 The Cleveland Plain Dealer John C. Kuehner State officials have proposed an 83-point plan to restore and protect Lake Erie. The plan, drafted by the Ohio Lake Erie Commission, recommends the state buy land for public use, control development and clean up all polluted riverbeds, harbors and adjacent contaminated dumps by 2025. The goal is to improve conditions in Lake Erie and the area it drains, which is primarily the northern third of Ohio. "It is ambitious, but we decided to take a realistic look at what needs to be done out there," said Jeff Busch, who heads the Ohio Lake Erie Commission, a state agency made up of six state government agencies with jurisdiction over the lake. "We see this plan as a blueprint for the future and a guide for each agency's efforts." As a way to make more of the lake accessible, the report recommends that the state make buying coastal land a priority. Just 39 miles of Lake Erie's 262-mile shoreline are accessible to the public for free or a fee, according to the report. But there are no long-term plans to create any lakefront parks in the Cleveland area by buying adjacent, developed small lots, said Scott Zody, a deputy director with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. "It's too costly to acquire already developed land," Zody said. Instead, the state will concentrate on finding larger, undeveloped tracts, primarily west of Lorain, which would provide public access to the shoreline and the lake for recreation. These probably would be linked to existing state-owned lands. Julie Letterhos, the Lake Erie program coordinator for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, estimated there were fewer than 100 contaminated sites that would need to be removed or sealed. The cleanup is aimed at reducing toxic contamination in the rivers and lake. The state wants to eliminate fish consumption advisories. Now the state warns the public about eating 11 fish species caught in the lake or its tributaries, Zody said. Another major push is aimed at reducing the amount of soil washing off farm fields, considered the most critical problem facing the lake, Busch said. Not only does runoff cloud the water, it also destroys fish and other wildlife habitat in lake tributaries. Other strategies in plan: Pass laws to improve home septic systems; remove dams on Lake Erie tributaries; expand tourism; and create model zoning laws for balanced, sustainable growth. Plans will be coordinated between commission members - the directors of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the departments of Natural Resources, Health, Agriculture, Transportation and Development. The commission will hold four meetings across northern Ohio starting July 31
to field public comments about the plan. The commission will
meet Aug. 1 in Ashtabula, 3325 W. 13th St., and Aug. 3 at the
Lake Erie Science & Nature Center, 28728 Wolf Rd., Bay Village.
Both meetings are from 6 to 9 p.m. "Over time, different states
have taken the initiative to develop such action plans," said
Michael J. Donahue, who heads the Great Lakes Commission, a
binational agency that represents the interests of the Great
Lake states and Canadian provinces. "This is clearly the most
recent and most ambitious plan of its kind. Back to Ohio state page
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