore, the report indicates an increased dependence on ground water, including agriculture.
Great Lakes Compact Signed by President
Most herald the passing of the Great Lakes Compact but there is skepticism on the part of some including Marcy Kaptur who worry that water will be treated as a commodity and will be sold in 5.7 gallon containers under NAFTA and other treaties and laws. Click here for the Compact.
The Ohio legislature, when they approved the Compact, also approved placing a constitutional amendment on the ballot that concerns private property water rights. This is Issue 3 and lawyers say it is not needed. Vote No on Issue 3. Click here for ballot language.
Ohio still needs to pass, required by the Compact, implementing legislation on water conservation, protecting water quantities in streams and bottled water. This will be important in the 2009 legislative session.
Oregon's Raw Sewage flows to Wolfe & Otter Creeks During Heavy Rainfalls
New Permit Requirements Expected
When there is a heavy rainfall and there is a threat of the sewer lines being full, Oregon pumps from the sewer line at three locations into Otter Creek and the manhole cover at Wolfe Creeks is forced open from the backup of the old sewer trunk lines west of Lallendorf Rd. into the new sewer lines in the Seaman/Stadium areas. Oregon does not report the sewer practices to OEPA. That should all change when Ohio EPA issues a new NPDES permit to Oregon.
On the 4th of July weekend 2008, wastewater with visible toilet paper was being discharged into nearby Wolfe Creek which drains into the park over the 4th of July weekend. Vivid pictures show the unreported problem. Ohio EPA says that the permit requires no notification. Beachgoers and residents in the area were never told.
Oregon built a new Seaman Rd. trunkline about five years ago. Since then it appears Oregon is using the new sewer line for 'storage capacity' allowing wastewater from the urban city to discharge into Wolfe Creek.
Maumee Bay is experiencing massive growth in algae. Algae thrives on matter with nutrients ...like raw sewage.
Industrial Animal Operations Health and Water Risk
The Pew Commission report says that industrial scale farm animal operations cause "unacceptable" risk to public health and the environment. There are many CAFO's -as they are known here- in the Maumee/Lake Erie watershed and more proposed. The spreading of manure on the fields - often running off into streams after rainfalls and spring thawing is a threat to water quality in the Western Lake Erie watershed. Click here for the full Pew report.
OEPA approves open lake dumping for two more years....
OEPA is allowing Maumee Bay and River sediments to be open lake dumped just beyond the Toledo Harbor Lighthouse. This comes at a time when Western Lake Erie is once again turning green and there are increasing dead zones in the central basin. Open Lake dumping is a risky practice in the shallowest, warmest, 'fishiest' waters in the Great Lakes.
Coke Plant: Appeals Filed
"The Sierra Club, in tandem with Harbor View - a village downwind of the proposed site - has appealed the permit modification on the grounds that too much time has elapsed." -- The Blade, April 1, 2008
On January 31, 2008, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency had issued a modified permit-to-install for FDS Coke LLC. To read the OEPA news release, click here.
The January 31, 2008, permit-to-install is available here, and the June 21, 2007, FDS application is available here.
The OEPA refuses to set any standards in this permit for the 1.1 million tons of CO2, the most conspicuous greenhouse gas, that will be released.
This new coke plant will have more emissions than the old Interlake Coke Plant on Front St. in Toledo, Ohio . . . about 3x more, according to OEPA records.
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency's response to public from December 2007 submissions is available here.
Additionally, the OEPA has also issued a permit-to-install for "a cooling tower to be used as part of an electric generation facility the company also plans to build." You can view this permit here.
Further information from the Ohio EPA about the proposed FDS Coke plant in Toledo and Oregon, Ohio, can be found here.
To learn more about this plant of heavy pollution and its unknown backers, please head over to our Coke Plant page.
Western Lake Erie Waterkeeper Association
Western Lake Erie: The Warmest, Shallowest, "Fishiest" Area of the Great Lakes
ThyssenKrupp-designed Coking Plant in Schwelgern, Germany
2003
Same designer as Toledo
July 11 & 12
Get some Toft's Ice
Cream at the
Waterkeeper booth at the Toledo Lighthouse Festival
July 22
Hands On Storm Water Conference Free
Ward Pavillion
Wildwood
Augsut 13
Western Lake Erie Waterkeeper Meeting
Thursday 7 pm
UT Lake Erie Center
6200 Bayshore Rd
INFORMATION
For your daily dose of Great Lakes news, click here.
Columns by Tom Henry, the Environmental Voice of The Blade, can be read here.
ALGAE & ROUNDUP ...OSU Research
Roundup?? Is Roundup the underlying cause of toxic algae and dead zones? Click here for more information.
The Western Lake Erie Waterkeeper Association
... member Earthshares..
Mission: “To preserve, protect, and improve the waters and fish of the Western basin of Lake Erie, the warmest, shallowest, most biologically productive area in all of the Great Lakes through collaboration, education and advocacy.”
Serving the Western Lake Erie Watershed - in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Ontario
.ECOLI strands resistant to antibiotics found in Detroit River(which supplies over 80% of Lake Erie water)
New research indicates that certain types of ecoli are very resiliant and resist anitbiotics. This type of ecoli is documented in the Detroit River. For more information click here.
Nanticoke Coking shutting down
Because of decreased demand and the economy, the US Steel Nanticoke coking in Ontario is idling its coke plant.
WESTERN LAKE ERIE WATERKEEPER PROGRAM
The Western Lake Erie Waterkeeper Association(WLEWA) serves the waters in the area from the Maumee River in Fort Wayne, Indiana east to Huron, Ohio and Point Pelee in Ontario, Canada. This western Lake Erie watershed includes the River Raisin, the Portage River, Maumee River and Bay and Sandusky River and Bay as well as all islands in the basin.
This is truly a remarkable watershed laying claim to the Great Lakes warmest, shallowest, fishiest waters.
WLEWA is a licensed Waterkeeper Alliance program and joins nearly 200 waterkeepers world that advocate for clean water. The slogan is to think globally act locally.
PRAY FOR DR BOB
Dr. Brundage, Western Lake Erie Waterkeeper Association board member, remains in St. Vincent's hospital fighting in a coma fighting for his life.
For us waterkeepers, Dr. Bob loves the Manhattan Marsh, opposes the coke plant, samples water and came to most Waterkeeper meetings. He likes the chocolate chip cookies.
He often suggests books to read.
When he broke his hip he left the hospital to attend a waterkeeper conference at the Toledo Yacht club in 2008. He said he wanted to learn from the array of speakers.
Please pray for this kind gently man and hope that he will once again come back as a friend of the environment and to many.
Picture Toledo Blade.
COKE PLANT IN THE NEWS
The coke plant was back in the news wanting nearly $200,000. Ben Konop wanted Lucas County to loan the coke plant money, but the authorization request was withdrawn. A private undisclosed person loaned the money. The public is not allowed to know who the owners and operators of this facility are. Yet the public has 'loaned' $500,000 of Lucas County property tax money from the 1/4 mill Port Authority property tax levy. Sierra Club and Harbor View have a case before the state environmental review board, ERAC, that says the environmental permit to install is expired.
The key to this project is that local leaders endorse an undisclosed operator and owner that will use 2 millions tons of coal and emit mercury, sulfur and other pollutants..
LEARN TO KAYAK WITH THE EXPERTS COMING SOON
