TOLEDO, Ohio - The Memorial Day weekend could serve as a barometer for Lake Erie businesses, now operating during an unprecedented public health crisis.

Safety restrictions enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the start of tourism season on the lake by about six weeks. Fishing charters were given clearance to run on May 12, and must operate under new safety protocols.

Vice President of the Lake Erie Charter Boat Association Dave Spangler says there's no way to make up for the lost time.

"This is going to be a very, very lean year, but we're ready to get people out," says Spangler. "The Walleye fishing is, right now, the best it's ever been in the lake, ever. That's the real catch to everything else here, because it's just been fantastic."

Director of the Put-in-Bay Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau Peter Huston says this is the first weekend that the majority of retail, restaurant and lodging businesses on the island can open.

"Between the cleaning and the masks, and the social distancing and all the other guidelines, all of the businesses here are fully embracing that new guideline, and that you feel comfortable to come and visit," says Huston.

Some Lake Erie tourism organizations are projecting at least a 40% drop in travel-related spending compared to last year. Spangler says there is some concern about bookings for the remainder of the season.

"We've had people that have cancelled trips that they previously had set up for one of two reasons," says Spangler. "They're not comfortable to go and do this, that's just a personal thing. And then of course, the other thing is, a lot of folks don't have the money right now."

While things will be a little different this year, Huston adds that Lake Erie businesses and their workers are still hopeful for a good season.

"We employ a lot of people, and we provide a lot of income during the summertime," says Huston. "And so, it's not going to be the summer that you remember. It's going to be a lower impact, there's going to be less employees."

According to the Lake Erie Foundation, in the eight counties that border the lake, tourism-related spending topped $15 billion as of 2017, supporting more than 127,000 jobs.


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There are nearly 150,000 miles of rivers and streams in South Dakota, but new data show many of those don't meet state standards for safe water quality.

According to the state's 2024 surface water quality report, nearly 80% of waters studied don't meet the quality requirements for their intended uses, including recreation and aquatic life. The primary contaminants are E. Coli and Total Suspended Solids, which make rivers run brown. The report says some of the culprits are river bank erosion, runoff from large farm operations and sewage overflows.

Travis Entenman, managing director with Friends of the Big Sioux River, said those can pose human health risks through drinking water.

"When there's excess nutrients in the water, it takes more cost, energy, equipment, time, money that goes into cleaning our water before we can drink it," he explained.

Much of the contamination comes from nonpoint sources, meaning it accumulates from many small inputs, which are hard to regulate. Instead, the state offers incentives for voluntary action by landowners to prevent runoff, but Entenman said there's more interest in those incentive programs than there is funding available.

Entenman expects that to change as the Natural Resources Conservation Service, which provides technical assistance to landowners, gets funding from the Inflation Reduction Act. Projects that can improve water quality include riparian buffers, waste management systems for livestock operators and alternative practices for row-crop growers. Entenman hopes to see many people get involved.

"When a river or lake becomes impaired, it's kind of like a death by a thousand cuts," he added. "So, if you're doing the right thing, but your upstream neighbor isn't, it's not going to solve the larger issue."


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The Blackwater River, which flows more than 30 miles through West Virginia's Allegheny Mountains, ranks among the top 10 most endangered rivers in the nation, according to a new report.

The river is threatened by a proposed four-lane highway construction project which would cross all of its headwater streams.

Judy Rodd, executive director of the group Friends of Blackwater, said Corridor H would involve building a bridge in an area honeycombed with old mines and explains the construction could compromise decades-old work to actively treat the water in the North Fork of the Blackwater impacted by acid mine drainage.

She is worried the highway could be a major environmental setback for the region.

"We expect in the next year to really clean up this river and bring back a trout fishery that used to be there," Rodd explained. "However, if they start building this bridge, they could be opening up old coal mines, old tunnels, which are filled with acid pollution."

Rodd noted a draft environmental impact review of the proposed project, required under federal rules, is expected to be released in the coming months.

Small businesses and the local outdoor recreation economy depend on the scenic views and wilderness surrounding the towns of Thomas and Davis. Rodd argued a four-lane highway, with accompanying construction, light and noise pollution, would drastically alter the landscape.

"It's tranquil, it's dramatic," Rodd observed. "You got bald eagles soaring overhead, you got rushing water, you got fishermen in the Blackwater Falls State Park area."

Olivia Miller, program director for the Highlands Conservancy, said the highway could be rerouted to avoid the Blackwater Falls area, and pointed to an online petition which will allow concerned residents to voice their support for a Northern route to the Federal Highway Administration.

"Right now, we are asking folks to go to the American Rivers website and fill out the action alert to send a letter to highway officials," Miller stressed.

The Blackwater River is home to the endangered Cheat Mountain salamander, eastern brook trout and many other native species.

A new, high-tech wastewater treatment incinerator, used in only a few states, is on the wish list for one Michigan city.

Former state Representative - now Mayor of Warren - Lori Stone is asking her former colleagues in the Environment, Great Lakes and Energy Subcommittee for up to $100 million to upgrade her city's wastewater treatment system.

Warren's current plant was built in 1957 and serves over 137,000 residents. The new incinerator would oxidize organic matter contained in the sludge.

Warren Wastewater Treatment Plant Director Donna Dordeski said the old system is failing.

"One of the hearths of the furnace collapsed and failed, and we couldn't use it any longer until repairs had been completed," said Dordeski. "So, from the beginning - and all the waiting, getting the contractors and repairs completed - it took four months."

Dordeski said they're approaching the final steps of getting permits for the project. And they're still seeking funds, at the state and federal levels - including infrastructure grants that may be available.

The city has around 500 miles of sanitary sewer pipes to ensure its wastewater is treated and disposed of properly. Dordeski said when the current system breaks down, it affects local residents. Trucks have to pick up and carry sludge back and forth through their neighborhoods to nearby landfills.

"That's a 24-hour operation," said Dordeski. "We usually have several trucks. Its a continuous process, five days a week, where we process the sludge and those trucks have to be nearby, available, be loaded, exchanged for a new one. So, that's what has to happen when our incinerator is not operational."

Michigan has 95 wastewater treatment plants.

Warren's mayor believes if the new incinerator is approved, the city will have the opportunity to be the proving ground as a pilot program for this technology.




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