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This year marks the 10 year anniversary of the Toledo water crisis. On Aug. 2, 2014, wind and water currents pushed the algal bloom that was present in the western basin of Lake Erie, near Toledo, into the area where the Toledo water plant intake is located, causing the city to shut off the water supply to residents for two days.

Water quality and nutrient management have been a primary concern for farmers within the Western Lake Erie Basin long before 2014, but the events of that summer put extra emphasis on the work that needed to be done for healthy water for Toledo and beyond.

To highlight what farmers across the state have done on this front, here is a Top 10 list of Ohio water quality stories that shine a bright light on the progress Ohio’s agriculture community is making.

No. 10 – Diverse stakeholder group to benchmark nutrient management efforts and create farmer certification to improve water quality

A unique collaboration of stakeholders representing the agriculture, conservation, environmental, and research communities joined forces in 2019 to develop and deploy a statewide water quality initiative. This unprecedented partnership, now called the Ohio Agriculture Conservation Initiative, brings together diverse interests to establish a baseline understanding of current on-farm conservation and nutrient management efforts and to build farmer participation in a new certification program.

No. 9 – H2Ohio Works to Increase Nutrient Management Planning

A recent survey of Ohio farmers shows a wide adoption of agricultural best management practices and technology in the Sandusky watershed. More than 90% of farmers in the 2023 survey said they regularly take soil samples, and 85% were completed with precision ag methods like grid sampling.

No. 8 – H2Ohio is worth the investment, study says

A cost-benefit analysis conducted by Scioto Analysis found that the H2Ohio water quality initiative is returning about four times the amount spent on the program. According to the study, voluntary nutrient management plans and other practices paid for through the program at the time had only cost around $700,000, but with the phosphorus that is expected to be removed, the end result was going to be about $3 million worth of benefits.

No. 7 – Ohio farmers accept being part of the algal bloom problem, but intend on being part of the solution

Currently, 2600 producers have enrolled in the H2Ohio program, covering 1.8 million farm acres. Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Brian Baldridge and northwest Ohio farmer Keith Truckor share what farmers are doing through H2Ohio for the betterment of Lake Erie water quality.

No. 6 – Part of the water quality solution in Mercer County

Much like the water quality challenges being seen in the Western Lake Erie Basin, Grand Lake St. Marys, located in Mercer County, has historically been prone to algal blooms. The practices implemented by farmers in the region have made an impact, according to new research.

No. 5 – Ohio Agriculture Conservation Initiative Releases first Assessment Survey Report

In 2022, the Ohio Agriculture Conservation Initiative hosted a panel discussion on the findings of its initial Assessment Survey Report on practices being used by farmers in the Lower Maumee watershed to manage water and nutrients. The assessment results show ample conservation efforts, as well as areas for improvement and continued farmer education and resourcing by OACI.

No. 4 – DeWine announces statewide open enrollment for H2Ohio Agricultural Incentive Program

In 2024, Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Brian Baldridge announced that H2Ohio’s agriculture incentive program is now being offered to producers throughout the state. H2Ohio’s agricultural program, which initially focused solely on farms located in northwest Ohio near Lake Erie, incentivizes farmers to implement science-based, proven best management practices to prevent nutrient runoff and improve water quality.

No. 3 – Farmers changing course of water quality in Lake Erie

Despite what you might hear in the media, when it comes to water quality challenges in Lake Erie, farmers in northwest Ohio are doing their part and more by conserving their soil on the farm and, in the process, protecting the water for everyone downstream. Learn about the best management efforts being done for water quality and hear from a Lake Erie charter captain about what he is seeing on the lake, firsthand, when it comes to algal blooms and the fishing industry.

No. 2 – Study shows Ohio’s largest rivers improving in water quality

Ohio EPA launched its first-ever comprehensive large rivers study beginning in 2020 to measure changes in water quality since the 1980s and to identify any current issues impacting water health. The study found that water quality has improved tremendously over the years, with 86% of the state’s large rivers in good to excellent condition compared to just 18% in the 1980s.

No. 1 – Too much progress on water quality to ignore

Adam Sharp, Ohio Farm Bureau executive vice president, sent the following letter to the editor to The Toledo Blade in response to The Blade Editorial Board’s opinion piece, “Plan to protect Lake Erie needs teeth.” The Blade published Sharp’s response July 31, 2022.