Ohio Sea Grant releases 2024 summary of ODHE Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative

Ohio Sea Grant, on behalf of The Ohio State University, The University of Toledo and the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE), has released the 2024 research findings update for the statewide Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative (HABRI), which seeks solutions for harmful algal blooms in Ohio.

The initiative currently consists of 48 science teams working on different critical knowledge gaps identified by front-line state agencies that include the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Ohio Department of Agriculture, Ohio Department of Health, Ohio Lake Erie Commission and Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

The 2024 report highlights that the state of Ohio continues to benefit from the initiative:

• Researchers are working directly with water treatment plant operators to optimize removal of cyanotoxins.
• Several HABRI projects have helped the Ohio EPA understand the nature of how nutrients move from the working landscape to streams and, ultimately, Lake Erie. This allows us to better plan for and support nutrient reduction implementation actions.
• Researchers at Bowling Green State University and Ohio State are collaborating with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and local farmers on cutting-edge research on the beneficial use of Lake Erie dredge sediment as an agricultural soil amendment, evaluating its effects on soil health, nutrient retention and exports to waterways, crop yields, and its economic feasibility. This research is providing information for stakeholders on using dredge sediment as an alternative fertilizer source, returning sediment with optimal nutrient levels back to the land to restore soil loss by erosion and improve soil health.
• Research on ways water and nutrients move across the landscape has strengthened models that help Ohio evaluate Gov. Mike DeWine's H2Ohio Initiative and overall progress toward the state's nutrient reduction goal.
• HABRI 2022 research has demonstrated that blending 10% Drinking Water Treatment Material (DWTM) with manure will permanently bind 90% of the dissolved reactive phosphorus in manure. Based on the results of the research, the Ohio EPA is working with Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Ohio State University Extension to update the NRCS 590 standard to include blending manure with DWTM prior to land application to farm fields. This would stop the immediate phosphorus pollution of waters in the Lake Erie watershed. Adding two-stage ditches with or without DWTM will further reduce dissolved reactive phosphorus and soil erosion in the watershed.
• New information regarding nutrient loss pathways, as well as losses from nutrient application activities and losses from residual soil phosphorus, is helping the ODA adjust program practices and specifications to better address nutrient loss from row crop agriculture.
• The ODNR H2Ohio Wetland Restoration Program is building connections to the academic community to align research with management decisions related to optimizing and maintaining restored wetlands to enhance the capacity for nutrient reduction.

"So many HABRI research projects have informed us about the effectiveness of programs and projects included in Ohio's Domestic Action Plan and the H2Ohio best management practices being employed," said Ohio Lake Erie Commission Executive Director Joy Mulinex on behalf of ODNR, Ohio EPA and ODA.

HABRI is funded by the Ohio Department of Higher Education, with $24.5 million made available since 2015. Matching funding from participating Ohio universities increases the total investment to more than $37 million, demonstrating the state's overall commitment to addressing the harmful algal bloom issue.

Final results from 19 projects funded from 2021-2024 make up this year's report, in addition to one-year results of 12 projects funded in 2022. A new round of 17 projects were just awarded funding in 2024 and are highlighted by name in the 2024 report.

"In the nearly 10 years since we began funding this program, the collaboration of our campuses and state agencies, coupled with Gov. DeWine's leadership through the H2Ohio program, have made great strides in addressing water quality issues," said ODHE Chancellor Mike Duffey. "I know this work will continue to improve the quality of life in our state and I'm proud of the role our universities play in this effort."

HABRI comprises 114 expert research teams from Bowling Green State University, Case Western Reserve University, Central State University, Defiance College, Heidelberg University, Kent State University, Oberlin College, Sinclair Community College, The University of Akron, the University of Cincinnati, Miami University, Wright State University, Youngstown State University and consortium leaders the University of Toledo and Ohio State.

Information about HABRI projects, as well as partner organizations and background on the initiative, is also available on the Ohio Sea Grant website at go.osu.edu/habri. The report can be downloaded directly at http://ohioseagrant.osu.edu/p/k6g31

Ohio Sea Grant is supported by The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) School of Environment and Natural Resources, Ohio State University Extension, and NOAA Sea Grant, a network of 34 Sea Grant programs nationwide dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of marine and Great Lakes resources. Stone Laboratory is Ohio State's island campus on Lake Erie and is the research, education and outreach facility of Ohio Sea Grant and part of SENR.