U.S. EPA Releases Lake Erie Phosphorus Reduction Targets

Environmental groups applauded newly released phosphorus reduction targets for Lake Erie released this week by the U.S. EPA.  The targets call for a 40% reduction in phosphorus levels - a move proponents say will minimize low oxygen "dead zones" in the lake's central basin and maintain safe levels of algae growth.
"To protect public health, we must restore the Great Lakes for all those who depend on them," U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said. "The first step in our urgent work together to protect Lake Erie from toxic algae, harmful algal blooms, and other effects of nutrient runoff, is to establish these important phosphorus limits."