By B.J. BETHEL
Assistant Managing Editor
CELINA – The Lake Development Corporation’s annual Legislative Day on the Lake was an opportunity for the group to issue challenges to state and local officials on ways they can contribute to the clean up of Grand Lake St. Marys. A local legislator used it as an opportunity to challenge the state on promised help.

State Senator Keith Faber said the Ohio Department of Natural Resources should deliver on $450,000 in rip rap to be used for shoreline protection in the lake. The money was allocated in the state budget six years ago but still hasn’t been implemented.
“No offense to Director (Sean) Logan and his great staff, but we need to cut through the red tape and get it done,” Faber said.
Faber voiced displeasure with the “bureaucracy” that was holding up the process. Logan, who spoke at the end of the meeting to the audience, didn’t mention Faber’s comments or the money allocated for the rip rap in his remarks.
The event, which was emceed by LDC Vice President Frank C. Murray, focused on assignments given to different groups. The assignments, based off the Grand Lake Wabash Watershed Alliance’s watershed action plan, state and local entities and what activities they could participate in that could help improve water quality in the lake. Assignments ranged from education on water quality and environmental protection to participation in federal programs like CRP and CREP to lawn fertilizing and septic systems.
The most prevalent problem in the lake is the abundance of blue-green algae. Dr. Robert Hiskey of the Wright State Lake Campus presented the subject to the audience and educated the audience on specific problems with the algae.
“The are obnoxious for a number of reasons,” Hiskey said. “On calm days, they come to the surface.”
The algae problem in Grand Lake St. Marys is severe. Most lakes experience algae bloom in the midsummer, but it’s so prevalent in Grand Lake St. Marys that it starts blooming in the spring and can be found in the lake during the winter time.
Hiskey discussed the sediment and nutrients that are dumped in the lake from the outside, but said that wasn’t the only problem.
“A clear comprehensive plan to prevent external nutrients is needed, but it is more complicated than just external,” Hiskey said.
Problems with the lake’s internal loading are also occurring. The shallow nature of the lake, which was built as a canal feeder in the 1800s, is a contributing factor. Wave action and soil erosion are also playing major parts.
Hiskey said fixing external loading would help fix other problems in the lake
“If we decrease the external loading, the internal will slowly decrease. The only way it will be worse is if we do nothing,” Hiskey said.
Legislative Day on the Lake has been an annual occurrence for over 20 years. This year’s event featured local officials Jim Dabbelt, President of the LDC, Grand Lake St. Marys State Park manager Craig Morton and watershed coordinator Laura Walker.
Four division chiefs from the ODNR were at the event, including Pam Dillon from Watercraft, Dave Graham from Wildlife, David Hanselman of Soil and Water and Dan West of Parks. State Representatives John Adams and Jim Zheringer also spoke.