Michigan steps up fight against harmful algal blooms in western Lake Erie

In May, the State of Michigan updated its Domestic Action Plan (DAP) for combating harmful algal blooms (HABs). The plan contains measures to reduce phosphorus runoff by a sustained 40% from a 2008 baseline measurement by targeting nutrient-rich releases from wastewater treatment plants and phosphorus runoff from farm fields and fertilized lawns.

Phosphorus in fertilizers and manure is an essential nutrient for plant growth in the western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB), but rains and floods can carry it into the lake, where it feeds HABs. These HABs deplete oxygen in the lake, which creates dead zones that damage ecosystems and local economies. They can also produce toxins harmful to people and wildlife.

The State of Michigan is pursuing these strategies under the DAP to reduce the phosphorus that feeds HABs in Lake Erie:

• Continued work with WLEB communities to tighten sewage treatment facility permits. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s (EGLE) Water Resources Division has developed a plan to lower phosphorus limits in the U.S. National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits for all major wastewater treatment plants in the WLEB, along with a new guidebook to help operators meet these targets.
• A new Soil Health Investment Program in partnership with conservation districts in Michigan’s Hillsdale, Lenawee, Monroe, and Washtenaw counties.
• Partnerships for agricultural conservation to help attain the full 40% phosphorus reduction target, which will require progress controlling nonpoint and agricultural sources of pollution.
• Regenerative agriculture principles and practices that reduce nutrient loss, mitigate impacts of extreme weather, and prioritize market-driven agricultural diversity that can power rural communities.
• Expanded water quality monitoring.
• Online modeling through the Great Lakes Watershed Management System.
• The DAP Team partnering with the University of Michigan (UM) Water Center and the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation to form the WLEB Community Advisory Group, which represents rural communities, agricultural service providers, environmental organizations, equity advocates, water utilities, municipal governments, and lake and coastal businesses.
• Work by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), conservation group Ducks Unlimited, and partners to restore more than 300 acres of wetlands in the Stony Creek and South Branch River Raisin watersheds.

The updated DAP was a focal point of Michigan’s 2025 State of the Western Lake Erie Basin Conference June 26 in Adrian, Michigan. The conference drew conservation districts; watershed councils; federal, local, and state officials; researchers; engineers; farmers; and community members to talk about progress toward nutrient reduction goals.