Built from1837-1845, it contained over 12
billion cubic feet of water
 Created as a reservoir to supply water for
the Miami and Erie Canal, connecting the
Ohio River and Lake Erie
 Was one of the largest man made, inland
lakes in the Midwest, and home to the
worlds first off-shore oil well
 By 1915 the lake wasn’t needed anymore,
and public use of the lake began
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The Lake allowed for boating, camping,
fishing, skiing, canoeing, camping,
swimming….up until 2010 Grand Lake
was a main tourist attraction for its
surrounding areas
What
Lake?
happened to Grand
A toxin known as cynobacteria (a blue –
green algae) took over the lake
 This algae feeds on nitrogen and
phosphorous nutrients that are found in the
lake
 Despite the name, blue-green algae is not
a plant but bacteria that gets its energy
through photosynthesis
 This bacteria looks like algae and its blooms
look green, or bluish-green. In any event, it
is the reason four harmful toxins were
released in the waters of Grand Lake
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Saxitoxin; causes paralytic shellfish
poisoning upon ingestion (PSP)
 Anatoxin, or Anatoxin-a; a toxic product
of blue-green algae
 Cylindrospermopsin; a known liver toxin.
 Microcystin; can be very toxic for plants
and animals including humans
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all four toxins known to have been in the
waters of Grand Lake, they can cause very
serious illnesses, collectively including
allergic reactions, liver damage, cancer,
liver failure, internal hemorrhaging, heart
and kidney and other internal organ
damage and failure, Paralytic Shellfish
Poisoning (PSP), paralysis, loss of
coordination, convulsions, respiratory
distress and failure, and death.
The toxins are measured by ppb,
between 2011 and 2013, average toxin
levels ranged from a low of 11 ppb in
May 2011 to a high of 90.3 ppb in May
2013, which is a slight drop in July 2012
going from 36.2 ppb to 29.1 ppb in July
2013
 When the lake exceeds 6 ppb a water
advisory is posted—minimize contact
with lake and avoid ingestion
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The State of Ohio confirmed seven lake
toxin-caused illnesses, and at least 21
illnesses were blamed on the lake's toxins in
2010, including a case in which an
individual was temporarily blinded. In
addition, countless fish, waterfowl, and pets
were sickened and killed by the lake's toxic
conditions.
 Strangulates the fish and other animals, puts
off rancid odors, creates putrid foam..
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Nutrient runoff from surrounding land, especially
phosphorous, that fuels the overproduction of
toxin-producing bacteria such as blue-green
algae. These toxins not only degrade water
quality, they can cause health complications in
humans and animals ranging from mild rashes and
sneezing to severe gastrointestinal distress and
convulsions, respiratory distress and failure,
paralysis, and death.
Elimination of natural banks from shoreline
development and erosion. Banks populated with
native flora act as natural filters for runoff nutrients
and help maintain lake stability and water quality.
Industrial and residential drainage piped
directly into the lake adds unfiltered
wastewater, nutrients, and chemicals to
the problem.
 Shallow lake depth that makes it easy for
winds to move water, stir up nutrient-rich
bottom sediment, and spread bluegreen algae rapidly.
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Chemical treatment to Grand Lake will reduce the
phosphorus that fuels toxic algal blooms. Using Alum
treatments
Sediment dredging will remove the phosphorus-rich
muck at the bottom of Grand Lake.
Beneficial use of organic waste. Phosphorus is a
valuable fertilizer that can be sold once extracted
from Grand Lake as well as from fields in the
watershed. They intends to develop a viable
economic package to attract private development
and investment in this area; revenues can be used to
further support the lake improvement
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Rough fish removal means removing those species
that take over more desirable species in a distressed
watershed. Removing rough fish reduces the
availability of phosphorus to algae and helps foster
the development of sport fish
HAB prevention. Seasonally altering the micronutrient
makeup of the lake water can encourage the
growth of diatoms that are beneficial to marine life,
which will in turn use resources necessary for toxic
algae growth before algal blooms can take hold
Aeration and circulation work to reduce algal
buoyancy and encourage aquatic plant growth beneficial plants that "steal" resources from algae
and act as natural sediment filters
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Treatment train establishment. A treatment
train consists of a stream bed load collector,
integrated with alum treatment, followed by a
constructed wetland to provide secondary
treatment, then through a restored wetland for
refinement, and finally to a biological filtration
and aeration system This means water
entering the lake from its tributaries is clean.
Water level management. Sediment and
phosphorus should quickly move in and out of
the lake, but Grand Lake’s shallow depth
prevents this from happening
There are three future scenarios:
#1- we do nothing or very little to restore
the lake and it dies… along with its wildlife
and our communities futures as well
 #2 - we help the lake until its good again
than stop caring, from this future
generations will have to go through the
same problem with improving the lake,
making the lake issue an unending process
 #3 - we fix the lake and keep caring about
it, to keep the toxins gone and the tourism
back
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http://www.lakeimprovement.com/sites/de
fault/files/edseries/history/history.html
http://www.lakeimprovement.com/sites/de
fault/files/edseries/issues/issues.html
http://www.lakeimprovement.com/sites/de
fault/files/edseries/economy/economy.html
http://www.lakeimprovement.com/sites/de
fault/files/edseries/solutions/solutions.html
http://www.lakeimprovement.com/sites/de
fault/files/edseries/future/future.html