905R83104
                             Clear Technical Report No. 279
ifi^im9^':''        Lake  Erie Water
 Quality 1970-1982 Management Assessment
                             Prepared by
                             Charles E. Herdendorf
                             Lake Erie Technical Assessment Team
 Prepared for
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
            Great Lakes National Program Office
              Region V - Chicago, Illinois
            Project Officer  David C. Rockwell
               Grant No. R005516001
77 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, IL 60604-3590
                                     The Ohio State University
                                  Center for Lake Erie Area Resea
                                       Columbus, Ohio

                                         June  1983   *

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                                   PREFACE
     take Erie has experienced several  decades of accelerated eutrophication  and
toxic ^substances contamination.  During the latter part of the 1960s remedial actions
were fanned and by the latter part of the 1970s, many of the plans were at least
partially implemented.  The first signs  of lake recovery  are now  being observed
through comprehensive monitoring programs. The intent of this report is to highlight
the findings  and  conclusions of the 1978-1979  Lake Erie Intensive Study by placing
them in perspective with earlier investigations  and subsequent  monitoring  data from
1980 to  1982, where  available.   The primary  purpose  of  this report is to provide
management information in the form of a review of the lake's status and its trends and
in the form of recommendations to ensure continued improvements in the quality of its
waters and biota.   For more detailed discussions of the methods,  quality assurance
procedures, and results of the study, the reader is referred to the final project report
of the Lake  Erie Technical Team,  "Lake  Erie  Intensive Study  1978-1979 — Final
Report," edited by David E. Rathke.

     I would like to acknowledge  the excellent cooperation of the many investigators
who  participated  in  the  Lake  Erie  Intensive Study  and  thank them  for  their
contributions in the form of reports, data and helpful suggestions.  I am particularly
grateful for the assistance of Laura Fay, David Rathke, Gary  Arico, Yu-Chang Wu,
Cyndi Busic and Ginger-lyn Summer in the preparation of this report.
                                       Charles E. Herdendorf, Chairman
                                       Lake Erie Technical Assessment Team


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                             TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prgface                                                             -        i
Introduction                                                                 1
Physical Characteristics of Lake Erie                                          3
     Basin Descriptions                                                      3
         Western Basin                                                      3
         Central Basin                                                      7
         Eastern Basin                                                      7
     Hydrology                                                              8
     Circulation                                                             9
Lake Erie Intensive Study                                                     11
     Organization of Data Collection and Analysis                              11
     Technical Assessment Team  Participants                                 24
     Study Limitations                                                       25
         Implementation of Study Plan                                        25
         Data Gaps                                                         26
         Data Compatability                                                 27
Conclusions                                                                 28
     Lake  Enrichment                                                       28
         Lake Levels                                                        28
         Thermal Structure                                                  29
         Dissolved Oxygen                                                   M
         Clarity                                                            50
         Dissolved Substances                                                56
         Nutrients                                                          61
         Chlorophyll and Algal Biomass                                       82
  ;-      Open Lake and Nearshore Trends                                     93
  -T  Toxic Substances                                               -.-       96
  t' Public Health                                                   >:      100
     Land  Use Activities                                             ~_      102
                                    -11-

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  -   Lake Response to Remedial Actions                             -1-
 =--      Nature of Remedial Actions                                -        105
 —      Positive Responses                                                106
             Lake Levels                                                  107
             Dissolved Substances                                          107
             Phosphorus Loading                                            107
             Phosphorus Concentrations                                     108
             Hypolimnion Oxygen                                           108
             Toxic Metals and Organic Compounds                           109
             Algal Density and Composition                                 109
             Benthic Communities                                          110
             Fishery                                                      111
             Bathing Beaches                                              111
         Continuing and Emerging Problems                                  111
Recommendations                                                          117
     Surveillance  117
     Remedial Actions                                                      119
     Evaluation                                                            119
     Special Studies                                                        120

References                                                                121

Appendix
     A. Lake Erie Intensive Study Reports Prepared by the Lake Erie
         Assessment Team                                                 125
     B. Lake Erie Intensive Study Reports Contributed to the Lake Erie
         Technical Assessment Team                                        127
 "--   C.  Reports Received by the Lake Erie Technical Assessment Tearrt
 --—                                                               %,-
         As Source Documents for the Management Report            >        133
                                   -iii-

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                               LIST OF FIGURES
                                                                          Page

 \r   Lake Erie Bathymetry (Depth in Meters)                         -;        4
 27.  Lake Erie Nearshore Reaches and Main  Lake Basins                        5
 3.   Lake Erie Intensive Study Station Plan                                   21
 4.   Lake Erie Intensive Study Cruise Schedule                                22
 5.   Lake Erie Hypolimnion Thickness — Central Basin                         33
 6.   Lake Erie Hypolimnion Temperature -- Central Basin                      38
 7.   Lake Erie Hypolimnion Dissolved Oxygen — Central Basin                  39
 8.   Lake Erie Hypolimnion — Mean Annual Trends in Thickness and
     Area for Central Basin (1970-1982)                                      40
 9.   Lake Erie Hypolimnion — Mean Annual Trends in Temperature
     and Dissolved Oxygen  for Central Basin (1970-1982)                       41
10.   Lake Erie Thermal Structure — Mean Annual  Trend in Limnion
     Thicknesses for Central Basin (1970-1982)                                43
11.   Distribution of Dissolved Oxygen in Lake Erie — Central
     Basin Hypolimnion (1981)                                               45
12.   Lake Erie Hypolimnion Oxygen Demand — Central Basin                  49
13.   Lake Erie Hypolimnion Oxygen Demand — Seasonal Depletion
     Rates for Central Basin (1970-1982)                                     51
14.   Distribution of Anoxia in Lake Erie (1930-1982)                           52
15.   Lake Erie Hypolimnion — Area of Anoxia for  Central Basin
     (1930-1982)                                                           54
16.   Lake Erie Summer Secchi Disk Transparency — Western Basin              57
17.   Lake Erie Summer Secchi Disk Transparency — Central Basin              58
18.   Lake Erie Specific Conductance — Central Basin                          59
19.   Distribution of Major Dissolved Solids in Lake Erie                        60
20,   Trends in Lake Erie Specific Conductance and Chloride
  ;."  Concentration — Central Basin                                          62
2L»-  Lake Erie Total Phosphorus Concentration — Western Basin        V       64
22.   Lake Erie Total Phosphorus Concentration — Central Basin        5       65
23.   Lake Erie Total Phosphorus Concentration — Eastern Basin        ;-       66
                                   -xv-

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                                                                           Paee
24?  Distribution Total Phosphorus in Lake Erie — Western Basin        _—       68
25C  Distribution Total Phosphorus in Lake Erie — Central and          ':
  '-_  Eastern Basins                                                           69
26.  Mean Nearshore Concentration of Phosphorus in Lake Erie
     (1978-1979)                                                             72
27.  Comparison of Total Phosphorus Loading Estimates to Lake Erie            73
28.  Comparison of Detroit River Total Phosphorus Loading
     Estimates to Lake Erie                                                   74
29.  Lake Erie Total  Phosphorus Concentration — Early Summer
     Epilimnion for Central Basin                                             75
30.  Phosphorus Quantities in Lake Erie — Central Basin                        76
31.  Lake Erie Total  Phosphorus Concentration — Western
     Basin Ontario Nearshore Trend                                           77
32.  Lake Erie Nitrate + Nitrite Concentration — Western Basin                 80
33.  Lake Erie Nitrate + Nitrite Concentration — Central Basin                 81
34.  Lake Erie Chlorophyll a Concentration -- Western Basin                    84
35.  Lake Erie Chlorophyll a Concentration — Central Basin                    85
36.  Lake Erie Chlorophyll a Concentration — Eastern Basin                    86
37.  Distribution of Chlorophyll a in Lake Erie — Western Basin                 87
38.  Distribution of Chlorophyll a in Lake Erie — Central and
     Eastern Basins                                                           88
39.  Mean Nearshore Concentration of Chlorophyll a in Lake Erie
     (1978-1979)                                                             90
40.  Chlorophyll a Quantities in Lake Erie — Central Basin                     91
41.  Comparison of Mercury Concentration in Lake Erie Sediments
     for 1970 and 1979                                                       97
                                    -v-

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                               LIST OF TABLES
 k_   Morphometry of Lake Erie Basins                                '         6
 i^   Organizations Participating inthe Lake Erie Intensive Study                12
 3.   Major Components of the Lake Erie Intensive Study                       16
 4.   Parameters Measured for the Lake Erie Intensive Study                    19
 5.   Lake Erie Central Basin Thermal Structure                               30
 6.   Lake Erie Central Basin Hypolimnion Area                               31
 7.   Lake Erie Central Basin Hypolimnion Thickness, Temperature
     and Dissolved Oxygen                                                   34
 8.   Lake Erie Central Basin Hypolimnion Characteristics                      35
 9.   Annual Mean Trends in  Lake Erie Central  Basin Hypolimnion
     Characteristics (1970-1982)                                             37
10.   Lake Erie Central Basin Hypolimnetic Oxygen Demand                    47
11.   Trends in Net Oxygen Demand of the Central and Eastern
     Basin Hypolimnions of Lake Erie (1930-1982)                              48
12.   Estimated Area of the Anoxic Hypolimnion of the Central
     Basin of Lake Erie (1930-1982)                                          53
13.   Lake Erie Summer Secchi Disk Transparency                              55
14.   Lake Erie Total Phosphorus Concentrations                               63
15.   Estimates of Total Phosphorus Loading to  Lake Erie                       70
16.   Lake Erie Nitrate + Nitrite Concentrations                               79
17.   Lake Erie Chlorophyll a Concentrations                                  83
18.   Violations of Lake Erie Water Quality Objectives                        113
                                   -vi-

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                                INTRODUCTION
 r  Lake Erie, as one of the Great Lakes of North America, represents a significant
source of fresh surface  water for the people  of Canada and the United States.  In
recognition of the importance of this resource and the need to restore and maintain its
water quality,  the Canadian and United  States  governments entered into the Great
Lakes Water Quality Agreement in  1972.  The Agreement was reaffirmed in 1978 and
stipulated  further  actions  to  enhance  water  quality  in  the Great  Lakes  Basin
ecosystem.

     Both governments  mandated  the International 3oint Commission (DC) for the
task of coordinating the implementation of the Agreement. Recognizing the need for
a uniform surveillance effort  by both parties of the agreements and the cooperating
state and provincial jurisdictions,  the IJC formed and directed the Water Quality
Board to develop an international surveillance plan.  Work groups were established for
each lake, with the responsibility for developing detailed plans.

     The Lake Erie Work Group prepared a nine-year surveillance plan in 1977, which
was designed to provide an understanding of the overall,  long-range responses of the
lake to pollution abatement efforts.  This plan was eventually incorporated as part of
the Great Lakes International  Surveillance Plan (GLISP) developed by the  Surveillance
Subcommittee of the Water Quality Board.  The general objectives established for this
plan included:

     1.   To search  for, monitor, and quantify violations of the existing Agreement
          objectives  (general  and specific), the I3C recommended objectives,  and
-'-         jurisdictional standards, criteria and objectives.   Quantification will be in
j-         terms of severity, areal or volume extent, frequency,  and duration, and will
~^~        include sources.                                           V

     2.   To monitor local and whole  lake response to abatement measures and to
          identify emerging problems.
                                      -1-

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     3.   To determine the cause-effect relationship between water quality and inputs
          in  order  to  develop  appropriate   remedial/preventative  ^actions  and
          predictions  of  the  rate and  extent  of local/whole  lake  'responses  to
 r~        alternative abatement proposals.                             ~-

Within the context of  these general objectives and considering the key  issues specific
to Lake Erie, the surveillance plan for Lake Erie additionally focused on:

     1.   Determining the  long-term  trophic state  of  the  lake  and  to what degree
          remedial measures have affected improvements.

     2.   Assessing the presence, distribution, and impact of toxic substances.

     3.   Providing information  to indicate the requirements for  and direction  of
          additional remedial programs, if necessary, to  protect water uses.

     The Lake Erie plan called for a two-year Intensive Study of  main lake, nearshore
and tributary conditions  (1978 and  1979),  followed by  seven years  of  main  lake
monitoring (1980-1986), and  then a  repeat of the nine-year cycle.   The overall
objective of the Intensive Study was to provide information  for a detailed assessment
of inputs to the lake and the  current condition of  the lake.  The intensive  study was
also designed to identify emerging problem areas, to detect changes  in water quality
on a broad geographic  basis, and to provide information necessary for trend analyses.
The study  plan considered the seasonal nature of  tributary inputs,  lake circulation
patterns,  and  nearshore-offshore gradients.  The plan stressed linkages between the
various components of the study in order to permit an adequate "whole lake" water
quality assessment.

 -'-   The following report  highlights  the findings and  conclusions of the  1978-1979
Intensive Study.  These results are placed in perspective with earlier investigations,
particularly those  since Project  Hypo in  1970, and subsequent monitoring programs
through 1982.                                                        "5
                                       -2-

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                 PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF LAKE ERIE
Basin Descriptions                                                   ":
  —   Lake Erie is one of the largest lakes in the world, ranking thirteenth by area and
eighteenth by volume (Herdendorf  1982).  It is the southernmost  of  the  Laurentian
Great  Lakes,  lying between 41°21'N and 42°50'N latitude  and 7S°50'W and 83°30'W
longitude.  The lake is narrow and relatively shallow for a lake^its size (Figure 1), with
its longitudinal axis oriented east-northeast.  Lake Erie is approximately 388 km long
and 92 km wide, with a mean depth of 19  m and a maximum sounding of 64 m. The
                                    2                     3
lake has a surface area  of  25,657  km , a volume of  484 km , a shoreline length  of
1,380 km, and a surface elevation of 174 m above mean sea level.

      Lake Erie can be naturally divided, on the basis of bathymetry, into three basins:
western, central and eastern (Figure 2).  The major morphometric dimensions of each
basin and the entire lake are given in Table  1.

      Western Basin.  The western basin, lying west of a line from the tip of Pelee
Point, Ontario, to Cedar Point, Ohio,  is the smallest and  the shallowest with most of
the bottom at depths between 7 and 10 meters.  In contrast with the other two basins,
a number of bedrock islands and shoals are situated in the western basin and form a
partial  divide between it and  the  central  basin.  Topographically,  the bottom is
monotonously flat, except for the sharply rising islands and shoals in the central  and
eastern parts. The maximum depths in the basin are found in the interisland channels.
The deepest sounding, 19 meters, was made in a small depression north of Starve Island
Reef; south of Gull Island Shoal, in  another depression, a  depth of 16 meters has been
recorded. Elsewhere in the basin these depths are not approached.

 :1    The waters of the western basin are more turbid than the other basins because of
large sediment loads from the Detroit, Maumee and  Portage rivers, wav? resuspension
of silts and clays  from the bottom, and high algal  productivity.  The ^Detroit River
accounts for  over 90 percent of the flow of water  into  Lake  Erie Snd therefore
controls the  circulation  patterns  in the  western  part of  the basinT   Its inflow
                                      -3-

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            TABLE 1



MORPHOMETRY OF LAKE ERIE BASINS
Dimension
Maximum Length (km)
Maximum Breadth (km)
Maximum Depth (m)
Mean Depth (m)
Area (km2) 3
q
Volume (km )
Shoreline Length (km)
Percent of Area (%}
Percent of Volume (%)
Percent of Shoreline (%}
Development of Volume (ratio)
Development of Shoreline (ratio)
Water Storage Capacity (days)
2
Drainage Basin Land (km )
Mean Elevation (m)
Highest Monthly Mean Elevation (m)
Lowest Monthly Mean Elevation (m)
Mean Outflow (m/sec)
Highest Mean Monthly Outflow (m/sec)
Lowest Mean Monthly Outflow (m/sec)
Western
Basin
80
64
18.9
7.4
,284 16
25
438
12.8
5.1
31.7
1.2
2.3
51
--
—
—
--
—
—
Central
Basin
212
92
25.6
18.5
,138
305
512
62.9
63.0
37.1
2.2
1.3
635
--
—
—
--
--
—
Eastern
Basin
186
76
64.0
24.4
6,235
154
430
24.3
31.9
31.2
1.1
1.7
322
--
—
—
—
--
—
Entire
Lake
388
92
64.0
18.5
25,657
484
1,380
100
100
100
0.9
2.1
1,008
58,800
173.86
174.58
172.97
5,730
7,190
3,280
             -6-

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penetrates far southward into the basin, retarding the dispersion of the sediment-laden
Maumee River and the Michigan shore streams which results in high concentrations of
contaminants along the western shore.                                 ~-

  -'  The  water of the western basin is normally isothermal from top to; bottom.  Its
shSllowness  precludes the formation  of a permanent thermocline except in the deep
holes.  Occasionally during calm periods in the summer, the water stratifies thermally
leading to rapid oxygen depletion near the lake bottom.

     Central Basin.  The central  basin is divided from the western basin by the island
chain and  from the eastern basin  by a relatively shallow sand and gravel bar  between
Erie, Pennsylania, and Long Point, Ontario.  The central basin has an average depth of
19 meters and a maximum depth  of 26 meters.   Except for the rising slopes of a
morainic bar extending south-southeastward from Pelee Point, Ontario, the bottom of
the central basin is extremely flat.  This bar forms a depression in the bottom  between
it and  the islands, known as the Sandusky sub-basin (Figure 2).  This sub-basin has an
                             2
area of approximately 1,350 km  and a maximum depth of 16 m.

     Although  the  central basin receives  over 95 percent of its  inflow from the
western basin, the water is considerably less turbid and less biologically productive.
Drainage from the western basin and inflow from the Sandusky River and other Ohio
tributaries are concentrated in the Sandusky sub-basin and along the south shore where
biological  productivity and contaminants are the highest.

     Water  temperatures in the central basin are isothermal from fall to late spring;
thermal stratification normally occurs below 15 meters from 3une  until September.
During the later part of the stratified period  the thin hypolimnion may lose all of its
dissolved oxygen.

 '--   Eastern  Basin.  The  eastern  basin is  relatively  deep  and  bowl-shaped.   A
c.dnsiderable area lies below 35 meters and  the deepest sounding,  6^ meters, is found
east-southeast of Long Point, Ontario.  This basin is separated from theVcentral basin
by a glacially deposited bar which extends from the base of Long Point 6n the Ontario
shore to Presque Isle at  Erie, Pennsylvania.  The bar contains a notch," 4:nown as the
                                    -7-

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Pennsylvania channel, which  reaches a  depth of over  20  meters and  provides  a
subsurface connection for water circulation in both directions between the two basins.

 ,-   The eastern basin receives over 95 percent of its water  supply  from  the central
basin, but in general it is less turbid and is the least biologically productive of all three
basins.  However, productivity is substantial along the south shore and near the mouth
of the Grand River on the north shore.

     The temperature structure of the eastern basin is similar to that of the deeper
Great Lakes.  It rarely freezes over (the western basin  typically freezes over  each
winter and the central basin occasionally freezes from shore  to shore), but it is often
covered  by  drift ice  from the other  basins.   The summer thermocline  is thick,
approximately 10 meters, and persists from early summer to November.  The depth of
the basin provides for a hypolimnion in excess of 40 meters in  thickness.  Although the
dissolved  oxygen content in the hypolimnion declines in  the  summer, it  rarely drops
below 50 percent of saturation.

Hydrology
     Approximately 90  percent of  the total  inflow to  Lake Erie  comes from the
Detroit  River,  the  drainage outlet  for Lake  Huron.   The average annual inflow  a
                                                                           2
measured by the U.S. Lake Survey near the head of the Detroit River is 5,150 m  /sec,
                                —.•
equivalent to 6.4 meters of waterfomLake Erie. Surface runoff from the drainage area
enters the lake  via many smaller  tributary rivers or by direct runoff from the shore
areas.  Average annual^funoff is estimated at 580 m /sec, equivalent to 0.7 meters of
water over  the  lake's surface.  The outflow from Lake  Erie is through the Niagara
River at Buffalo and the Welland Canal diversion at Port Colborne. Combined outflow
avera
Erie.
averages about 5,730 m  /sec annually, equivalent to 7.1 meters of water over Lake
 :--   The  average annual rainfall in the Lake Erie  Basin  is about 90 cm and ranges
between 80 and 93 cm. The total land area which drains into Lake Erie, Deluding that
above the mouth of the Detroit River, is only about  three times the are^ of the water
surface of the lake.   The large expanse  of water affords a great opportunity for
evaporation, and the amount of  water which has been lost is estimated to be between
                                   -8-

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85 and 91 cm.  This amount of evaporation is approximately equivalent to the average
annual rainfall over the lake. During dry periods more water may be evaporated from
the lake than flows into it from all of its tributaries. Under these conditions Lake Erie
delivers into the Niagara River a smaller quantity of water than it receives from the
Detroit River.                                                       --

Circulation
     Water movement in  the  western basin  of Lake Erie is  strongly influenced by
Detroit River flow. This inflow is composed of three distinct water masses.  The mid-
channel flow predominates and  is characterized by 1)  lower  temperature, 2) lower
specific conductance,  3) greener color and higher  transparency, 4) lower phosphorus
concentration, 5) higher dissolved-oxygen content, 6) lower chloride-ion concentration,
and 7) lower turbidity than the flows  on  the  east  and west sides of the river.   The
midchannel flow  penetrates deeply into the western basin where it mixes with other
masses and eventually flows into the  central  basin through Pelee Passage  and to a
lesser extent through  South Passage.  The side flows generally cling to the shoreline
and recycle in large eddy currents.

     In  the  central  basin, the prevailing  southwest   winds are  parallel  to  the
longitudinal axis  of the lake.   Because of the earth's rotation these  winds generate
currents  which  cause a geostrophic transport of water toward the United States shore.
This convergence of water on the south shore  results in  a rise in lake level which is
equalized by sinking of water  along this  shore.  At the  same time the lake level is
lowered along the Canadian shore as surface currents move  the water offshore.  The
sinking along the south shore appears to be compensated  by a subsurface movement of
water toward the north and an upwelling along the Ontario shore.

     The thermocline is approximately 10 meters shallower  adjacent to the north
shore than on the south side of the  lake; this can be  interpreted  as an upwelling
influenced by the prevailing southwest  winds (Herdendorf 1970). The resultant surface
currents  indicate a net eastward movement, while subsurface  readings show a slight
net westward movement.  This  can be explained by the cycle of 1) surface transport of
water toward the southeast, 2) sinking of  water off  the south shore, *3) subsurface
transport  toward the north-northwest,  and  4)  upwelling  adjacent to the-north  shore.
                                    -9-

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The  pattern of this type of circulation would  be  analogous to coils  of a  spring that
tapers toward the eastern end of the lake.

   ~_  The  formation of  a deep thermocline in  the southern half of the central basin
results in a relatively thin hypolimnion which is highly susceptible to oxygen depletion
bylediments with high  oxygen demands.  These circumstances result in the presence
of anoxic bottom water  particularly in the southwestern part of the basin.

     The  bottom deposits of the northern part of  the central  basin are predominantly
glacial till and do not have the high oxygen demands of the clay muds in the southern
half  of the basin. This fact, coupled with a thicker hypolimnion off the northern shore
and entrainment of eastern basin water flowing westward  through the  Pennsylvania
channel, apparently accounts for the more abundant dissolved oxygen at the bottom.

     In the eastern basin the thermocline over the "deep hole" commonly forms at a
depth of  I**  meters,  allowing a considerably thicker  hypolimnion (^0 meters) than in
the central basin. In general, midlake water in the central and eastern basins of Lake
Erie, lakeward  of a  narrow band of shore-influenced water,  is relatively uniform in
quality. Some variation in the concentration of dissolved substances occurs between
the epilimnion and hypolimnion waters  in these basins and is probably caused by the
high  oxygen demand and the  regeneration of  nutrients from the sediments.  Most
dissolved solids showed a marked increase from Lake St. Clair to the Niagara River as
they pass through Lake Erie.
                                    -10-

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                         LAKE ERIE INTENSIVE STUDY
Organization of Data Collection and Analysis                           -:
  :  Field investigations for the Intensive Study were initiated in January 1978 under
the auspices of the I3C.  Approximately 25 organizations collected data relevant to
the effort (Table 2).  Most  components of the plan were  implemented on schedule as
the environmental protection,  natural resource management, and scientific research
communities of  the Great  Lakes region embarked on the two-year study (Table 3).
Planning and implementation of the study was coordinated by the Lake Erie Work
Group   of   the   Surveillance   Subcommittee.    This  subcommittee   served  the
Implementation Committee of the IJC Great Lakes Water Quality Board.  The Lake
Erie Work  Group was charged with the  responsibility of monitoring the progress of
field investigations and preparation of reports  which analyze the results  of these
studies, and the production of a comprehensive assessment of the current  status of
Lake Erie.

     The  methods for data collection and sample analysis are outlined in  the Lake
Erie Surveillance Plan prepared  by  the Lake Erie  Work Group (Winklhofer  1978).
Specific methods employed for  the  Intensive Study  are  contained in the numerous
reports submitted by study participants (Appendix A,  B and C).  Of major importance
were  the  methods used for the  main  lake  and nearshore components; since  six
organizations were responsible for these components encompassing the  entire  water
mass of the lake, data compatability was essential:

     Main Lake
     1.  USEPA, Great Lakes National Program Office (USEPA/GLNPO)

 --  2.  National  Water  Research  Institute,  Canada   Centre  for  Inland  Water
 :"      (NWRI/CCIW)
                                   -11-

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-------
                                 TABLE 3

        MAJOR COMPONENTS OF THE LAKE ERIE INTENSIVE STUDY
     TOPIC
                                                  ORGANIZATION RESPONSIBLE
Main Lake

Main Lake Monitoring Report
Oxygen Studies
Sedimentation/Carbon Flux
Sediment Oxygen Demand
Lake Response to Nutrient Loading
Lake Circulation
Lake Physics Studies:
     Interbasin transfer
     Nearshore-offshore movement
     Vertical drift

Nearshore

Canadian Nearshore
Western Basin, U.S.
Central Basin, U.S.
Eastern Basin, U.S.
Cladophora
Cleveland Intakes
Toledo/Maumee Estuary

Input and Problem Areas
                                         Sources
                                         Sources
                                         Sources
                          Intakes,  Point  Sources,   OME
NY Beaches, Tributaries, Intakes and Pt.
PA Beaches, Tributaries, Intakes and Pt.
OH Beaches, Tributaries, Intakes and Pt.
MI Beaches, Tributaries, Intakes,  Point Sources,
     and Detroit River
ONT Beaches, Tributariess
     and Niagara River
Tributary, Point Sources,  and Atmospheric Loading
Meteorological/Hydro!ogical  Summary

Contaminants

Radioactivity
Ffsh Contaminants
Wildlife Contaminants
                                                    USEPA/OSU/CLEAR
                                                    NWRI/CCIW
                                                    NWRI/CCIW
                                                    USEPA/LLRS
                                                    USEPA/LLRS
                                                    NOAA/GLERL
                                                    NWRI/CCIW
                                                    OME
                                                    OSU/CLEAR
                                                    HC
                                                    SUNY/GLL
                                                    SUNY/GLL
                                                    CWQL
                                                    TPCA
NYDEC
ECDH
OEPA
MDNR
                                                    IOC
                                                    NOAA/GLERL
                                                    IJC
                                                    USEPA/USF&WS-
                                                    DF&O        I
                                  -16-

-------
                          TABLE 3 (CONTINUED)
     TOPIC                                       ORGANIZATION RESPONSIBLE
Data Quality

Data Quality Report                                 IJC
Data Management Report                              IJC
Field and Laboratory Procedures                      IJC

Special Contributions

Fish Stock Assessment                               GLFC
Remote Sensing Experiments                          NASA
Wastewater Management Study                         USACOE
Tributary and Storm Event Reports                    USGS
Phosphorus Management Study                         IJC
Primary Productivity Study                          NWRI/CCIW
                                                    OSU/CLEAR
                                 -17-

-------
     Nearshore
     1.   Ohio State University, Center for Lake Erie Area Research (OSU/CLEAR) -
          western Lake Erie, Detroit River to Huron, Ohio              >

 L.  2.   Heidelberg College (HC) - central Lake Erie, Vermilion, Ohio to Ashtabula,
  11       Ohio

     3.   State University of New  York College at Buffalo, Great Lakes  Laboratory
          (SUNY/GLL) - eastern Lake Erie, Conneaut, Ohio to Buffalo, New York

     4.   Ontario Ministry of Environment, Water Resources Branch  (OME) - western
          Lake Erie, Detroit River  to  Point Pelee, central  Lake Erie, Point Pelee to
          Long Point, and eastern Lake Erie, Long Point to Niagara River

     The parameters and  typical methods  used for  water, biological, and  sediment
measurements  are listed in Table 4.   To facilitate problem area assessment and the
determination of  long-term trends,  emphasis was placed on those parameters subject
to non-compliance with the Water Quality Agreement and/or jurisdictional criteria,
standards, or guidelines. For purposes of the Intensive Study, the lake  was divided into
a series of main lake compartments and nearshore reaches (Figure 2)  with a combined
station  pattern totalling  over  500  stations (Figure 3).   Cruises were  scheduled to
provide a reasonably  synoptic  view of the entire lake (Figure 4).  Data from these
cruises constitute the foundation for the whole lake assessment.

     In order to assist the Lake Erie Work Group in meeting its responsibility to bring
the general objective of the Intensive Study to fruition, the Center for Lake Erie Area
Research (CLEAR)  proposed the  creation  of a  technical  assessment  team  with
scientific and technical knowledge of  Lake Erie and  report editing,  research project
administration, and data management  skills. In March 1980, at the conclusion of the
Intensive Study field investigations, such a team was established at  The  Ohio State
University  by a grant  from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, -Great Lakes
National Program Office.                                              '---
                                    -18-

-------
                                 TABLE 4

     PARAMETERS MEASURED  FOR THE LAKE ERIE INTENSIVE STUDY
Water Parameters

!._ Temperature
2.  Wind speed and direction
3.  Transparency, Secchi Disk
4.  Wave height
5.  Extinction depth
6.  Aesthetics
7.  Turbidity
8.  Suspended solids
9.  Dissolved oxygen
10. pH
11. Specific conductance
12. Alkalinity
13. Total phosphorus
14. Total dissolved phosphorus
15. Soluble reactive phosphorus
16. Total kjeldahl nitrogen
17. Ammonia
18. Nitrate & Nitrite N
19. Dissolved reactive silicate
20. Chloride
21. Sulfate
22. Calcium
23. Magensium
24. Sodium
25. Potassium
26. Aluminum, total
27. Aluminum, dissolved
28. Cadmium, total
29. Cadmium, dissolved
30. Chromium, total
31. Chromium, dissolved
32. Copper, total
33. Copper, dissolved
34. Iron, total
35. Iron, dissolved
36. Lead, total
37". Lead, dissolved
3£~. Manganese,  total
39-. Manganese,  dissolved
48". Nickel, total
Biological Parameters

1.  Phytoplankton
2.  Zooplankton
3.  Chlorophyll a^
4.  Pheophytin
5.  Aerobic heterotrophs
6.  Fecal coliforms
7.  Fecal streptococci
8.  Benthos

Sediment Parameters
1.  Solids, total
2.  Solids, volatile
3.  Chemical oxygen demand
4.  Total organic carbon
5.  Total phosphorus
6.  Total kjeldahl nitrogen
7.  Ammonia nitrogen
8.  Arsenic
9.  Selenium
10. Cadmium
11. Chromium
12. Copper
13. Iron
14. Lead
15. Nickel
16. Silver
17. Zinc
18. Mercury
19. Cyanide
20. PCBs, total
21. Hexachlorobenzene
22. beta-Benzenehexachloride
23. Lindane
24. Treflan
25. Aldrin
26. Isodrin
27. Heptachlor epoxide
28. Chlordane
29. DDT and metabolites
30. Methoxychlorr
                                 -19-

-------
                          TABLE  1 (CONTINUED)
VJlter Parameters

4H Nickel, dissolved
42. Vanadium, total
43. Vanadium, dissolved
44. Zinc, total
45. Zinc, dissolved
46. Arsenic, total
47. Mercury, total
48. Selenium, total
49. Silver, total
50. Silver, dissolved
51. Cyanide
52. Phenol
53. Total organic carbon
54. Dissolved organic carbon
Sediment Parameters

31. Mirex
32. 2,4-D Isopropyl Ester
33. Endosulfan I
34. Endosulfan II
35. Dieldrin
36. Endrin
37. Tetradifon
38. Grain-size analysis

-------
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                         -21-

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          1  CRUISE NO.           2          3
  MAR  I APR   I MAY  1 JUN  |  JUL  |  AUG  |  SEPT  |  OCT  | NOV  |  PEC
CCIW
                 12    345     6     78
                  II    I   I   I    I      II
                   12     345    6      78
       I     I   I    I   I   II   III    I
USEPA
      2     34      5     6     7   8    9  10   11      12

GLL
  HC


  OSU

  MOE
                                   III
                     	           2 	      3     4
               I     I      I      I      I
,JAN|  FEB |  MAR  |  APR  [MAY  |  JUN  |  JUL  |  AUG  |  SEPT
                                                      NOV
    FIGURE 4.  LAKE ERIE INTENSIVE STUDY CRUISE SCHEDULE
                          -22-

-------
      The Lake  Erie Technical Assessment Team (TAT) was thus formed to synthesize
data from the diverse groups into a unified whole lake assessment.  TAT functioned to
provide  a  scientific  focus  for coordination  and cooperation,  for  promotion  of
information exchange, and for creation of an atmosphere in which a consensus could be
-reached on technical matters.  Specific objectives of TAT included:      ":

      1.   To provide professional  supervision and  a pool  of  scientific  and technical
          skills to  supplement  the international  scientific  staff involved  in  the
          intensive study.

      2.   To coordinate and guide,  essentially on a daily  basis, efforts of the  various
          contributing scientists.

      3.   To exercise technical  review and editorial responsibilities for the individual
          reports.

      b.   To perform an in-depth  and integrated  analysis of the data base  for the
          purpose of a comprehensive assessment.

      5.   To assure that all  pertinent baseline data  resulting  from  Canadian  and
          United  States  sources are entered  in  STORET for the  purpose  of  this
          assessment and future  analysis.

      6.   To exercise the aforementioned functions towards aggregating all Canadian
          and United  States elements of the  intensive study to produce  a  timely,
          unified whole lake report which will:

          a.  determine the status of the  open water and nearshore  areas of Lake
              Erie in terms of

 -I_            1)   trophic level,
              2)   toxic substances burden,                            !"
              3)   pathogenic bacteria contamination,                 ^
              4)   suspended materials load, and
              5)   oxygen demand;
                                     -23-

-------
         b.   provide baseline  data  for the chemical, microbiological, and physical
              parameters of water  quality against which  future  changes may  be
              judged;                                               \_
  —                                                                 "=.
  :-      c.   compare  the  present data with past data in order to determine how
              rapidly and in what manner the lake is changing;

         d.   determine how these changes are related to waste reduction, pollutant
              bans, nutrient control programs, and pollution abatement programs; and

         e.   prepare  recommendations concerning  the  scope  of  future remedial
              programs to enhance or maintain current lake water quality.

Technical Assessment Team Participants
     The Lake Erie TAT consisted of a technical  staff headquartered at The Ohio
State University and a  select group  of Canadian and United  States scientists who
contributed data, technical reports and guidance to the effort.  The individuals listed
below participated in the assessment undertaken by the Lake Erie TAT:

     Technical Staff
     1.  Charles E. Herdendorf, Chairman
     2.  C. Lawrence Cooper, Coordinator
     3.  David E. Rathke, Editor
     4-.  Laura A. Fay
     5.  dohn 3. Mizera
     6.  Mark D. Barnes
     7.  R. Peter Richards
     8.  Gary Arico

 :-•  Contributors
 --   1.  Carl Baker - Ohio Department of Natural Resources          y
      2.  David Baker - Heidelberg College                            t
      3.  Robert Bowden - USEPA, Great Lakes National Program      ~-
                                   -24-

-------
      4.  Farrell Boyce - Canada Centre for Inland Waters
      5.  Noel Burns - Canada Centre for Inland Waters
      6.  Murray Charlton - Canada Centre for Inland Waters           >
  _T   7.  James Clark, USEPA, Great Lakes National Program          —
  T^   8.  John Clark - International Joint Commission, GLRO           -
  ~~   9.  David DeVault - USEPA, Great Lakes National Program
      10.  Clay Edwards - International Joint Commission, GLRO
      11.  Andrew Eraser - Canada Centre for Inland Waters
      12.  V. Ray Fredrick - SUNY,  Great Lakes Laboratory
      13.  Douglas Haffner - International Joint Commission, GLRO
      14.  Douglas Hallett - Canada Wildlife Service
      15.  Yousry Hamdy - Ontario Ministry of the Environment
      16.  David Rockwell - USEPA, Great Lakes National Program
      17.  Fernando Rosa - Canada Centre for Inland Waters
      18.  Robert Sweeney - SUNY, Great Lakes Laboratory
      19.  Nelson Thomas - USEPA, Large Lakes Research Station
      20.  Richard Thomas - Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada Centre for
          Inland  Waters
      21.  Joseph Vihtelic -  Michigan Department of Natural Resources
      22.  Lester Walters - Bowling  Green State University
      23.  Robert Wellington - Erie County Department of Health, Pennsylvania
      24.  Richard Winklhofer - USEPA, Region V, Eastern District
      25.  Stephen Yaksich - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District

Appendix  A lists the reports prepared by the Lake Erie Technical Assessment Team,
Appendix  B lists reports contributed  to the Lake Erie Intensive Study  by other
investigators, and Appendix C  lists the basic documents used by  TAT to prepare this
report.

Study Limitations
I~_     Implementation of study  plan.  The study plan developed by the Lake Erie Work
Group was implemented  in most details  and  on schedule.   Notable^ exceptions  to
complete implementation included:                                 £^
                                   -25-

-------
      1.   Atmospheric loadings were not determined during the study period.

      2.   United States nearshore surveys were conducted for three consecutive days
  -       rather than five consecutive days specified in the plan.        -7

  —   3.   Canadian nearshore surveys were  not comprehensive  for  the entire shore,
          but localized in problem areas due  to the availability of comprehensive data
          from earlier studies.

      <4.   Soluble nutrients  were not included in the eastern United States nearshore
          cruises.

      5.   Electronic  bathythermograph  (EBT) recordings  for  depth greater than 10
          meters were not included in central United States nearshore cruises.

      6.   Samples for benthos and  toxic organic compounds in main lake sediments
          were not obtained.

      7'.   Radiological data was not collected, except  in  the vicinity  of  the Davis-
          Besse Nuclear Power Station near Port Clinton, Ohio.

      Data gaps.  In addition to the loss of data due to incomplete implementation of
the plan, the following problems encountered during the field investiation and analysis
phases of the study resulted in further loss of anticipated data:

      1.   Fish studies of the nearshore are only partially completed.

      2.   Metal analysis  from both main lake and nearshore  studies suffered from
          problems in analysis, as did  analysis for toxic organics in  nearshore water,
 :-        sediment and fish samples.
                                    -26-

-------
     3.   Water intake data are incomplete for toxic organic compounds.

     k.   Fewer zooplankton samples were collected and analyzed than pfanned.
  -                                                                  --=.
  :   5.   Some phosphorus data for 1978 from the main lake stations demonstrated a
          low bias.

     6.   Detection limits insufficient to meet  DC objectives for some  parameters
          resulted in excess violations to be reported.

     7.   In some cases, reports on individual studies (secondary components) were not
          prepared; however data are usually available.

     Data compatability. Analysis of study results from the participating laboratories
shows  that the  comparability of data  is not seriously affected by  differences in
precision, except for dissolved and total  metals which  are present in the lake water at
very low concentrations.  However,  differences  resulting from individual  laboratory
biases  are  significant for several parameters, particularly phosphorus, when compared
to the temporal  and  spatial variability  observed in the lake.   Therefore, it  is not
possible (in all cases) to assume complete compatibility of data gathered by different
agencies,  or by the  same  agency  in  different  years.    The  question of data
comparability is a relative one, and  judgments about the use of combined of data sets
must ultimately be made in the context of the specific  questions to which the data are
to be applied.   Certainly the  data  gathered for the  Intensive Study can be used to
compare various portions of the lake, to  define the lake's overall status and, for many
parameters, to specify violations of water quality objectives.  However, the utility of
combined data sets to establish long-term trends is less certain.

  ?"_  A test  of  data compatibility  was performed in the  western  basin  by  pooling
nearshore and offshore  data gathered by CLEAR, OME and USEPA.  Using SYMAP
plots of nine individual  parameters,  contoured distribution maps were constructed for
seven cruises (see Figures 24  and  37 for examples of  SYMAP plots). f^These maps
showed expected nearshore/offshore gradients and northshore/southshore  differences
with the absence of dicontinuities at agency  interfaces.  Experiments such as this add
credibility to the lake-wide assessment attempted by this study.

-------
                                 CONCLUSIONS
  r"  The major issues considered by the Intensive Study can be categori-zed into five
tofncs:  1) lake enrichment, 2) toxic substances, 3) public health, 4) land use activities
and 5) lake  response  to remedial actions.   In order to place the  time period of the
Intensive  Study (1978-1979) into perspective,  results are presented in reference to
previous investigations and to those conducted since the end of the Intensive Study.

Lake Enrichment
     Prior  to  1970,  water  quality investigations of Lake  Erie  were  conducted at
sporadic intervals with a  wide  variety of field  procedures and  analytical  techniques.
For these reasons it  is  difficult to document long-term trends to any degree of
accuracy. Starting with Project Hypo (Burns and Ross 1972) in 1970 (a joint Canadian-
United  States  project to investigate the  eutrophication of Lake Erie),  consistent
shipboard and laboratory procedures have been  utilized by the several research groups
monitoring the status of the open waters of Lake Erie.  For the past decade, cruises
have been undertaken annually in the  three  basins  of  the lake by  the following
organizations:  1) Canada  Centre for Inland Waters (NWRI), 2)  Center for Lake Erie
Area Research (OSU), 3) Great Lakes Laboratory (SUNY) and 4) Great Lakes National
Program Office (USEPA).   The  following discussion characterizes the conditions of the
lake for several eutrophication-related parameters during the period 1970 to 1982.

     Lake levels.  The mean Lake Erie water  level for the period 1860 to 1970 was
570.37 feet  above International Great Lakes Datum,  1955.   For  the period  1960 to
1970, the average level was 570.24 feet, only slightly below the mean.  However, for
the period 1970 to 1980,  the average level rose to 571.74,  a volumetric  increase of
approximately  3% between the two decades.   Of significance to water quality, lake
levels during the  period  1970  to  1980  averaged about 0.5 m  above  levels  for the
proceeding decade.  The  lowest annual water  level (569.01 feet for  1964) within the
earlier decade was about  1.1 m below the mean level for the highest  yelar  (572.72 for
1973) of  the latter  decade.  This change  amounts to about a 7%  increase  in lake
volume.
                                   -28-

-------
     Higher  lake  levels have  primarily resulted from  an increased flow of higher
quality water from the upper Great Lakes via the Detroit River. This dilution effect,
in combination with more  deeply  submerged  substrates  in the  nearshorC regions and
western basin shoals, may have had  profound  impacts on the lake biota..-With higher
wi.ter, greater attenuation of light reaching substrate suitable for the development of
both planktonic and  attached forms  of algae has occurred.  Lake level  changes have
likely contributed  to the absence,  in the mid-1970s, of the basin-wide algal blooms and
massive  growths  of the filamentous  algae,  Cladophora glomerata,  which were so
prevalent in the mid-1960s.

     Thermal structure.  The  western basin  of Lake Erie  is  essentially isothermal
throughout the year. This basin was determined to be unstratified during all 80 cruises
undertaken during  the period 1970-1982.  However, periods of temporary stratification
in isolated areas of the western basin  have been reported  by Britt (1955), Carr et al.
(1965)  and Zapotosky and Herdendorf (1980).  Such stratification is usually transitory
in nature but can result in  severe oxygen depletion conditions due to high  oxygen
demand of the sediments.

     The central basin of  Lake Erie typically stratifies into three layers (referred to
as limnions in this report) in  early June and turns over in early September.  The mean
thicknesses of the epilimnion,  mesolimnion and hypolimnion during the period 1970-
1982 are presented in Table 5 and summarized below:

                              Central Lake Erie Thermal  Strata
Limnion
Epilimnion
Mesolimnion
Hypolimnion
Thickness (m)
(± std error)
13.2 + 0.4
2.1 + 0.2
4.5 + 0.3
Cruises
(N)
42
42
47
                                                                    v-    ")
The area of the central basin hypolimnion averages approximately 11,300 km (Table
6) or  about 70% of the surface area of the entire basin.  The mean thickness of the
                                    -29-

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                 TABLE 6



LAKE ERIE CENTRAL BASIN HYPOLIMNION AREA
Year
1970
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
Mean
Std
Error
May June
(km2) (km2)


14
13
12
13
14
13,976
11
15
11,439 10
12,708 13
1,272


,819
,678
,105
,245
,250

,330
,027
,974
,179
550
July
(km2)

12
11
13

12
14
11
13
13
13
12


,883
,860
,385

,876
,130
,320
,130
,750
,149
,943
292
Aug.
(km2)

12,962
11,698

11,550
11,775
12,670

12,570

11,775
12,143
215
Sept.
(km2)

11
10
9
3
1
12
8
12
11
5_
8
1

,829
,556
,599
,380
,891
,000
,704
,520
,256
,538
,727
,206
Late
Sept. Mean
(km2) (km2)

3,660 10
12
12
9
9
13
11
12,890 12
5,867 11
10
7,472 11
2,786

,334
,233
,221
,012
,947
,263
,333
,488
,475
,575
,334

Std.
Error
(±)

2,239
909
1,315
2,824
2,703
553
1,524
309
2,027
1,308
505

-------
hypolirnnion  shows  considerable  year-to-year  variability  (Figure 5).   No trend  is
apparent, but  the  1975  hypolirnnion, with  a mean  thickness  of  7.1 -jneters,  was
significantly thicker than all other years.                                '

  :   The year-to-year and seasonal characteristics of the central basin hypolirnnion
are presented in Tables 7 and 8, respectively, and annual mean trends  in hypolirnnion
thickness, temperature and dissolved oxygen for 1970 to  1982 are  given  in Table  9.
The  mean hypolirnnion temperature has  been relatively consistent over this  period,
with the exception of 1975 which was significantly  colder than other years (Figure 6).
The  mean dissolved oxygen content (Figure  7) of  the hypolimnion does not  show a
statistically significant trend from 1970 to  1982,  but the  poorest year, 1973, had a
significantly lower content, than the oxygen concentrations measured during the past
five years (1978-1982).

     In general, the central basin hypolimnion decreases in thickness and area (Figure
8) and  in dissolved oxygen (Figure 9) throughout the stratified period, but increases  in
temperature (Figure 9).  The mean monthly trends in these characteristics for  1970  to
1982 are summarized below:

                         Central Basin Hypolimnion Characteristics
Period
(Month)

May
Dune
3uly
August
September
Thickness

(m)
5.7
6.2
5.2
4.4
3.3
Area

(km2)
12,708
13,179
12,943
12,143
8,727
Temperature

(°C)
7.7
8.6
11.1
12.2
13.1
Dissolved
Oxygen
(mg/1)
11.2
9.2
6.2
2.6
- 1.7
Statistical variability and sample sizes for these means are given in Tabled 6 and 9.

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          FIGURE  8.   LAKE  ERIE HYPOLIMNION  -  MEAN ANNUAL

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                                    -40-

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          FIGURE 9.  LAKE ERIE HYPOLIMNION -  MEAN ANNUAL TRENDS  IN

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                     CENTRAL  BASIN (1970 - 1982)
                                 -41-

-------
     The seasonal pattern for the thermal structure of central Lake Erie is shown in
Figure 10.   Once the thermocline is well established, generally  in  late June,  the
mesolimnion remains relatively uniform in thickness as the epilimnion thickens at  the
expense of  the hypolimnion.  Eventually, the cooling  of the surface wafer forces  the
epilimnion to the bottom  of  the lake, eliminating  the other  limnions it "turnover."
This thinning of the hypolimnion increases the bottom surface area to water volume
ratio  in the hypolimnion, which tends to increase the effect of  sediment oxygen
demand (SOD) on the remaining hypolimnetic water.

     The eastern basin of Lake Erie is normally stratified from June through October
or  early November.   The mean  thicknesses of  the epilimnion,  mesolimnion  and
hypolimnion during 1978 are presented below:

                             Central Lake Erie Thermal Strata
Limnion
Epilimnion
Mesolimnion
Hypolimnion
Thickness (m)
(± std error)
13.1 + 2.7
8.5 + 1.8
12.5 + 0.5
Cruises
(N)
5
5
5
Generally the hypolimnion in the eastern basin is of sufficient thickness that severe
oxygen depletion problems do not develop.

     The thermal structure of Lake  Erie is  highly  dependent on  wind and  other
meteorological conditions.  Calm weather in the western basin can be effective in
forming  transitory  stratification during  the summer  months.  In the central  and
eastern basins, calm weather during the late spring can result in a shallow thermocline
and a  correspondingly thick hypolimnion.   This  situation occurred in 1975 with a
dramatic impact on dissolved oxygen concentrations in the central basin hypolimnion.
Herdendorf  (1980) documented that in  1975 the thickness  of the hypjplimnion was
considerably  thicker than earlier  years  of the  decade and that the oxygen depletion
rate was lower and the areal extent of anoxia was greatly reduced (see Figures 12 and
15 for comparison with other years).
                                   -42-

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     Dissolved oxygen. Low concentrations of dissolved oxygen, particularly in the
central  basin  hypolimnion,  is one  of the  most important  environmental  problems
plaguing Lake  Erie. Small areas of anoxic water in the central basin were observed as
early as 1930  (Fish 1960).   The size  of the late summer anoxic portion_of the lake
continued  to grow  for the next several decades until 1973, when approximately 94% of
the hypolimnion had oxygen concentrations  below  0.5  mg/1 (Herdendorf  1980).  More
recent  surveys have shown wide fluctuations  in the  size  of the anoxic area in the
central  basin, primarily  due to the  meteorological conditions discussed  earlier for
1975;  however, the area and the percentage of the hypolimnion experiencing anoxia
have declined markedly in the period 1977 to 1982, as seen below:

                           Central Lake Erie Anoxic Area Trends


Period
1970-1976*
1977-1982
Anoxic
Area (km )
(± std error)
8,678 ± 890
4,294 ± 434

Percent
Hypolimnion
75.2 ± 6.0
35.2 ±3.6
Percent
Total
Basin
55.2 ± 5.2
27.0 ± 2.2

Years
(N)
5
5
       * 1975 excluded
     Typically,  the  central basin  hypolimnion contains about  8  mg/1 of  dissolved
oxygen in late June, but by early September this has been reduced to less than 1  mg/1
aver much of the basin.  Figure 11 depicts the distribution of hypolimnetic oxygen in
f981 and  illustrates the loss of oxygen during the stratified  period.  This pattern is
typical of the depletion process which has occurred during the past five years.
                                    -44-

-------
                                               Hypolimnion Oxygen  (mg/1)
                                               June 24-July 3, 1981
                                               Hypolimnion Oxygen (mg/1)
                                               September 1-11. 1981
FIGURE 11.  DISTRIBUTION OF DISSOLVED OXYGEN IN LAKE ERtE CENTRAL
            BASIN HYPOLIMNION (1981)
                                -45-

-------
     One method  of determining trends in oxygen concentrations involves measuring
the rate of loss in oxygen in the interval between two cruises.  Table 10 provides a list
of the calculated central basin oxygen demand for the period 1970 to  1982, expressed
                                                                    **      ?
as-both oxygen loss per unit volume of water (mg/1) and loss per unit area (g/m ) per
day between two cruises.  Table 11 shows estimates of oxygen demand";for both the
central and eastern basin by various investigators for  the  period  1930 to  1982.  The
general inference  that  can be  drawn from  the  rate  measurement data is that the
hypolimnetic oxygen demand in  the central basin increased during  the period 1930 to
1970, remained relatively  stable during the mid-1970s (with the  exception of  1975
which  has  been discussed  earlier), and  declined slightly  during the  last five  years
(Figure 12).   The  daily  losses per unit volume  and unit  area (with standard error
estimate) for these three blocks of years are summarized below:
                   Central Basin Hypolimnetic Oxygen Demand
        Period                Volumetric Loss Rate       Areal Loss Rate
                             (mg/l/day)                 (g/m /day)
        1930-1970            0.079 + 0.010              0.25 + 0.06
        1970-1976*           0.123 + 0.010              0.57 + 0.08
        1977-1982            0.107 ±0.006              0.52 + 0.03
* 1975 excluded

From these data the significant increase in the rate of oxygen loss from 1930 to 1970
islobvious, but the recent decline may not be significant but merely a slr|ht downward
trend in the  relative stable  period that has persisted  since  1970.   Thfs  stability in
central  basin hypolimnetic oxygen  demand from 1970 to 1982, particularly during the
                                    -46-

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                                TABLE 11

        TRENDS IN NET  OXYGEN DEMAND OF THE CENTRAL AND
       EASTERN BASINS HYPOLIMNIONS OF  LAKE ERIE  (1930-1982)
 BATA

SOURCE
YEAR
         NET OXYGEN DEMAND PER DAY
Rate Per Unit Area        Rate Per Unit  Volume

1
1
1
1
2
3,4
3,4
3,4
3,4
3
2
5
2
5
3
3
3

1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1977
1978
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
(g
Central
Basin
0.08
0.15
0.25
0.37
0.38
0.53
0.60
0.67
0.75
0.58
0.48
0.51
0.54
0.41
0.63
0.47
0.47
Eastern
Basin

--
—
--
0.70
0.23
0.57
0.76
--
0.68
0.51
0.58
0.61
0.58
—
—
--
(mg/1)
Central Eastern
Basin Basin
0.054
0.067
0.070
0.093
0.110
0.120
0.130
0.100
0.130
0.130
0.120
0.092
0.111
0.090
0.109
0.085
0.111
0.023
0.027
0.032
0.036
0.055
0.016
0.026
0.040
0.032
0.060
0.065
0.048
0.047
0.049
--
—
--
Data sources:  (1) Dobson and Gilbertson  (1971);  (2) CCIW--
Noel Burns,  personal communication;  (3)  OSU/CLEAR--Central     -V
Basin,  1973-1977, 1980-1982; Eastern Basin,  1977; (4) SUNY/GLL--1
Eastern Basin, 1973-1976; (5) USEPA/GLNPO—rate  calculation,   £
OSU/CLEAR.
                                 -48-

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month of August, is illustrated in Figure  13.  This tight cluster of data points suggest
that August is the more opportune month to obtain oxygen depletion measurements for
rate comparisons.                                                    -~

 £_   Early  oxygen depletion  data is not  available for the eastern  basin.  A  slight
increase may be indicated from the first half to the second half of the past decade;
however, the data in Table 11 shows an erratic pattern in the early 1970s, which may
be the result of diverse analytical techniques.

      Another  method of assessing the oxygen status of the central basin hypolimnion
is  comparing the relative sizes  of anoxic  areas from year to year.   Anoxia is here
defined as dissolved oxygen  concentrations of  less  than  0.5  mg/1 as measured 1.0
meters above the sediment-water interface.  Figure 14 is a  mosaic of Lake Erie maps
from 1930 to  1982 showing the 15  years  where reasonably good data exists for the
areal extent of anoxia.  The estimated areas of the anoxic hypolimnion are presented
in  Table 12 and shown graphically in  Figure 15.  The obvious  conclusion is that the area
of the central  basin experiencing anoxia increased dramatically from  1930 to the mid-
1970s and since that time has declined by approximately 50%.

      Clarity.  Water  clarity   is an  indicator  of  both phytoplankton  biomass  and
inorganic particulate matter suspended in the water column.  Turbidity patterns mirror
those that will be presented for  total phosphorus. Central and eastern basin turbidity
is  primarily the  result of the organic component, whereas  in the western basin  spring
meltwaters carry a large component  of inorganic solids to the lake.

      An analysis of Lake Erie transparency was performed for the period 1973-1982
by area-weighting secchi disk results from 33 cruises in the western basin,  37  in the
central  basin  and  10  in  the eastern basin  (Table   13).   No significant trends or
improvements are demonstrated by  the  data.  The mean  summer values for 4-year
periods are summarized below:
                                    -SO-

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       1930
        1961
1959
1964
1960
1970
        1973
1974
1975
        1976
1977
1978
       1980
1981
1982
FIGURE U. DISTRIBUTION OF ANOXIA IN LAKE ERIE (1930 - 1982).

-------
                                TABLE 12

             ESTIMATED AREA OF THE ANOXIC HYPOL1MNION
            OF THE CENTRAL BASIN OF LAKE ERIE (1930-1982)
Ye>
1930
1959
1960
1961
1964
1970
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1980
1981
1982
Anoxic Area
(km2)
300
3,600
1,660
3,640
5,870
6,600
7,970
11,270
10,250
400
7,300
2,870
3,980
4,330
4,820
5,470
Percent of
Hypo limn ion
(*)
3.0
33.0
15.0
33.0
53.0
60.0
72.5
93.7
87.0
4.1
63.0
24.8
31.4
35.9
37.4
46.5
Central Basin
Total Basin
(%)
1.9
22.3
10.3
22.5
36.3
40.4
49.3
69.8
63.4
2.5
53.0
20.8
24.6
26.8
29.0
33.9
Data Sources:
     1930—Fish  (1960)
     1959-1961—Thomas  (1963)
  :-  1964—FWPCA (1968a)
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                      Secchi Disk Transparency for Lake Erie
Period       Western Basin              Central Basin               Eastern Basin
             (m + std error)              (m ± std error)              (m + std error)
1973-1976    1.67 ± 0.16                 5.27 ± 0.29
1976-1979    1.81+0.25                 5.13 + 0.27                 5.54 + 0.17
1979-1982    1.57 + 0.27                 4.96 + 0.38
     The year with the poorest water clarity for the western basin (Figure 16) and the
central basin (Figure  17) was recorded in  1981  which  coincides  with a year  that
experienced  severe  late  spring  storms  and associated  resuspension  of  bottom
sediments.  Even with these  low  values, the transparency in the western and central
basins  was relatively  constant throughout the  10-year period. From the limited  data
for the eastern basin, it appears  that mean transparencies in the eastern and central
basins  are very similar.  In general, the central basin transparency exceeds that of the
western basin by a factor of three.

     Dissolved Substances.  Trends in dissolved substances in Lake  Erie water can be
inferred from  long-term  records of Lake  Erie  conductivity  measurements   and
determination of major conservative  ions, such as sulfate and chloride.  Central basin
cruise  data for  1970  to 1982 (Figure 18) indicates  a  significant decline in  specific
conductance.   The typical distributions of the  major  dissolved ions  in  Lake  Erie
(alkalinity,  conductivity,  calcium,   sulfate,  chloride,  sodium,  magnesium,   and
potassium) are illustrated in Figure  19.   The tendency is for  most  substances to
increase from west to east as water flows through the basins.  USEPA/QLNPO, using
STORET data  files for the period  1966 to  1980,  performed a trend- analysis for
conductivity, chloride and sulfate based on central basin cruise data  supplied by CCIW,
OME, GLNPO and CLEAR.  OME data  was obtained from  stations 1-7 km offshore,
                                    -56-

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while data from the other three groups were from  open lake stations, generally 5 km
or more offshore. Annual mean values for 5-year periods are summarized below:

                       Dissolved Solids in Central Lake Erie           -—
Period
 Specific Conductance       Chloride
(umhos/cm ± std error)   (mg/1 + std error)
   Sulfate
(mg/1 + std error)
1966-1970
1971-1975
1976-1980
313 ± 1.8
298 ± 7.0
284 ± 2.8
24.0 ± 0.5
21.6 ±0.8
19.4 + 0.3
24.3 ± 0.8
22.7 ± 0.4
22.5 ± 0.4
Specific conductance data points on Figure 20 represent cruise mean values for periods
of isothermal lake conditions (March-May and October-December).  Conductivity thus
indicates a rather slow decline for mean levels for the period of record.  The mean
value for  1975-1980 (284 umhos/cm) is  approximately nine percent lower than  the
mean 1966-1970 value (313 umhos/cm).  Trends in central  basin chloride (Figure 20)
shows a more noticeable decline from a mean concentration of  24.0 mg/1 for  1966-
1970 to 19.4 mg/1 for 1975-1979. Sulfate concentrations showed no discernable trend.

     Nutrients.  Phosphorus  has  been  identified  as  a limiting  nutrient  for  algal
productivity in Lake Erie (Hartley and Potos 1971), whereas nitrogen is  in sufficiently
large supplies in the waters of the lake that it is  not considered a limiting nutrient.
The status of both of these  elements will be discussed in this section.

     Annual mean concentrations  for the western, central and eastern  basins for the
period  1970 to 1982 (Table  14) are presented in Figures 21, 22 and 23, respectively, and
are summarized in 5-year periods below:                              _
                                    -61-

-------
          Lake Erie Central Basin Conductivity umhos/cm at 25°C
          Storet Monthly Mean Values Plotted
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FIGURE 20.   TRENDS IN  LAKE  ERIE SPECIFIC CONDUCTANCE AND
                CHLORIDE CONCENTRATION-CENTRAL BASIN

-------
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                   Total Phosphorus Concentrations in Lake Erie
Period
 Western Basin
(ug/1 + std error)
 Central Basin
(ug/1 + std error)
 Eastern Basin
(ug/1 ± std error)
1970-1974
1975-1979
1980-1982
38.1 ± 3.2
40.5 ± 2.3
37.5 ± 5.2
18.6 + 1.1
18.9 ±2.2
16.4 t 1.5
23.1 ±4.1
17.4 ± 4.3
13.8 + 2.6
The western basin has a significantly higher concentration than the other two basins by
a  factor  of  over two,  but no  statistically significant  changes  in  concentrations
occurred since 1970.  However, a slight decline is suspected for the latter half of the
1970s when spring storm values are excluded from the annual means, as has been done
in Figure 21 for the shallow western basin.

     The distribution of most nutrients throughout  the lake shows similar patterns.
Total phosphorus, for example is characterized by high concentrations near the mouth
of the Maumee River in the  western basin (Figure 24) and the Cuyahoga River in the
central basin (Figure 25).  The impact of hypolimnetic regeneration of phosphorus in
both central  and eastern basins  is also illustrated in Figure 25. There is a  general
west-to-east  decrease with  highest values  located  along the United States shore,
particularly at the mouths of major tributaries.  The Detroit River  is an exception in
that a large  volume of  upper  Great Lakes  water tends to dilute  the nutrient load
contributed by the urban and industrial complex adjacent to the river.  Although low in
concentration when compared to the  Maumee River, the Detroit  River  in 1980
contributed approximately 37% of the total load of phosphorus to Lake Erie (Table 15),
whereas the Maumee River accounted for about 12% of the total load.   ~~
                                    -67-

-------
            Surface (ug/l)
            Spring 1978
            Surface (;ug/l)
            Summer 1978
FIGURE  2H.  DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL PHOSPHORUS IN LAKE ERTE-
            WESTERN BASIN
                                -68-

-------
                                         August 19 - August 18,  1978
                                         Epilimnion  (ug/l)
                                         August 19 - August 23,  1978
                                         Hypolimion  (ug/l)
FIGURE 25.  DISTRIBUTION  OF TOTAL PHOSPHORUS IN THE CENTRAL AND
            EASTERN BASINS OF LAKE ERIE.              —
                              -69-

-------
                                TABLE 15

       ESTIMATES OF TOTAL PHOSPHORUS LOADING TO LAKE ERIE
Year
Detroit  River  Loading
     To  Lake Erie
    (Metric Tons)
            Loading to Entire Lake
                (Metric Tons)
          IJC
        CCIW
USACOE
IJC
CCIW
Data Sources:
          IJC  (1981)
          Frazer  and Willson (1981)
          USACOE, Buffalo District (1982)
USACOE
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
32,850
26,280
25,915
15,330
14,600
16,425
11,315
12,045
10,220
6,205
6,205
5,110
4,745
14,309
17,822
17,389
15,422
10,436
12,000
10,548
8,492
6,521
7,991
4,150
4,150




10,488
12,064
11,633
13,169
11,422
10,366
10,065
8,317
6,206
5,450
5,212


23,500
18,033
22,000
19,910
18,263
13,802
15,416
14,560
19,464
11,941
14,855
23,437
27,944
26,977
23,724
18,077
22,271
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20,396
25,726
24,113
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20,268
20,041
20,499
15,336
14,650
12,141

-------
     Nutrient  distributions in the  nearshore  waters correspond  to  major loadings
source.  Tributary mouths in the western basin and south shore of the central basin are
characterized by high concentrations of phosphorus throughout the year_ (Figure  26).
Other notable locations for high concentrations include the mouth of the? Grand River
(Ontario) and adjacent to  Erie,  Pennsylvania, both  in the  eastern basin  (nearshore
reach nos. 2 and 19, respectively).

     Estimates of  total phosphorus loading to  Lake Erie  have  been published by
several agencies. These estimates vary considerably which has  led to  some confusion
in relating the  trend of "in-lake"  concentrations to changes in the load being delivered
to the lake.  Table  15  provides a comparison of  the  loading estimates generated by
DC, NWRI/CCIW, and USACOE for the period 1967-1980. Estimates from all sources,
except shoreline erosion, are compared graphically in Figure  27  and  from only the
Detroit  River in Figure 28.  All estimates show a decided decrease in the load of total
phosphorus to the lake.  The mean annual decline for all three  agencies was found to
be 779 + 12 metric tons. In the 10-year period from 1971 to 1980,  the contribution of
the Detroit River  to the total amount of  phosphorus loaded to Lake  Erie  has fallen
from 67% to 37%.

     It  has not been possible to  translate the decline in phosphorus loading to Lake
Erie to decreases in  the concentrations or  quantities of total phosphorus measured in
the lake.   Even when open lake data is filtered to remove the erratic fluctuations
caused by spring and fall storms (Figure 29) no  significant  changes  in central basin
total phosphorus can be seen from 1970 to  1982.  In fact, total phosphorus increased in
minimum summer  quantities for  the period 1970 to  1976 (Figure 30). This  can be
partially explained by phosphorus releases from  sediment through wave resuspension
and anoxic regeneration. Several  investigations have demonstrated  that approximately
80% of  the phosphorus loading to  Lake Erie becomes incorporated  into the  bottom
sediments (Burns 1976 and  Herdendorf 1980).  Cruise data  for 1978-1980 suggest a
response to  decreasing phosphorus  loading  with lower summer  minima and  annual
quantities; however,  1981 and 1982 data show very similar values to the mid-1970s. If
improvements are to be detected in the lake they should show up first in the western
basin where the greatest decrease in loading has occurred.   Figure 31  Say illustrate
such a trend for the Ontario shore adjacent to the mouth of the DetroTt River.  The
                                    -71-

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Ontario Ministry of  Environment has determined that the concentration  of total
phosphorus in these nearshore waters has decreased approximately 40% in the  10-year
period from 1970 to 1979 which is comparable to the improvements indicated for the
Detroit River in Table 15.                                            -

 71   Nitrogen is the only major dissolved constituent in the waters of Lake Erie which
has shown a  dramatic increase  in  the  past decade.   Increased  use  of chemical
fertilizers and gaseous emissions of nitrogen compounds within the drainage basin are
thought to be the major causes. Nitrate plus nitrite loading to the lake has increased
significantly during the period of  record (1967 to 1979).  Loading from the Detroit
River alone averaged  160 metric tons per day in 1979, more than  twice the amount
reported for  1967.  Lake concentrations have also increased significantly  for nitrate
plus nitrite nitrogen since the first comprehensive surveys  in the  mid-1960s.  Open
lake concentrations in the western basin for 1963-1965 averaged  120 ug/1 while the
central and eastern basins averaged 90 ug/1 (FWPCA 1968a). Concentrations for the
period 1978-1982 averaged 434 ug/1 for the western basin and 176 ug/1  for the central
and eastern basins (Table 16).  Trends for the western and central basin are illustrated
in Figures 32 and 33, respectively, and are summarized below for all three basins:
                   Nitrate + Nitrite Concentrations in Lake Erie
Period
 Western Basin
(ug/1 t std error)
 Central Basin
(ug/1 + std error)
 Eastern Basin
(ug/1 ± std error)
1963-1965
1970-1975
1978-1982
120
259
434

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90
121
178

± 21
± 22
90
113
172

± 12
±8
                                    -78-

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      Chlorophyll and algal biomass. Chlorophyll pigment serves as a useful indicator
of  algal  productivity  in  Lake  Erie.    Annual  mean  concentrations  of  corrected
chlorophyll  a for the  period  1970  to  1982 are  presented in Table  IF and  shown
graphically  for  the  western, central and eastern  basin  on Figures 34,- 35  and  36,
respectively.  Like phosphorus no significant trend in chlorophyll concentrations can be
ascertained for  the  entire period.   However,  when summarize in 5-year periods a
recent decline is apparent:
                     Chlorophyll a Concentrations in Lake Erie
Period
 Western Basin
(ug/i + std error)
 Central Basin
(ug/1 ± std error)
 Eastern Basin
(ug/1 + std error)
1970-1974
1975-1979
1980-1982
10.9 + 1.4
12.1 ±0.5
8.4 ± 0.3
4.4 + 0.1 4.5 + 0.6
5.1 ± 0.3 3.1 ± 0.2
3.9 + 0.5 1.9 + 0.4
In all three basins, the period 1980 to 1983 is significantly lower in concentrations than
the preceeding 5-year period, with the largest decrease occurring  in the western basin.
Again, if improvements  are to  be  detected,  they would first  be  expected in the
western basin.

      Typical spring and summer distributions of chlorophyll a in western Lake Erie are
shown in Figure 37.  Concentrations are generally the highest along  the  western and
southern shores while the lowest  values are found in the water mass influence by the
Detroit River flow, particularly in spring, and  along the north shore.  In the central
and eastern basins (Figure 38) concentrations are less than half  those kr the western
basin yielding a strong gradient east of the islands region.  The south shure  commonly
has the highest concentrations  except in autumn when mid-lake concentrations can be
highest as a result of nutrients being carried to surface following turnover.
                                    -R9-

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       Surface  (jug/I)
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       Surface
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FIGURE 37.  DISTRIBUTION OF CHLOROPHYLL a IN  LAKE ERIE
            WESTERN BASIN
                           -87-

-------
                                               May 18-May  27, 1978
                                               Epilimnion (ug/1)
                                                    18-July 29, 1978
                                               Epilimnion (ug/1)
                                               October 2U-November 1,  1978
                                               Epilimnion (ug/1)
FIGURE  38.
DISTRIBUTION OF CHLOROPHYLL 3. IN LAKE ERIE^- CENTRAL
AND EASTERN BASINS.
                              -88-

-------
     Nearshore concentrations of chlorophyll a (Figure 39) correspond  to  the  same
patterns observed for phosphorus (Figure 26). The  most significant difference was for
Maumee Bay (nearshore reach no. 11) were chlorophyll is high, but proportionally lower
than phosphorus values.  The high sediment turbidity of these waters is thought  to be
the major cause, resulting in reduced light levels for photosynthesis.

     Volume-weighted cruise mean quantities of chlorophyll a for the period 1970 to
1982 are plotted on Figure 40.  Although no convincing trend is apparent, the minimum
and maximum  annual cruise means  for  the latter half of  the period are noticeably
lower than those for the earlier years.

     During each  of  the  two  years  of  the Intensive   Study  the western  basin
phytoplankton biomass was dominated  by diatoms  in the spring and co-dominated by
diatoms and blue-greens through the summer and fall.  This pattern is similar to that
reported for 1970 by Munawar and Munawar (1976).  In the central and eastern basins
diatoms  and  greens  represented the  major  contributors  to  the phytoplankton
commmunity throughout the season.  Diatom biomass was high in the early spring and
in the  fall following lake turnover.  Green algae  dominated in the  summer but  at a
lower  biomass  than  the  diatom  peaks.    Studies  of   biomass  distribution  by
USEPA/GLNPO indicate a west-to-east decrease in the standing crop of algae for the
three basins:

                     Mean Phytoplankton Biomass  of Lake Erie
Year

1978
1979
Western Basin
(g/m3)
4.0
9.4
Central Basin
(g/m3)
1.8
3.4
Eastern Basin
(g/m3)
1.2
0.9
The  highest concentrations of  phytoplankton were observed along theiUnited States
shore of all three basins.                                           ~~

-------
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      The  basin-wide  blooms  of  blue-greens in western Lake Erie which were  so
 prevalent in the mid-1960s decreased in intensity and number in the  1970s.  No basin-
 wide blooms were reported during the Intensive Study, although USEPA/GLNPO noted
 visible  algal blooms in the western basin (up to  17  g/m ) in August, September and
 October 1979 with associated  whiting presumably due to CaCO- precipitation.  Open
-late phytoplankton analysis, from  an index station in each of the three basins between
 1970 and 1980, indicates a reduction in total  phytoplankton biomass and a composition
 shift toward more oligotrophic species.  Several eutrophic species were less abundant
 in 1979 than in 1970 and two oligotrophic species were first observed in 1979 (Munawar
 1981).  Analysis of samples from the Kingsville water intake along the northern shore
 of western Lake Erie indicates a marked decline in algal biomass in recent years.  This
 apparent improvement along the Ontario shore has not been observed in the Michigan
 or Ohio nearshore  water.  This may be explained by the phosphorus decrease in the
 Detroit River outflow, which strongly influences the Ontario shore (Figure 2^), versus
 high  concentrations of phosphorus in  the Maumee  River  and other  tributaries which
 influence the United States shore.

      The  filamentous, epilithic green alga Cladophora glomerata is well-adapted to
 rocky littoral reaches of Lake  Erie, as evidenced by  its profuse growth.  This alga has
 been reported  in Lake  Erie  since the late 1800s, but in the past few decades it has
 become increasingly abundant.  Massive growths of  Cladophora  have created nuisance
 accumulations  and obnoxious odors along recreational shores.   It may also clog water
 intakes, foul fishing nets  and submerged structures, and impede navigation due  to
 growths on boat hulls.  Thomas (1975) suggests that the Cladophora starts to become a
 nuisance at phosphorus concentrations of 15 ug/1,  and it is only above this level that it
 interferes  with certain water uses, especially recreation and drinking water. Because
 of the high concentrations of  phosphorus in the nearshore waters of all three basins
 (Figure  26), the distribution and abundance  of  Cladophora  in Lake Erie  is largely
 limited by the  lack of suitable substrate.  The most extensive  growths of Cladophora
 are located in the eastern basin nearshore  and the islands region of  the western basin
 due  to  the  large areas of  exposed  bedrock.   The  distribution of Cladophora was
 quantified in all three basins of the lake during the Intensive Study. Five  sites were
 investigated including two in the  western basin (Stony Point, Michigan f- Site  1 and
 South Bass Island, Ohio — Site  2), one in the central basin (Walnut Creek^Pennsylvania
                                    -92-

-------
-- Site 3)  and two in the eastern basin (Hamburg, New York — Site  4  and Rathfon
Point, Ontario — Site 5).  The results of  surveys  conducted in 1979 and  1980 are
summarized below:

                Maximum Standing Crop of Cladophora in Lake Erie     -_
Year

1979
1980
Western
Site 1
(g/m2)
107
186
Basin
Site 2
(g/m2)
110
218
Central Basin
Site 3
(g/m2)
2H
59
Eastern
Site 4
(g/m2)
100
86
Basin
Site 5
(g/m2)
983*
—
•"results questionable

From the abundant growth observed along the Ontario shore of the eastern basin, it is
suspected that light attenuation is relatively small here when compared with the more
turbid waters of the western basin where light is a major limiting factor to Cladophora
growth.  Correspondingly, the depth of maximum growth was found to range from  0.5
meters for the western basin to 3.0 meter in the eastern basin.  The lack of sufficient
historical data preclude the establishment of biomss trends for this alga.

      Open laj
-------
through time.  Thus, a general improvement in the quality of water appears to be
occurring along the western shore of the river.

     The Livingstone Channel, which is  considered representative  ofrupper Great
Lakes water, showed significant decreases in  conductivity, ammonia, total  Kjeldahl
ntirogen,  total  organic  carbon, total phosphorus,  soluble  phosphorus,  phenols and
chloride.  No significant trends were  found for  temperature,  turbidity,  silica,  BOD,
organic nitrogen, nitrate plus nitrite or iron.  Again, a general improvement  in water
quality is indicated for mid-river flow.

     The Canadian  shore  of  the Detroit  River  shows significant decreases  in total
organic carbon, total phosphorus, soluble phosphorus, total coliforms and  phenols.  No
significant trends were observed for  temperature,  dissolved oxygen  (DO), turbidity,
TDS, silica, BOD, organic nitrogen, ammonia, total Kjeldahl nitrogen,  nitrate plus
nitrite,  iron or  chlorides.   Increases through time were observed for pH, conductivity,
and fecal coliforms.  Thus, while not as many parameter trends are significant at this
site than at the other two segments in  the Detroit  River, a general  improvement in
water quality can be ascertained by decreases  in major nutrient concentrations, total
coliforms, and phenols.

     Monroe, Michigan water intake data show only an increasing trend in phenols; all
other parameters of  interest  were  either  not  present in  the  data set or showed no
significant change.  Although the data set  is limited, the analyses of existing  nutrient
and major ion parameters indicates that water  quality at this site in the lake  may not
have changed significantly  within the period of record.

     Data from samples collected  at the mouth of  the  Maumee River (Toledo,  Ohio)
indicate  significant decreases in nitrate  and  total  phosphorus.  These  results may
reflect a decreased nutrient  load from the Maumee River watershed.  The data also
revealed decreasing trends in pH and alkalinity, suggesting that some acidification.
DO is decreasing while BOD  is increasing  through time, indicating an increase in the
amount of  biologically oxidizable organic  matter in the  Maumee River, estuary. DO
levels in the lower Maumee River frequently violate I3C water quality objectives.  No
significant trends were evident for  temperature,  conductivity, turW3Ity,  TDS, or
ammonia.
                                    -94-

-------
      Because of the estuarine conditions at the mouth of the Maumee River, samples
taken there may be poor indicators of Maumee River nutrient and sediment loads. It is
noteworthy that the Maumee  River carries about 38%  as much nitrate asrthe Detroit
                                             *}                       	„
River although its average discharge at  2200 m /sec is only 3% of the Detroit River
flow. Historical records for nitrate concentrations in the Maumee River  also show a
significant increase.

      Data collected from the Cleveland, Ohio Crown water intake from 1974 to 1980
indicated significant increases in temperature, alkalinity,  total organic carbon, and
fecal conforms, as well  as  significant decreases  in pH and turbidity.  No signficiant
trend was evident in DO, conductivity, nitrates, ammonia,  total  phosphorus,  or
chloride.  Thus the water quality at this location does not appear to be  changed greatly
over the period of record.

      Erie, Pennsylvania  water  intake  data  show  a significant decrease  in  pH,
alkalinity,  total and fecal coliforms,  iron, and  chloride values.  No significant trends
were evident for temperature or total phosphorus values.  The only parameters which
indicated an increase through time were DO and turbidity.

      Data from the Black Rock Canal at Buffalo, New York (discharge of the Buffalo
River) indicated a significant  increase in pH and  a significant  decrease in chlorides.
No other changes  were evident indicating no detectable  changes in water quality
parameters over the period of record (1969-1980). Decreasing  trends in pH, organic
nitrogen and chlorides were found for the Niagara River downstream  from the Black
Rock Canal.  Soluble phosphorus was the only parameter for which an increasing trend
was  discerned.   No  significant  trend could be  found for temperature,  alkalinity,
conductivity, turbidity, BOD, nitrates, ammonia, total coliforms, phenols, or iron. The
Niagara  River  at  Lake Ontario  showed  no significant increase or decrease in pH,
alkalinity, DO,  turbidity, organic nitrogen, nitrate, ammonia, total coliforms, or iron.
The only significant trends which could be discerned were an increase in temperature
and decreases in conductivity and chloride. Thus, in these respects, the Niagara River
system does not appear to have changed significantly during the last decade.
                                    -QS-

-------
Toxic Substances
     Toxic pollutants  are  introduced  to  Lake Erie through municipal and industrial
point  source   wastewater  discharges,   atmospheric  deposition,  and-*_urban  and
agricultural land runoff. In Lake  Erie, interlake transfer via the connected channels
(Detroit  and  Niagara  rivers)  can also  be a  significant  source of  contaminants.
Preliminary data indicate that  nine heavy meals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Mn, Hg, Ni, Ag and
Zn)  and  six  organic pollutants  (benzene,  chloroform, methylene  chloride,  bis [2
ethylexyl]  phthalate, tetrachloroethylene,  and  toluene) were  found  in nearly  all
effluents from major municipal wastewater treatment plants in  the  Lake Erie basin.
The  International Joint Commission (1979) has compiled an inventory  of the major
municipal and  industrial point source discharges to Lake Erie. The total annual load to
Lake Erie from these sources for four trace metals is summarized below:
                    Annual Trace Metals Loading to Lake Erie
             Metal    Municipal Sources         Industrial Sources
                        (metric tons)              (metric tons)
             Zn              228.2                    148.6

             Pb              50.7                     38.2

             Cu              50.7                     43.4

             Cd              15.2                      0.3

     Data from the 1979 main lake surface sediment survey indicate that some metals
are highly concentrated offshore from  tributary mouths  near major industrial areas.
Lead, nickel, copper,  silver,  vanadium,  mercury  (Figure  41), zinc, cadmium,  and
                                    -96-

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    MERCURY IN SURFACE SEDIMENT 1970
          (THOMAS AND JAQUET 1976)
    MERCURY IN SURFACE SEDIMENTS 1979
               (USEPA/GLNPO)
                                                LESS THAN  30°
                                                1000 - 2000


                                                GREATER THAN 2000
FIGURE ill.  COMPARISON OF MERCURY  CONCENTRATION IN 1.AKE ERIE
           SEDIMENTS FOR 1970 AND 1979.              —

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chromium show elevated levels offshore from the Detroit River.  Mercury (Figure
is also high along the Pennsylvania/New York shoreline.  Zinc and cadmium show high
concentrations off  Cleveland, Ohio and Eric, Pennsylvania.  Chromium, is  also high
near  Buffalo, New  York.   The  distribution of  metal  in  the  open  lake  sediments
indicated  highest mean concentrations  corresponding to the major depositional zones
particularly evident in the sink areas of the central and eastern basins. It is evident
that the western basin sediments are eventually  transported into the  adjoining basins
with the net movement from west to east.

      Drynan (1982) points out that combined sewer overflows are an  additional point
source of toxic substances for which little or no information is currently available.  It
is very difficult  to sample  and obtain flow  measurements  for  these highly variable
discharges in order to make estimates  of the  total  quantities  of  pollutants they
introduce  into the lakes. In some of the major metropolitan areas, such as Detroit and
Cleveland, with combined sewers these discharges may be significant, particularly  in
terms of local water quality impacts.  However, neither these contributions to total
pollutant loadings nor impacts to whole lake water quality have been quantified.

      With further  controls on point source discharges, it  is becoming increasingly
apparent that diffuse sources,  urban and agricultural land drainage,  and long range
atmospheric  transport  and  deposition  must be  given more consideration  in  water
quality management plans.  Although the quantification of atmospheric deposition of
trace  metals and  organic substances  to  Lake  Erie is hampered by  a  number of
problems,  Drynan (1982) concluded that it is possible to use approximations of wet and
dry components  to estimate total deposition.   His estimates for selected airborne
substances are summarized below:
                                    -98-

-------
               Annual Deposition of Airborne Substances in Lake Erie
Trace
Metal

Pb
Cu
Cd
Ni
Fe
Al
Mn
Zn

Metric
Tons

75*
151
75
75
3,270
*
*
*

Organic
Compound
Total PCB
Total DDT
a-BHC
Y-BHC
Dieldrin
HCB
p,p' Methoxychlor
a-Endosulfan
/3-Endosulfan
Total PAH
Metric
Tons
3.1
0.19
1.1
5.0
0.17
0.53
2.6
2.5
2.5
51.0
Organic
Compound
Anthracene
Phenanthrene
Pyrene
Benz(a) athracene
Perylene
Benzo(a) pyrene
DBP
DEHP
Total organic carbon

Metric
Tons
1.5
1.5
2.6
1.3
1.5
2.5
5.0
5.0
66,000

*Estimates not possible from available data


     Shipboard collection of aerosol samples was undertaken as part of the Lake Erie

Intensive Study to assess the contribution of atmospheric dry loading of aerosol trace

elements and nutrients to the  lake (Sievering 1982).  Preliminary estimates of loading

to Lake Erie are summarized below:
                  Annual Atmospheric Dry Loading to Lake Erie
Element
Pb
Zn
Cd
Cu
Metric Tons
   4-9
   75-175
   4-9
   3-7
Element
Metric Tons
Cr
Ni
SO,
5-12
4-8
30,000-70,000
The range in values shown are considered to be the 25% and 75% confidence limits of

these estimates.


     Sediment cores taken at the mouth of the Detroit River and in western Lake Erie

in 1971 yielded surface mercury values up to 3.8 ppm and generally decreased in
                                    _qq-

-------
concentration  exponentially  with  depth (Figure  41).   High  surface  values were
attributed to waste discharge from chlor-alkali  plants on the Detroit and St. Clair
rivers which operated during the period 1950 to 1970.  Several years aftet these plants
ceased operation the area was again cored with analyses showing that retent deposits
covered the highly contaminated sediment with a thin layer of new material which had
nrercury concentrations approaching background levels (0.1 ppm). As a result of these
discharges, mercury in fish of  Lake St. Clair  and western  Lake Erie  was a major
contaminant  problem  in  the early  1970s.   Levels  of total  mercury  in  walleye
(Stizostedion vitreum  vitreum) collected from Lake St. Clair have declined from over
2 ug/g in 1970  to 0.5 ug/g  in 1980.  In western Lake Erie,  1968 levels of mercury were
0.84 ug/g as compared to only 0.31 ug/g in 1976.  The rapid environmental response
subsequent to  the cessation  of  the point  source discharges  at Sarnia, Ontario  and
Wyandott, Michigan can be attributed to rapid flushing of the St. Clair-Detroit River
system, the high load of suspended sediment delivered to western Lake  Erie, and the
high rate of productivity in the western basin (International Joint Commission 1981).

     Fish contaminant surveys  of Lake Erie and its tributaries  in the  late 1970s
indicate  few  contamination  problems, and these are  usually associated with  site
specific areas.  The highest concentration and the greatest  number of organochlorine
contaminants in fish samples  were found in the River Raisin  and the Maumee River.
Excessive concentrations (i.e.  1.0 ppm for  pesticides, 5.0 ppm for  total  PCBs) of the
following  contaminants were  found: a-BHC (Ashtabula River) and total PCBs (River
Raisin, Maumee River, and Sandusky River).  All other contaminants  were  at  low
concentrations (less than 1.0 ppm).  Levels of PCB and DDT in spottail  shiners
(Notropis hudsonius) and in herring gull (Larus argentatus) eggs have declined in the
past decade, illustrating a system-wide response  to controls on  production and use of
these compounds.  PCB levels in shiners at Point Pelee, Ontario,  dropped from  844
ng/g in 1975 to 150 ng/g in 1980 while during the same period DDT fell from 92 to 21
ng/g. At Port Colborne, Ontario, gull eggs showed similar  declines in PCB and  DDT
residues, but of a lesser magnitude (International Joint Commission 1981).

Public Health
     Bacteria contaminated wastewater inputs to the lake pose  a direct health hazard
near metropolitan  centers such as Port Clinton, Lorain, Cleveland, Dunkirk, Buffalo,
                                    -100-

-------
Port Stanley,  and Port  Burwell.   As seen below,  studies by USEPA/GLNPO show
approximately 16% of all beaches along the Lake Erie shore were either permanently
or  temporarily  restricted from use, particularly  for  water  contact _ recreational
activities, during the period 1978-1981:                                -


 —                      Lake Erie Recreational Beaches
Beaches Temporarily Beaches
Beaches Closed or Permanently
Jurisdiction Monitored Restricted Closed
Michigan 7
Ohio 52
Pennsylvania 40
New York 26
Ontario 4
0
8
1
5
2
0
4
0
0
0
     In the past decade, significant progress has been made  in removing bacterial
contamination from the shoreline.  In the late 1960s, 11 bathing beaches on the United
States  side of the lake  were posted unsafe  because  of high bacterial contamination.
Another  12 beaches  were  deemed  as  questionable because  of moderate bacterial
pollution and 27 were considered generally safe with only slight pollution.  Only  three
beaches were  found to  be uncontaminated throughout the swimming season (FWPCA
1968b). By contrast,  the above data show that over 100 beaches are now safe.  For
example, in the late 1970s the beach at Sterling  State Park (near Monroe, Michigan),
after  a  20-year closure,  was  reopened  when  coliform  bacteria  levels reached
compliance for  body  contact recreation.   The  major bacterial problems that still
persist are often associated  with storm water overflows, such  as at Cleveland, Ohio
where  heavy  flows are  delivered directly to the  Cuyahoga River, contaminating the
nearshore waters surrounding the metropolitan area.
                                    -101-

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Land Use Activities
     The United States portion of the Lake Erie basin includes 12.5 million acres (5.1
million hectares), of which over half is cropland. In the western portion of the basin,
nearly 70 percent of the land is cropland.  The soils of this area are favofable for row
crop production with corn and soybeans dominating cropland  usage.  The  U.S. Army
Corps of Engineer's  Lake Erie Wastewater Management Study (Yaksich 1982) showed
that the effect of  land use  activities on water  quality is  a complex relationship,
although the following generalizations were confirmed and recommendations proposed:

     1.  The rivers which drain into western and central Lake Erie are hydrologically
         active  throughout their entire  watersheds and  contribute diffuse  loads  of
         phosphorus to the lake.

     2.  The mean ratio of total phosphorus to suspended solids in northwestern Ohio
         streams was 2.17 g/kg.  Of this total, 25% was soluble phosphorus, which
         was readily available for algal growth, and 75% was particulate phosphorus,
         which is partially available.  In general,  higher concentrations of suspended
         solids resulted in lower phosphorus to suspended solids ratios.

     3.  Particulate and soluble phosphorus  entering stream  systems  disappears
         rapidly from  flowing  water; however,  it is  resuspended and  transported
         downstream as particulate phosphorus during later storm events.  Therefore,
         the process of transporting phosphorus from basin cropland to Lake Erie may
         require a considerable period of time.

     4.  The western basin and southwestern portion  of the central  basin of Lake
         Erie have  algal growth problems which will require phosphorus reductions in
         addition to those being provided (or projected) by point source removal.  A
         program  for  control  of  phosphorus  from  diffuse sources is therefore
         recommended  which has the lowest  cost per unit quantity  of  phosphorus
         stopped from reaching the lake.  Conservation tillage on suitable  soils is the
         most cost-effective  means of reducing sediment phosphorus  loads to Lake
         Erie.                                                       -
                                    -102-

-------
5.   The  implementation  of a  conservation  tillage program could ultimately
    achieve a 2,000 mt/yr  reduction in total phosphorus loading to Lake  Erie.
    The  Great Lakes Water Quality  Agreement of 1978 calls for an additional
    target phosphorus reduction for  Lake  Erie of  2,000 metric tons  per  year
    beyond  the  achievement  of a  1.0 mg/1  effluent  concentration for  all
    municipal wastewater treatment plants currently  discharging more than 1
    million gallons per  day. The United States portion of  this reduction should
    be 1,700 mt/yr.  A conservation  tillage program will  more  than reach this
    goal at a benefit/cost ratio of 10:1.

6.   A new  base-year  tributary phosphorus  load  to Lake  Erie should  be
    recognized; inclusion of tributary  monitoring data from  1978-1980 in the
    computation gives a base-year total phosphorus load of 16,455 mt/yr.  When
    the 1.0 mg/1 effluent limitation has been achieved  the total  phosphorus load
    to Lake  Erie will be 15,025 mt/yr.  At that time an additional phosphorus
    reduction of 4,025 mt/yr (not 2,000 mt/yr as  stated above) will be  required
    to meet the  11,000 metric tons per year total loading objective of the Water
    Quality Agreement. The United States  allocation of this reduction objective
    should be approximately 2,800 mt/yr.  To reach this reduction objective, an
    additional 770 mt/yr  in reductions  beyond the Agreement program  must be
    achieved  through  point  source  controls  beyond  the  1.0  mg/1  effluent
    limitation.   This  would cost an   estimated $5  million  annually.    The
    benefit/cost ratio of a conservation tillage  program is 17:1 compared to a
    program requiring  the entire  reduction  to  be  achieved by  point source
    control.

7.   Relatively small amounts of agricultural pesticides reach water bodies via
    runoff (normally less than  2% of  the  application or  as high  as 6% after
    intense  rainfall).  Pesticides generally  used in the Lake Erie basin are not
    inhibitory to invertebrates or fish at runoff  concentrations; however, algae
    and  aquatic  macrophytes may be inhibited  at stream concentrations.   The
    increased usage of pesticides with conservation tillage is  not expected to
    result in increased pesticide  runoff  since  erosion and runoff would  be
    decreased.                                                 ~
                               -103-

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Lake Responses to Remedial Actions
     The water from  Lake Erie sustains the  vast industrial complex which extends
from Detroit to Buffalo. Water returned to the lake is highly enriched by municipal,
agricultural,  and  industrial waste products.   Studies conducted  in  the_late 1920s
revealed that the lake  was already moderately rich in nutrients and was experiencing
phytoplankton blooms  in  its western  basin.  Adjacent to  the Detroit River  mouth,
pollution-sensitive mayflies were being replaced by tubificid worms.  By the mid-1950s
thermal  stratification  was resulting in oxygen  depletion  in  the  bottom water  and
mayfly nymphs suffered catastrophic mortality.   The concentration of all the major
ions, including nutrients such  as phosphorus and nitrogen, showed  a marked increase
during this period of time.

     In the early 1960s Lake  Erie  gained the reputation as a "dead lake"  with its
western basin the consistency of "pea soup" due to dense algal mats which left green
wakes behind motorboats.   Most municipal beaches were closed owing to high coliform
bacteria counts or were  rendered  unusable  by  reeking  masses of  decaying algae
(largely Cladophora glomerata). One of its major tributaries, the Cuyahoga River, was
so polluted by industrial wastes that it periodically caught fire. Anoxia in the  central
basin had caused the extirpation of virtually all cold-water fish species, and detergent
foam at the eastern end of the lake resulted in  a disgusting spectacle in the plunge
pool of Niagara Falls.

     The concept of nutrient control  for Lake Erie appears to have had its origin in
1965,  when the  U.S.  Department  of  Health, Education  and Welfare  convened a
conference on  the pollution of Lake  Erie and its  tributaries under the authority
granted in the Water Pollution Control Act of 1961.  One of the recommendations
forthcoming from  the conference  was  that a "technical committee" be established to
evaluate water  quality problems  related  to  nutrients in Lake Erie and  to make
recommendations to the conferees. In  late 1965, the Lake Erie Enforcement Technical
Committee was formally established to explore the problems related to nutrients and
over-enrichment of Lake Erie.   The committee received information and advice from
leading authorities in water-oriented disciplines.  After a year of study, a final report
was issued which  concluded that  the major  pollution problems in Lake Erie result
directly or indirectly from excess algae and that these growths  are Stimulated by
nutrients resulting from human  activities.
                                    -104-

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     The  technical  committee  recommended  that  water  quality  objectives  be
established that would prevent nuisance algae conditions, particularly by lowering the
phosphate and nitrogen levels in the lake.  The committee further recommended that
new treatment processes be developed and employed to effect high phosphate removal.
Based on these recommendations the Federal Water Pollution Control  Administration
(FWPCA), later the Federal Water Quality Administration (FWQA), and more recently
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as state and local agencies, have
embarked on a program to control the  flow of nutrients and toxic substances to Lake
Erie.  The necessity  for this control was reinforced by  findings of  the International
Joint Commission, resulting in the Canada-United States Water Quality Agreements of
1972 and 1978.

     Nature of remedial actions. Today Lake Erie is beginning to respond to massive
clean-up efforts started two decades ago.  New sewage treatment  plants have been
constructed  throughout the  drainage  basin and  old  plants  have been modified to
remove  phosphates through tertiary treatment. Industries have been forced to reduce
waste loads to the lake or in some  instances cease operation, as in the case of chlor-
alkali plants which discharged excessive amounts of waste mercury.   Production and
use of several toxic organic compounds have been banned. Agricultural practices are
being modified to  lessen soil loss to tributaries and to reduce fertilizer  and pesticide
requirements. The more significant actions include the following:

      1.   Detergent Modifications
          During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the province  of Ontario and all of the
          Great Lakes states, with the exception of Ohio and Pennsylvania, enacted
          legislation  limiting  the   amount  of  phosphorus  permitted  in  household
          detergents. A concentration of 0.5%  phosphorus is permitted in the United
          States  and 2.2%  in  Canada.   In  Ohio, where  no  controls  are in effect,
          phosphorus concentrations of 5.5% are typical.

     2.   Point source controls
          The most significant improvement in lowering phosphorus delivery to Lake
          Erie has been made  in the loading from  point sources.   The" point  source
          loading has decreased from 11,900 mt/yr in 1970 to 4,500 mt/yr in 1980, as a

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          result of the implementation of phosphorus effluent  limitations to 1.0 mg/1
          at wastewater treatment plants (Yaksich  1982).  In  1971, total  phosphorus
          loading from  the Detroit River accounted for 67% of the total load to the
          lake; by 1980, improvements in treatment had lowered this to_37% (Table
  I       15).                                                       :

     3.   Soil conservation
          The practice  of conservation tillage has expanded rapidly in the Lake Erie
          basin throughout the last decade.  In the early 1970s little conservation
          tillage was in use,  but by 1981, reduced tillage was being practiced on 22%
          of the basin's cropland,  and no tillage was used on  4%.  Besides changing
          tillage,  several  other   agricultural  practices  (e.g.  method  of fertilizer
          application, pesticide usage, planting  techniques, and  establishing  green-
          belts along streams) have been altered, resulting in  less soil loss and some
          reduction of phosphorus deliver to the lake.

     4.   Fishery management
          Several fish species have been extirpated from Lake  Erie as a result of
          environmental changes, over-exploitation, or a combination of these factors.
          Prudent management programs,  such  as the  suspension  of  commercial
          fishing for selected species, have enhanced  the population of  sport  fish.
          Commercial  and   recreational  harvests,   environmental  changes   and
          management  programs  will  continue  to affect the  fish community as  a
          whole.  To a large extent, the structure of Lake Erie's fish community in the
          future will depend to a  large degree on public perception of what structure
          would be most economically  advantageous.

     Positive responses. Annual  monitoring programs  initiated in the early  1970s,
coupled with  observations during  the 1978-1979 Intensive  Study,  are beginning to
provide some evidence of water quality improvement and possible  lake recovery.   The
first signs of  a positive response to remedial programs have not been dramatic, but
considering that the  pollution  of the lake also took place over many decades, a rapid
recovery should not be  expected.  Some of the most promising indicators of improved
lake conditions are presented  below.   Cause and effect relationships for all of these
                                    -106-

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changes  are  not well understood nor  can these changes be attributed  to  specific
remedial actions:

      1.   Lake Levels
 "            Water levels in Lake Erie during the  past decade have  averaged 0.5 m
 ~~        above the 1960-1970 levels.  The difference between the lowest  year (1964)
          and the  highest year (1973) was  1.1 m, an increase of approximately 7% in
          volume.  The dilution effect of more upper Great Lakes water flowing into
          Lake Erie,  coupled  with greater submergence of algal  attachment sites, is
          thought  to  be  partially responsible for  the  absence  of basin-wide algal
          blooms and  massive growths of the filamentous algae, Cladophora, that were
          so prevalent in the mid-1960s.

      2.   Dissolved Substances
              Nearshore records for the period 1900 to 1960 in central Lake Erie show
          dramatic increases  in conductivity, chloride,  calcium,  sulfate,  and sodium
          plus potassium  (Beeton 1961  and  1965).  From 1966 to 1980 conductivity
          (Figure  20)  values  indicate  a  decline  in the  total amount of  dissolved
          substances in central Lake Erie, falling approximately 8% during  this period.
          Chloride (Figure 20) shows a more dramatic improvement, dropping about
          26% from a concentration of 25.0 mg/1 in 1966 to 18.4  mg/1 in 1979. Much
          of this decline can be attributed to elimination of waste  brine pollution from
          the Grand River near  Painesville, Ohio in the early 1970s.  In  the eastern
          basin, Presque  Isle  Bay at Erie, Pennsylvania,  has experienced a  marked
          decrease in alkalinity  (largely bicarbonate ions) falling from 96 ppm in 1945
          to 87 ppm in 1978.  Other conservative ions (i.e. calcium, sodium, and sulfate)
         have ceased  to increase in the lake and have remained relatively stable over
         the past decade.

    3.   Phosphorus Loading
             Loading of total phosphorus  to Lake  Erie declined markedly during the
         past decade.   The 1971 loading to the entire  lake, from all sources except
         shore  erosion, was approximately  18,800  metric  tons.   By  1980,  the  total
         phosphorus  load  had decreased to an estimated  13,500 metric tons.   The

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    Detroit River, which supplies about 90% of the inflowing water to Lake Erie,
    has shown a remarkable  improvement;  phosphorus  loadings decreased  60%
    during the same period, primarily as a result of improvements to the Detroit
    wastewater treatment plant.                                 -~

        In the early 1970s, the concentration of phosphorus in influent wastewater
    to municipal treatment plants averaged  about  10  mg/1  within the Lake  Erie
    drainage basin and the  mean effluent concentration was  approximately 7 mg/1.
    By 1980, many plants had installed phosphorus removal systems which resulted
    in an  average  effluent concentration of 1.6 mg/1  for all Ohio  plants and
    concentrations as low as 0.6 mg/1  for the Detroit  sewage treatment plant in
    1982 (Drynan 1982).

4.   Phosphorus Concentrations
        Concentrations of  total phosphorus in western Lake  Erie have not declined
    as noticeably as  loadings, but some improvement has  been documented for the
    north  shore  of  the western basin  (Figure  31).   Elsewhere  in the  lake
    concentration have been relatively stable  since  1970.   If  the  monitored
    phosphorus  concentration  decreases  are representative of the  total  load
    coming from that source,  the lake water quality should eventually improve
    with diminished concentrations of phosphorus and chlorophyll.

5.   Hypolimnion Oxygen
        In  the  central basin  of  Lake  Erie, the  rate  of  hypolimnetic oxygen
    depletion more than doubled between 1930 and the mid-1970's.  In 1930, the
    volumetric rate  has been estimated at 0.054 mg/l/day (Dobson and Gilbertson
    1971),  while  in  1974 it was measured at 0.130 mg/l/day.   During the same
                                                                            2
    period the area of the basin subjected to anoxic conditions rose from 300 km
    in 1930 to 10,250 km in 1974.  Cruises conducted from 1980 to 1982 show that
    the demand rate has dropped to  an average of 0.101  mg/l/day and the area of
                                     2
    anoxia has been reduced to 4,870 km .
                               -108-

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6.   Toxic Metals and Organic Compounds
         Sediment cores taken  at  the  mouth of the Detroit River and in western
    Lake Erie  in  1971 yielded surface mercury concentrations up  to 3.8 ppm
    (Walter et  al.  1974)  and  generally decreased exponentially with depth to
    background concentrations of less  than  0.1  ppm.  High surface values were
    attributed to waste discharge  during the  period 1950 to 1970 from chlor-alkali
    plants on the Detroit and St.  Clair rivers.  In 1977, several  years after these
    plants ceased operation the  area was  again cored.   Analyses showed that
    recent deposits  were covering the highly contaminated sediment with a thin
    layer  of   new  material   which  had mercury  concentrations  approaching
    background levels (Wilson and Walters 1978).

         Mercury in fish of  Lake St.  Clair  and western Lake  Erie was a major
    contaminant problem in the early  1970s.  Levels of total mercury in walleye
    (Stizostedion vitreum  vitreum)  collected from  Lake St. Clair have declined
    from over 2 ug/g in 1970 to 0.5 ug/g in 1980.  In western Lake Erie, 1968 levels
    of mercury were 0.84 ug/g  as compared to only 0.31 ug/g in 1976 (International
    3oint Commission  1981). The  rapid environmental response subsequent to the
    cessation  of the  point source discharges at Sarnia,  Ontario and Wyandott,
    Michigan can be attributed to rapid flushing of  the St.  Clair-Detroit  River
    system and the high load  of  suspended  sediment delivered to western Lake
    Erie.

         Levels of  PCB and DDT in spottail shiners (Notropis  hudsonius)  and in
    herring gull (Larus argentatus)  eggs  have  declined in  the past decade,
    illustrating a system-wide  response to controls on production and use of these
    compounds.  PCB  levels in shiners at Point Pelee dropped from  844  ng/g in
    1975 to 150 ng/g in 1980 while during the same period DDT fell from 92 to 21
    ng/g (International  3oint  Commission  1981).   At Port  Colborne, gull eggs
    showed similar declines in PCB and DDT residues, but lesser in magnitude.

7.   Algal Density and  Composition
         The basin-wide  blooms  of  planktonic  blue-green algae  (Microcystis,
    Aphanizomenon  and Anabaena) in western Lake Erie and massive growths of an
                                -109-

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    attached, filamentous green  algae  (Cladophora glomerata) which were  so
    prevalent in the mid-1960s, have  decreased in  intensity  and number in  the
    1970s. No basin-wide blooms  have been reported in recent years.  Open lake
    phytoplankton analysis between  1970 and 1980 indicates a reduction in total
    phytoplankton biomass  and a composition  shift  toward  more  oligotrophic
    species.  Eutrophic species (i.e. Melosira granulata, Stephanodiscus tenius and
    S. niagara) were less abundant in  1979 than in 1970, and  oligotrophic species
    (i.e.  Dinobryon divergens and  Ochromonas  scintillans) were first observed in
    1979 (International Joint Commission 1981;  Munawar  1981).

8.   Benthic Communities
        The   composition  of  the benthic  macroinvertebrate  communities  of
    western  Lake  Erie has improved since 1967.  Samples taken in 1979, when
    compared with  1967 data, showed  that  the bottom is  still  dominated  by
    pollution tolerant tubificids (i.e. Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri, L.  cervix and  L.
    maumeensis); however, other  less  tolerant taxa of tubificids (i.e. Peloscolex
    spp.) were also common.  The density of tubific worms declined sharply at the
                                                       2                    2
    mouth of the  Detroit River between  1967 (13,000/m ) and  1979 (2,400/m ),
    while the number at the  mouth of  the Maumee River has remained constant.
    Midge (Chironomidae) larvae represented only 6% of  the western basin benthic
    population in  1967  but  rose to  20%  by  1979  (Ontario Ministry of  the
    Environment 1981), replacing some  of the tubificids.

        A modest reestablishment of  the  burrowing mayfly (Hexagenia limbata)
    has been observed at the mouth of  the  Detroit River and adjacent areas of
    western Lake Erie.  This species was extirpated from the western basin in the
    mid-1950s following  periods of anoxia  in this normally unstratified  portion of
    the lake.  Prior to  1953,  bottom sediments yielded about  400 nymphs  per
    square meter in the  Bass Islands region (Britt 1956 and 1973).  Following the
    catastrophic kills of  the 1950s, no Hexagenia nymphs were found in  Lake Erie
    sediments for over  20 years.   In  1979, 20 nymphs  were collected near  the
    mouth of the Detroit River (Ontario Ministry of the Environment 1981) and for
    the past several years a small  emergence of adults has been observed on South
    Bass Island.
                               -1 in-

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     9.   Fishery
              The annual sport angler harvest of fish in the Ohio waters of Lake Erie
          has increased from 5.2 million kg in 1975 to 7.3 million kg in 1952, an increase
          of 40% (Ohio Division of Wildlife 1983). During this eight-year period, yellow
          perch (Perca  flavescens) harvests rose  from 3.7  million kg to 5.5  million kg,
  _       while walleye (Stizostedion vitreum  vitreum) production jumped from 0.5
          million kg to 1.4  million kg.    The  increased walleye production has  been
          attributed  to   good   young-of-the-year   recruitment  and   international
          management  approaches to control sport and  commercial harvests.   The
          abundance of walleye within western  Lake Erie  also increased dramatically
          from 1970 to  1982. During the 1960s and early 1970s the "fishable" population
          of walleye, 14.5 inches (36.8 cm) in length and  larger, was estimated at or
          below two million individuals. In 1982, the fishable population in western  Lake
          Erie was estimated at over 25 million walleye (Ohio Division of Wildlife 1983).

     10.  Bathing Beaches
              In 1967,  11  Lake Erie  bathing beaches on the United States side of the
          lake  were posted unsafe because of  high bacterial  contamination (FWPCA
          1968b).  Another 12 beaches were deemed as questionable because of moderate
          bacterial pollution and  27  were  considered generally safe with  only slight
          pollution.   In  1967, only  3  beaches were  found  to  be  uncontaminated
          throughout the swimming season. By contrast, in 1981, only 4 beaches  were
          closed throughout the year, 8 were open for restricted use and 76 were open as
          safe, uncontaminated beaches.

     Continuing and emerging problems.  The only major open  water quality objective
for which compliance has not been met is dissolved oxygen of the hypolimnion in central
Lake Erie. The Water Quality Agreement calls  for year-round aerobic conditions.  The
attempt  to  control anoxia in Lake  Erie  has  been through  the  implementation  of
secondary and tertiary treatment  at United States municipal sewage plants,  phosphorus
removal to 1.0 mg/1 at sewage treatment plants larger than  1 mgd in the Lake Erie basin,
limitations on phosphorus in detergents, and control of diffuse source inputs.' The target
load  for these phosphorus controls is  11,000 mt/yr as determined by the mathematical
models of DeToro and Connolly (1980).

-------
     The 1978 Water  Quality Agreement requires the development of new phosphorus
target loads and the allocation of these loads between Canada and the United States.  As
part of  this negotiation process, base phosphorus loadings ("base loads") were developed
for-the  lower  Great  Lakes.   The base load for Lake Erie, which is an estimate of the
expected phosphorus load to the lake  if the  phosphorus concentrations in all municipal
wastewater discharges were  at 1.0 mg/1 and if average conditions existed for land runoff,
atmospheric, and upstream  inputs, is established at  12,856 mt/yr (International Joint
Commission 1981).    The Lake  Erie  Wastewater  Management  Study (Yaksich  1982),
however, recommends  that a new  base-year load of 16,455  mt/yr be accepted based on
1978-1980 tributary loading data (see Land Use Activities section).

     In the nearshore regions  of Lake Erie,  several areas  were found  not to be in
compliance with  Water Quality  Agreement objectives. Table  18 provides a  list  of
violations for specific  areas of concern.  The following general problem regions have ben
identified:

     1.  Ohio and  Michigan nearshore regions of western Lake Erie, particularly in the
         vicinity of  major  harbors, had persistent violations of  DO, ammonia, fecal
         coliforms, total phosphorus, and several trace metals.

     2.  Ohio and  Pennsylvania nearshore regions of central Lake Erie, particularly at
         the  major river mouths, have persistent  violations of conductivity  and the
         three trace metals, cadmium, copper, and zinc.

     3.  Pennsylvania and  New  York nearshore regions of  eastern  Lake  Erie were
         relatively  free  of violations except for  Erie Harbor where fecal coliform
         numbers were high in late summer.

     4.  Ontario nearshore regions throughout the lake were generally  in compliance
         with only  minor violations at tributaries and ports.

     Emerging problems are difficult to assess, particularly with lack of comprehensive
data on the nature of toxic organic compounds in the water, sediment ancTbiota of Lake
Erie.   Problems  associated  with  toxic  compounds are most  likely to emerge in  the

-------
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-------
nearshore  waters,  especially  harbors  such as  Monroe,  Toledo,  Lorain,  Cleveland,
Ashtabula, Erie, and Buffalo, where preliminary indications have been observed.

    - Another problem of a totally different  nature may also present itself by the end of
the "decade.  Lake  Erie sport  fish production is  at  an all-time  high.  This production,
primarily in the western basin and along the  south shore of the central basin, is nurtured
by high nutrient concentrations and  associated  primary/secondary  productivity.   As
phosphorus controls become more and  more effective in limiting algal production, which
is needed to reduce the anoxic region of the central basin hypolimnion, the food for  such
important fish species as walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum)  and yellow perch (Perca
flavescens) may be eroded.  As the  1980s proceed, it will become increasingly important
to consider  the balance between  western  basin  fish  production  and  central  basin
hypolimnion oxygen content.
                                     -1 ifi-

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                               RECOMMENDATIONS
   ~ During the 1970s Lake Erie reached stable conditions and in the early 1980s it has
shown signs of improvement:  nutrient loadings are declining, phosphorus concentrations
in the lake are dropping, some sources of contamination by toxic substances are being
checked, levels of contaminants in lake sediments and biota are subsiding, "clean water"
forms of plankton and benthos are showing modest signs of recovery, and fish populations
are rebounding. However, cause and effect relationships of all of these changes are not
obvious,  most of the  improvements  have  been small, and  for  many parameters,
conclusive  trends have yet to be established.  Nonetheless, evidence for improvement is
beginning to  mount  and it is becoming obvious  to  scientists, fishermen  and  shoreline
dwellers alike  that Lake  Erie is recovering.   The extent of future improvements will
depend on continuing efforts to control loading of nutrients and toxic substances to the
lake,   particularly  those  associated   with   industrial  and  agricultural  practices.
Surveillance of Lake Erie  water,  biota, and sediment conditions must continue if we are
to establish clear relationships between remedial actions and lake quality.

     The 1978-1979 Lake Erie Intensive Study has provided the most comprehensive set
of  data available for Lake Erie.   However,  many questions remain unanswered,
particularly in reference to the loading of toxic substances to  the  lake and its ecological
impact.  Many cause and effect relationships in the lake are poorly understood as are
effects  of  specific remedial  actions.   To improve  our understanding of this  complex
system  and to eventually improve  the quality of Lake Erie  the  following surveillance
activities, remedial actions, evaluations, and special studies are recommended:

Surveillance
     1.  A comprehensive surveillance  for Lake  Erie should  be conducted on an annual
         basis and should contain the following components:  a) main lake, b) nearshore
         areas of concern, c) water intakes, d) tributaries and connecting channels, e)
         point sources, f) atmospheric deposition, g) beaches,  and h) bio-monitoring.
                                     -117-

-------
2.  Main lake surveillance should  be conducted  in spring,  summer and  fall to
    determine a)  the  seasonal  concentration  and quantity of nutrients  in  each
    basin, b) the oxygen depletion rate and area of anoxia in the central basin, and
    c) seasonal biomass, including Cladophora.                      ~—

3.  Nearshore areas of concern should be stressed in an annual monitoring program
    owing to the fact that these areas are the most highly impacted (or potentially
    impacted) areas within the lake, particularly in terms of toxic substances.

4.  Water  intake  monitoring  should be integrated into the nearshore surveillance
    effort at areas of concern.

5.  Because of  the increasing importance of diffuse source loading to Lake  Erie,
    surveillance of major tributaries and connecting channels should be expanded
    to include both periodic and event sampling (i.e. Detroit, Raisin, Maumee,
      Sandusky,  Black,  Rocky,  Cuyahoga,  Grand  of  Ohio,  Ashtabula, Buffalo,
      Grand of Ontario and Niagara rivers).

 6.   Point  sources,   particularly   wastewater treatment  plants,  should  be
      monitored  routinely to ascertain compliance with Water Quality Agreement
      objectives.

 7.   Atmospheric deposition (wet and dry) monitoring should be continued within
      the Lake Erie drainage basin.

 8.   Because of the obvious public health  hazards, Lake Erie bathing beaches
      should be  monitored for bacterial  contamination throughout the summer
      season.

 9.   Bio-monitoring programs should be expanded to detect  a wider array of
      toxic substances  in Lake Erie biota (e.g. young-of-the-year spottail  shiners
      and Cladophora).
                                -118-

-------
      10.  Future  intensive  studies  should  not be  necessary  if  a flexible  annual
          surveillance plan is adopted  which is reviewed and modified each year to
          address continuing and emerging problems.

Remedial Actions
      1.   The  agricultural  community should  be  encouraged  to adopt conservation
          tillage or no-tillage practices on  all suitable  soils  within the Lake Erie
          drainage basin.

      2.   As specified in  the Water Quality Agreement of 1978, actions should be
          taken to ensure that all  municipal  wastewater treatment plants within the
          Lake Erie drainage basin which discharge in excess of 1 mgd are operated so
          that  total  phosphorus  concentrations in their  effluents  do  not exceed  a
          maximum concentration of 1.0 mg/1.

      3.   States not  presently  limiting  the  amount of  phosphorus in  household
          detergents should enact legislation which permits no more than 0.5% P.

      4.   Special efforts should be undertaken to identify and control sources of toxic
          substances, including in situ toxicant sources from sediments.

      5.   Education programs should be developed  for specific  land use activities (i.e.
          agri-business, urban development,  industry,  recreation) to foster  pollution
          control.

      6.   If the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers calculations for base load  are correct,
          then  there needs to be an intensified effort to identify cost effective means
          of reducing phosphorus loads, beyond the  present goals.

Evaluation
      1.   Future evaluations of water quality violations should  be related to impaired
          use of the lake (e.g. beaches,  water supply, fishery)
                                    -119-

-------
     2.   The Lake Erie surveillance plan should be reviewed and evaluated annually
          to  ascertain  if  it  is providing  the  necessary information  for  designing
          effective management actions.

     3.   Before new surveillance plans  are  developed,  a careful evaluation of past
 -        data and  statistical  techniques should  be undertaken to  more  clearly
          understand apparent trends, or lack  thereof, in lake conditions and biota.

     4.   Once new surveillance programs are  implemented they should be reviewed
          annually to determine their effectiveness in evaluating remedial programs.

Special Studies
     1.   Studies should be continued to determine the ecological impact to  Lake Erie
          of herbicide and  insecticide runoff from conservation tillage cropland.

     2.   Studies should be  continued  to determine the relative availability  of the
          various forms of  phosphorus for biological productivity.

     3.   Studies should be initiated to determine the role of hypolimnetic phosphorus
          regeneration and wave resuspension  as a mechanism for internal loading.

     In order for any of these recommendations to be fully effective, it is important
that an international body (i.e. International  Joint  Commission) assume a leadership
role in planning, organizing,  and securing funds to implement those actions  which are
deemed necessary to enhance the quality of  the Great Lakes.  A greater degree of
cooperation is required among federal and state agencies,  research institutions and
resource  users  to  effect  the  recovery  of  Lake  Erie.    The  International  Joint
Commission has a key role  in fostering such cooperation.

-------
                                 REFERENCES
Be&ton, A.M.   1961.  Environmental changes in Lake  Erie.  Trans. Ame'r. Fish. Soc.
  ~   90(2): 153-159.

Beeton, A.M.   1965.  Eutrophication of the St. Lawrence Great Lakes.  Limnol. and
     Oceanogr. 10(2):2*0-25
-------
Dobson, H.H. and  M. Gilbertson.  1971.  Oxygen depletion in the hypolimnion of the
     central basin of Lake Erie.  Proc. 14th Conf. Great Lakes  Res., Internat. Assoc.
     Great Lakes Res. 1971: 743-748.

Dr-ynan, W.R.  1982.  Pollution inputs to the Great Lakes.  Oceans '82 Conference
     Proceedings, Washington D.C. September 22, 1982. p. 1168-1172.

Federal Water  Pollution Control  Administration.  1968a.  Lake Erie environmental
     summary: 1963-1964. U.S. Dept. Interior, FWPCA. 107 p.

Federal Water Pollution Control Administration.  1968b.  Lake Erie report: a plan for
     water pollution control.  FWPCA, Great Lakes Region. 107 p.

Fish, C.I.  and  Associates.  1960.  Limnological  survey of eastern and central  Lake
     Erie, 1928-1929.  U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv., Spec.  Sci. Rept. - Fisheries No. 334.
     198 p.

Frazer, A.S. and K.E. Willson.   1981.  Loading estimates to  Lake Erie 1967-1976.
     National Water Research Institute, CCIW, Sci. Ser. 120. 23 p.

Hartley, R.P. and C.P. Potos.  1971.  Algal-temperature-nutritional relationships and
     distribution in Lake Erie 1968.  U.S. Environ. Protection Agency.  87 p.

Herdendorf, C.E.  1970.  Lake Erie physical limnology cruise, midsummer 1967.  Ohio
     Div. Geol. Survey Rept. Invest. 79. 77 p.

Herdendorf, C.E. (ed.)  1980.  Lake Erie nutrient control program: an assessment of its
     effectiveness  in controlling  lake eutrophication.    U.S.  Environ. Protection
     Agency Pub. No. EPA-600/3-80-062. 354 p.

Herdendorf, C.E. 1982.  Large lakes of the world. 3. Great Lakes Research 8(3):379-
     412.
                                    -122-

-------
In- ternational 3oint Commission.   1979.  Inventory of  major municipal and industrial
      point source  dischargers. IJC, Water Quality Board, Windsor, Ontario.

International Joint Commission.   1981.  1981 report on Great Lakes Water Quality,
   -  Appendix, Great Lakes Surveillance. IJC, Water Quality Board. 74 p.

M' jnawar, M.  1981. Response of  nannoplankton and net plankton species to changing
      water quality conditions.  Department  of  Fish,  and  Oceans, CCIW, Research
      Report.  20 p.

M jnawar, M. and I.F. Munawar.  1976. A lakewide study of phytoplankton biomass and
      its species composition in  Lake Erie,  April-December 1970.  3.  Fish. Res. Bd.
      Can. 33:581-600.

O ^o Division of Wildlife.   1983.  Status of  Ohio's Lake Erie fisheries.  Ohio Dept.
      Natural Resources, Div. Wildlife, Lake  Erie Fisheries Unit, Sandusky, Ohio. 21 p.

O- Tario  Ministry  of  Environment.   1981.   An  assessment of bottom  fauna  and
      sediments  of the  western  basin of Lake  Erie,  1979.   OME, Water  Resource
      Assessment Unit and Great Lakes Survey Units. 8 p.

 Silvering, H.  1982. Atmospheric loading of aerosol trace elements and nutrients to
      Lake Erie.   Executive  Summary, Report  to USEPA,  Great  Lakes National
      Program Office. 4 p.

 Thomas, N.A.  1963.  Oxygen deficit rates  for the central basin of Lake Erie.  U.S.
      Public Health Serv., Robert A.  Taft Sanitary Engineering Center, Cincinnati.  8
      P-

 Thomas, N.A.  1975.  Physical-chemical requirements.  In Cladophora in the Great
      Lakes.  Shear, H.  and D.E. Konasewich  (ed.).  International 3oint  Commission,
      Windsor, Ontario,  p. 73-91.

-------
Thomas,  R.L.  and 3.-M.  Jaquet.   1976.  Mercury in the surficial sediments of Lake
     Erie.  3. Fish. Res. Board Canada
Walter, C.3.,  T.L.  Kovack and  C.E.  Herdendorf.   1974.   Mercury Occurrence in
  7  sediment cores from western Lake Erie. Ohio 3. Sci.
Wilson,  3.  and L.3.  Walter.  1978.  Sediment-water-biomass interactions  of  toxic
     metals in the western basin, Lake Erie. Ohio State University, Center for Lake
     Erie Area Research Technical Rept. 96. 113 p.

Winklhofer, A.R.  (ed.).  1978.  Lake Erie surveillance plan.  Prepared by Lake Erie
     Work Group for  the Surveillance  Subcommittee,  Implementation Committee,
     Great  Lakes Water  Quality  Board  of the  International  3oint  Commission,
     Windsor, Ontario.  182 p.

Yaksich, S.M.  1982.  Lake Erie wastewater management study-final report.  U.S.
     Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District.  223 p.

Zapotsky, 3.E.  1980.   Transparency,  conductivity, and temperature  surveys in the
     central and western basins of Lake Erie.  U.S.  Environ. Protection Agency.  Pub.
     No.  EPA-600/3-80-062.  p. 103-117.

Zapotsky, 3.E. and C.E. Herdendorf.  1980.  Oxygen depletion and anoxia in the central
     and western basins of Lake Erie,  1973-1975.  U.S. Environ.  Protection Agency.
     Pub. No. EPA-600/3-80-062.  p. 71-102.

Zapotsky, 3.E. and W.S. White.  1980.  A reconnaissance survey for lightweight and
     carbon tetrachloride extractable hydrocarbons in the  central and eastern  basins
     of Lake Erie: September 1978. Argonne National Laboratory.  ANL/ES-87. 150
     P-
                                    -124-

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                     APPENDIX A
          LAKE ERIE INTENSIVE STUDY REPORTS       *
PREPARED BY THE LAKE ERIE TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT TEAM
TAT
Cont.
No.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
CLEAR
Tech.
Rept.
No.
226
227
228
229
230

231
232
233
234
235
236
237
Report Title
Introduction, Methods and Summary
Data Compatability Analysis
Main Lake Water Quality
Nearshore Water Quality
Nearshore Nutrient Distribution -
Detroit River to Huron, Ohio
Trace Metals in Main Lake and
Nearshore Waters
Microbiology in Main Lake and
Nearshore Waters
Main Lake and Nearshore Water
Quality Problem Areas
Water Quality Violations -
Detroit River to Huron, Ohio
Synoptic Mapping of Water Quality -
Western Basin
Water Quality Index Evaluation
Cluster Analysis of Nearshore
Principal
Author(s)
C.E. Herdendorf
P. Richards
D. Rathke
L. Fay
L. Fay
D. Rathke

3. Letterhos
C.L. Cooper
S. Hessler
C.L. Cooper
C. Kimerline
C.L. Cooper
A. Rush
W. Snyder
C.E. Herdendorf
L. Fay
Y. Hamdy
C.E. Herdendorf
3.3. Mizera
C.E. Herdendorf
C.E. Herdendorf
        Water Masses
3.3. Mizera
                      -125-

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          APPENDIX A CONT.
13.
1*.
15.
16.

17.

18.

19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
238
239
240
241

242

243

244
245
246
247
248
249
250
260
261
Nearshore Phytoplankton - Detroit
River to Huron, Ohio
Cladophora Surveillance Program -
Western Basin
Fisheries Status and Response
to Water Quality
Toxic Organic Contaminants in Fish

Nearshore Benthic Macroinvertebrates -
Detroit River to Huron, Ohio
Macroinvertebrates in Main Lake
and Nearshore Sediments
Annotated Bibliography of Lake Erie
Benthic Macroinvertebrates
Main Lake Sediment Chemistry
Sediment Oxygen Demand
Historical Water Quality Trends -
Cleveland, Ohio
Nearshore Water Quality Trends
Main Lake Water Quality Trends
Nutrient Loading to Lake Erie and
Its Effect on Lake Biota
Lake Erie Intensive Study 1978-
1979 — Final Report
Lake Erie Intensive Study 1978-
D.Z. Fisher
D. Rathke
R. Lorenz
C.E. Herdendorf
M.D. Barnes
B. Burby
M.D. Barnes
C.E. Herdendorf

G. Keeler
P.E. Steane
C.L. Cooper
G. Keeler
N. Carlson
J.3. Mizera
W. Davis
L. Fay
C.E. Herdendorf
P. Richards
A. Rush
C.L. Cooper
C.E. Herdendorf
L. Fay
K-P Chen
R. Sykes
D. Rathke et al.
C.E. Herdendorf
1979 -- Management Report

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                             APPENDIX B

       LAKE ERIE INTENSIVE STUDY REPORTS CONTRIBUTED TO
            THE LAKE ERIE TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT TEAM
A.   Tributary Component                  Contributor       Date

1.   Monthly monitoring data (computer
     print-out) for Clinton, Rouge,
     Ecorse, Huron, Raisin Rivers,           Vitelhic,
     1978-1979                            MDNR          June 1981

2.   Monthly monitoring data of Erie
     County, Pa. tributaries: Walnut,        Wellington,
     Elk, Sixteen-mile (tabular data)         ECDH          Dec. 1980
3.    Summary of phosphorus loading
     data for 1978 collected by DC
     Regional Office (computer
     print-out)
Haffner,
DC-Windsor    June 1980
*.    Toledo Area River and Stream
     Water Quality Data Report,            Russell,
     1968-197* (March, 1976)               TPCA           July 1980

5.    Water quality data collected by
     the Toledo Pollution Control
     Agency at the C&O docks at the
     mouth of the Maumee River,            Russell,
     1975-1981 (bench sheets)               TPCA           Feb. 1981

6.    Estimation of tributary total
     phosphorus load into Lake Erie,
     evaluation of applicable models

7.    Periodic tributary monitoring data
     (computer print-out) of Lake Erie
     tributary surveillance conducted
     by the New York State Dept. of         Maylath,
     Environmental Conservation            NYDEC         Dec. 1980
Kuo-pin Chen,
OSU-TAT      Dec. 1980
8.    Summary of total phosphorus
     loadings for the water years
     1970 to 1977 for Canadian streams
     draining into Lake Erie
Terry,
MOE
Feb.i981
                               -197-

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9.    Total phosphorus loadings for the
     water years 1978 and 1979 for the
     Canadian streams draining into
     Lake Erie

10.  On Phosphorus and its avail-
     ability in total loading into
     Lake Erie, 1970-1980
Terry,
MOE
3an. 1981
Kuo-pin Chen,
OSU-TAT      May 1981
B.   Point Source Component
1.    Summary of the phosphorus loading
     data collected by the I3C Regional
     Office for 1978
Haffner,
nC-Windsor     June 1980
C.   Atmospheric Component
1.    Preliminary outline draft: final
     report for 1979-1980: An experi-        Sievering,       Sept. 1982
     mental study of Lake Loading by        et al.
     Air Pollution Transport and Dry         Governors
     Deposition'                           State Univ.

2.    Summary of Great Lakes weather
     and ice conditions, winter
     1978-1979. Tech. Mem. ERL           NOAA,
     GLERL-31                            GLERL         Aug. 1980
D.   Connecting Channels Component
1.    Water Year 1980-Detroit River
     (6 page rept.)

2.    Water quality assessment of the
     Thames River mouth, Lake St.
     Clair, 1975.

3.    Great Lakes water quality data
     summary, Detroit River 1976

^.    Great Lakes water quality data
     summary, St. Clair River 1976
MDNR
3une 1981
Hamdy, Kinkead,
Griffiths,
MOE          3une 1980
MOE
MOE
June 1980
3une 1980
                               -128-

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5.    St. Clair River organics study,
     waste dispersion

6.    St. Clair River organics study.
     The detection of mutagenic
     activity; screening of twenty-
     three compounds of industrial
     origin

7.    St. Clair River organics study.
     Biological surveys 1968 and
     1977
Hamdy and
Kinkead, MOE   June  1980
Rokosh and
Lovasz, MOE
MOE
June 1980
June 1980
E.   Nearshore Intensive Surveillance Component
     Investigation of water quality
     in the Leamington area of
     western lake Erie, 1973-1976

     Recent changes in the phyto-
     plankton of Lakes Erie and
     Ontario

     Phytoplankton studies in the
     Nanticoke area of Lake Erie,
     1969-1978

     Water movements in the Nanticoke
     region of Lake Erie, 1976.
     Ibid., 1978

     Nanticoke Water Chemistry 1975,
     Ibid. 1976

     Nanticoke Aquatic Environment,
     1967-1974

     Declines in the nearshore phyto-
     plankton of Lake Erie's western
     basin since 1971

     An assessment of water quality
     conditions Wheatley Harbour,
     Lake Erie 1979

     An assessment of the bottom fauna
     and sediments of the western basin
     of Lake Erie, 1979
Hamdy and
Kinkead
MOE
Nicholls,
MOE

Hopkins and
Lea,
MOE
Kohli,
MOE
Polak, MOE

Palmer and
Polak, OMOE

Nicholls,
et al.
MOE

Hamdy and
Ross,
MOE
MOE
June 1980



June 1980



June 1980



June 1980


June 1980


June 1980



June 1980



Sept. 1980



May:1981
                               -129-

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10.   Biological status in nearshore
     zone of the south shore of Lake
     Erie between Vermilion and
     Ashtabula, Ohio: Preliminary
     Report

11.   Water quality and some aspects of
     chemical limnology in the near-
     shore zone of the south shore of
     Lake Erie between Vermilion and
     Ashtabula, Ohio: preliminary
     report

12.   Limnological surveillance of the
     nearshore zone of Lake Erie in
     central and eastern Ohio. Pre-
     liminary report. Part I:
     Chemical Limnology

13.   Chemical limnology in the near-
     shore zone of Lake Erie between
     Vermilion, Ohio and Ashtabula,
     Ohio, 197S-1979: Data Summary and
     Preliminary Interpretations and
     Appendices

14.   Historical trends in water
     chemistry in the U.S.  Nearshore
     Zone, central basin, Lake Erie

15.   Data Compatability Analyses -
     Lake Erie International
     Surveillance Plan

16.   Environmental status  of the
     southern nearshore zone  of the
     central basin of Lake  Erie in
     1978 and 1979 as indicated by the
     benthic macroinvertebrates

17.   The crustacean zooplankton of the
     southern nearshore zone  of the
     central basin of Lake  Erie in 1978
     and 1979: Indications of trophic
     status

18.   Composition and abundance  of
     phytoplankton of the central
     basin of Lake Erie during 1978-
     1979.  Lake Erie Nearshore study
Krieger et al.
Heidelberg
College         Feb. "1-979
Richards,
Heidelberg
College
Richards,
Heidelberg
College
Feb. 1979
Jan. 1980
Richards,
Heidelberg
College

Richards,
Heidelberg
College-TAT

Richards,
Heidelberg
College-TAT
Feb.1981
Nov. 1981
Nov. 1981
Krieger,
Heidelberg
College         June 1981
Krieger,
Heidelberg
College
Kline,
Heidelberg
College
3une 1981
Oct. 1981

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19.   Bacterial water quality of the
     southern nearshore zone of Lake
     Erie in 1978 and 1979

20.   A preliminary summary of the
     1978 nearshore monitoring program
     for  eastern Lake Erie

21.   Lake Erie nearshore monitoring
     program, Conneaut, Ohio to
     Buffalo, New York, Part I, 1978

22.   Cruise means data for 1978 and
     1979 nearshore monitoring program
     for  eastern Lake Erie (computer
     print-out)

23.   Western Lake Erie nearshore
     intensive study  1978-1979:
     Microbiology

2*t.   Western Lake Erie nearshore
     intensive study  1978-1979:
     Nearshore water quality problem
     areas
Stanford,
Heidelberg
College         Sept. J 981
SUNY-Buffalo   March 1979
SUNY-Buffalo   April 1981
SUNY-Buffalo   Nov. 1981
Diamond et al.
OSU-CLEAR    Dec. 1980
Herdendorf      Dec. 1980
and Fay,
OSU-CLEAR
F.   Water Intake Component
1.   Water intake monitoring data
     collected during 1978-1979 by
     the Erie County (Pa.) Dept.
     of Health (WQN Sta. 601)
Wellington,
ECDH          Dec. 1980
G.   Beach Monitoring Component
1.   Comprehensive summer beach sur-
     veillance data collected by the
     Erie County (Pa.) Dept. of Health
Wellington,
ECDH          Dec. 1980
H.   Cladophora Component
1.   Cladopohora monitoring - central
     and eastern basins
Millner et al.        _
SUNY-Buffalo   Dec. 1979

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     Main Lake Component
2.
Workshop on the analysis and
reporting of Erie 79 and Erie
80 experiments (Stage 1)

Report on summer phosphorus
and oxygen for Lake Erie -
1970, 1977 and 1978
                                          Boyce,
                                          CCIW
                                          Rosa,
                                          CCIW
Nov. 1980
April 1979
3.    Fish Contaminants Component
1.    Organic chemical residues in
     Region V watersheds (data rept.)
                                     Veith and
                                     Kuehl, USEPA/
                                     Duluth ERL     3une 1980
     Organochlorine contaminant
     concentrations and uptake rates
     in fishes in Lake Erie tributary
     mouths (abst. and data summary)

     Laboratory report.  Residues of
     polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins
     and dibenzofuransin Great Lakes
     fish

     Trends in the mercury content of
     western Lake Erie fish and
     sediment, 1970-1977
                                     Herdendorf,
                                     Barnes, Burby,
                                     OSU-TAT       Dec. 1980
                                     Stallings,
                                     et al.,
                                     USF & WS

                                     Kinkead
                                     and Hamdy,
                                     OMOE
July 1981
3une 1980
K.   Wildlife Contaminants Component
No reports to TAT
L.   Radioactivity Component
1.    1977-1979 environmental radio-
     logical monitoring for the Davis-
     Besse Nuclear Power Station at
     Locust Point and Lake Erie
                                     Toledo
                                     Edison Co.
Aug.1980

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                                 APPENDIX C

    REPORTS RECEIVED BY THE LAKE ERIE TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT TEAM
          AS SOURCE DOCUMENTS FOR THE MANAGEMENT REPORT-
                      THE LAKE ERIE INTENSIVE STUDY
Armstrong, D.E. 1978.  Availability of pollutants associated with suspended or settled
     river sediments which gain access to the Great Lakes.   USEPA Res.  Contract
     No. 68-01-4479, Univ. of Wisc.-Madison, Water Chemistry Program.  20 p.

Barton, D.R.  1981.  A survey of benthic macroinvertebrates near the mouth of the
     Grand River, Ontario, 1981, Contract P.O. No. A 71587, Ontario Ministry of the
     Environment, Water Resources Branch, Toronto. 24 p.

Boyce, P.M.  1980.  Erie,  1980 physical experiments in the central basin proposal and
     experiment plan.  National Water Research Institute, Canada Centre for Inland
     Waters, Burlington, Ontario. 51 p.

Boyce, P.M.  1980.  Workshop on the analysis and reporting of  Erie 79 and Erie 80
     experiments  (Stage  1).   Workshop  memorandum, NWRI,  CCIW,  Burlington,
     Ontario. 4 p.

Charlton, M.N.  1979. Hypolimnetic oxygen depletion in  central Lake Erie: has there
     been any change?  Scientific Series No. 110.  National Water Research Institute,
     Canada Centre for Inland Waters.  24 p.

Charlton, M.N.  1981.  Support material for workshop on Lake Erie oxygen depletion.
     National Water Research Institute, Canada Centre for Inland Waters, Burlington,
     Ontario. 32 p.

Chen, K.  1982.  The optimal total phosphorus loading into Lake Erie.  Ohio State
     University, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Columbus, Ohio.  40 p.

Click, D.E. and 3.E. Biesecker.   1979.  Water resources data for Ohio, vol.  2,  St.
     Lawrence  River basin,  USGS water data report  OH-78-2, water  year 1978.
     Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey, Columbus, Ohio. 202 p.

Cooper, C.L.  1978.  Lake Erie nearshore water quality  data, 1928-1978.  Ohio State
     University, Center for Lake Erie Area Research Tech.  Rept. No. 80, Columbus,
     Ohio. 207 p.

Cooper, C.L.  1979. Water  quality of the nearshore zone of Lake Erie:  a historical
     analysis and delineation of nearshore characteristics of the United States waters.
     Ohio State University, Center  for Lake  Erie Area Research,  Columbus, Ohio.
     170 p.                                                        -

Culver, D.A.  1978.  Zooplankton, phytoplankton, and bacteria as indicators of water
     quality in  the nearshore zone of Lake Erie: a prospectus. Ohio State University,
     Center for Lake Erie Area Reearch Tech. Rept. No. 112, Columbus, Ohio. 15 p.

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Cummings, T.R. and 3.E. Biesecker.  1979.  Water resources data for Michigan, USGS
     water-data report Ml-78-1, water  year 1978.   Water Resources Division, U.S.
     Geological Survey, Lansing, Michigan. 451 p.

Data  Interpretation and Management Work  Group.   1979.  Data management  and
     interpretation component  of  the  Lake  Erie  international surveillance plan.
     Prepared for the Surveillance  Subcommittee, Great Lakes  Water Quality Board,
     I3C, for use by the Lake Erie Work Group. 27 p.

Davis, D.E.   1982.  An analysis of previous pesticide concentrations and transport in
     the Maumee River and its tributaries.  Ohio State University, Center for Lake
     Erie Area Research, Columbus, Ohio.  36 p.

DeWitt, B.H. et al.  1980.  Summary of Great  Lakes weather and ice conditions winter
      1978-79. NOAA Technical Memorandum ERL GLERL-31. 123 p.

Erie County Health Dept.  1980.  Erie County, Pennsylvania Lake Erie basin water
     quality, annual report, 1978-79.  Division of Water Quality and Land Protection,
     Erie County Health Dept., Erie, Pa.  61 p.

ETA Committee, Science Advisory Board.  1980. Biological availability of phosphorus.
     Draft report of the Expert Committee on Engineering and Technological Aspects
     of Great Lakes Water Quality to the Great Lakes Science  Advisory Board, DC.
     27 p.

Fay, L.A.  1981. Lake Erie intensive study, 1978-1979: U.S. nearshore, western basin
     final report.   Ohio State University  CLEAR  Tech.  Rept. No.  204,  Columbus,
     Ohio.

Fay, L.A.   1982.  Final report of 1981 main lake water quality conditions for Lake
     Erie.  Ohio State University, Center  for Lake Erie Area Research Tech.  Rept.
     No. 254-F, Columbus, Ohio.

Ferguson, H.L. and V.V. Adamkus.   1982.  Water  quality board 1982 annual report
     draft.   International 3oint Commission,  Great Lakes Water  Quality Board,
     Ottawa and Washington D.C. 206 p.

Fraser, A.S.  and K.E. Wilson.   1981.  Loading estimates to Lake Erie,  1967-1976,
     Scientific Series No. 120. National Water Research Institute, Canada Centre for
     Inland  Waters, Burlington, Ontario.  23 p.

Fraser, A.S.  and K.E. Wilson.  1981.  Loading  estimates  to Lake Erie (1967-1976).
     National Water Research Institute, Canada Centre for Inland Waters, Burlington,
     Ontario. 44 p.

Frederick, V.R.   1981.  Lake  Erie  nearshore monitoring program Conneaut, Ohio to
     Buffalo, New  York, Part I: 1978. Great Lakes  Laboratory, State University of
     New York College, Buffalo, New York. 286 p.

Frederick, V.R., 3.3. Kubiak and P.3. Letki. 1979. A preliminary  summary of the 1978
     nearshore monitoring program for eastern Lake Erie.  Great Lakes  Laboratory,
     State University College, Buffalo, New York.  68 p.
                                    -134-

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Great Lakes Water Quality Board.  1981.  1981 Report on Great Lakes water quality,
     appendices. Great Lakes Water Quality Board.  157 p.

Gregor, D.3. and E.D. Ongley. 1978. Analysis of nearshore water quality data in the
     Canadian Great  Lakes, 1967-1973,  Part  I.   Dept. of  Geography,  Queen's
     University, Kingston, Ontario. 270 p.

Hamdy, Y.S.   1982.  Grand River  water quality report - Draft  Final Report. Great
 -   Lakes  Surveys  Unit,  Water  Resources  Branch,  Ontario   Ministry  of   the
     Environment, Toronto. 45 p.

Hamdy, Y.S., 3.D. Kinkead and M. Griffiths.  1977.  Water quality assessment of the
     Thames River mouth,  Lake St. Clair, 1975.  Water Resources Branch, Ontario
     Ministry of the Environment,  Toronto. 30 p.

Hamdy, Y.S.  and 3.D. Kinkead.    1978.   Investigation of  water  quality in  the
     Leamington area of  western Lake Erie,  1973-1976.  Great Lakes Surveys Unit,
     Water Resources Branch, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Toronto.  23 p.

Hamdy, Y. and D.I. Ross.   1980.  An assessment of water quality conditions  Wheatley
     Harbour, Lake Erie,  1979.  Great Lakes Surveys Unit, Water Resources Branch,
     Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Toronto. 25 p.

Hartig,  3.H.   1980.  Highlights  of water quality and  pollution  control in  Michigan.
     Michigan Dept. of Nat. Res. Publ. No. 4833-9804.  28 p.

Heathcote, I.W.   1979.  Nanticoke water chemistry,  1978. Water Resources Branch,
     Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Toronto. 33 p.

Heidtke, T., D.3. Scheflow and W.C. Sonzogni.   1980.  Detergent phosphorus control:
     some Great Lakes  perspectives.   Great Lakes Environmental Planning Study,
     Contribution No. 23. 21 p.

Herdendorf,  C.E.  1978.  Lake Erie nearshore surveillance station plan for the United
     States.  Ohio State University, Center for  Lake Erie Area Research, Columbus,
     Ohio. 51 p.

Hopkins, G.3. and C. Lea.  1979.  Phytoplankton  studies in the  Nanticoke area of Lake
     Erie 1969-1978.  Water Resources Branch, Ontario Ministry of  the Environment,
     Toronto. 19 p.

King, 3.E., 3.E. Richards,  R. Allerton and R.H. Wendt.  1982.  Phosphorus removal in
     Ohio wastewater treatment  plants  within the Lake Erie basin.  Manuscript
     prepared for Ohio 3ournal of Science.  13 p.

Kinkead, 3.D.  and Y. Hamdy.  1976.  Report on a  bacteriological  survey  along the
     Ontario shoreline of the Detroit  River, 1975.  Great Lakes Survey Unit, Water
     Resources Branch, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Toronto.  14 p.

Kinkead, 3.D.  and Y. Hamdy.  1978. Trends in the mercury content oF~western Lake
     Erie fish and sediment, 1970-1977.  Great Lakes Surveys Unit, Water Resources
     Branch, Ontario Ministry of the Environment. Toronto. 19 p.
                                   -135-

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Kline, P.A.  1981.  Composition and abundance  of phytoplankton from  the nearshore
     zone of the central basin of Lake  Erie during the 1978-79 Lake Erie nearshore
     study.  Heidelberg College, Water Quality Laboratory, Tiffin, Ohio.  65 p.

Kohli, B.  1978.  Water movements in the Nanticoke region of Lake Erie,~J976. Water
     Resources Branch, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Toronto. 29 p.

Kohli, B.  1979.  Nanticoke water movements, 1977.  Water Resources Branch, Ontario
     Ministry of the Environment, Toronto.  29 p.

Kohli, B.  1979.  Nanticoke water movements, 1978.  Water Resources Branch, Ontario
     Ministry of the Environment, Toronto.  19 p.

Kreiger, K.A.  1980.  Limnological  surveillance  of the nearshore zone of Lake Erie in
     central and eastern Ohio, preliminary report part III: zooplankton.  Heidelberg
     College, Water Quality Laboratory, Tiffin, Ohio.  64 p.

Kreiger, K.A.  1981.  The crustacean zooplankton of the southern  nearshore zone of
     the central basin of Lake Erie in 1978 and  1979:  indications of trophic status.
     Heidelberg College, Water Quality Laboratory, Tiffin, Ohio. 41 p.

Kreiger, K.A.   1981.   Environmental status of the  southern nearshore zone of the
     central basin of  Lake Erie  in  1978 and 1979  as  indicated  by the benthic
     macroinvertebrates.   Heidelberg College,  Water Quality Laboratory,  Tiffin,
     Ohio.  31 p.

Krieger, K.A. and P. 3. Crerar.  1980.  Limnological surveillance of the nearshore zone
     of Lake Erie in central and eastern Ohio,  Preliminary Report Part II:  Benthos.
     Heidelberg College, Water Quality Laboratory, Tiffin, Ohio. 66 p.

Kreiger, K., P. Kline and P. Pryfogle.  1979.  Preliminary report: biological status in
     the nearshore  zone of the south  shore  of  Lake  Erie  between Vermilion and
     Ashtabula, Ohio.  Heidelberg  College, Water Quality Laboratory, Tiffin, Ohio.
     34 p.

Lake Erie  Work Group.  1978. Lake Erie surveillance plan.  Prepared for Surveillance
     Subcommittee, Great Lakes Water Quality Board, IJC. 179 p.

Ministry of the  Environment. 1977. Great Lakes water quality data summary, Detroit
     River  1976.  Great Lakes Surveys  Unit,  Water Resources Branch, Ontario
     Ministry of the Environment, Toronto.  57 p.

Myers, G.R.   1982.  Lake Erie beaches.  Ohio EPA, Division of Surveillance and Water
     Quality Standards.  Columbus,  Ohio.  10 p.

Nicholls, K.H. 1980.  Recent changes in the phytoplankton of Lake Erie and Ontario.
     Limnology  and Toxicity Section, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Rexdale,
     Ontario. 48 p.

Nicholls, K.H.,  D.W. Standen, G.3.  Hopkins and E.C. Carney.  1977. Declines in the
     nearshore phytoplankton of Lake  Erie's western  basin since  1971.   3.  Great
     Lakes Res., Oct. 1977. Internat. Assoc. Great Lakes Res. 3(l-2):72-78.

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Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources.  1982.  Status of Ohio's Lake Erie fisheries, March
     1982.  Lake Erie Fisheries Unit Staff, Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources, Division
     of Wildlife, Sandusky, Ohio.  26 p.

Ontario Ministry of the Environment. 1977.  Great Lakes water quality data summary,
     St. Clair River,  1976.   Water  Resources  Branch, Ontario  Ministry  of the
     Environment, Toronto. 57 p.

Ontario Ministry of the Environment. 1977.  Great Lakes water quality data summary,
     Detroit  River,  1976.   Water  Resources  Branch,  Ontario Ministry  of the
     Environment, Toronto. 57 p.

Palmer, M.D. and 3. Polak. 1978. The aquatic environment of Long Point Bay in the
     vicinity of Nanticoke on Lake Erie 1967-1974.  The Nanticoke Environmental
     Committee.  22 p.

Perkins, D.C. and 3.E. Biesecker.  1979. Water resources data for Pennsylvania, vol. 3,
     Ohio  River  and St.  Lawrence  River basins,  USGS water-data report PA-78-3,
     water year 1978.  Water Resources Division U.S. Geological  Survey, Harrisburg,
     Pennsylvania. 310 p.

Pliodzinskas, A.3.   1979.  A general overview  of Lake Erie's nearshore  benthic
     macroinvertebrate fauna.  Ohio  State  University, Center for Lake Erie Area
     Research Tech. Rept. No. 126, Columbus, Ohio. 83 p.

Polak,  3.  1977.  Nanticoke water chemistry,  1975.  Water Resources Branch,  Ontario
     Ministry of the Environment, Toronto. 41 p.

Polak,  3.   1978.   Nanticoke  water chemistry.   Water Resources Branch,  Ontario
     Ministry of the Environment, Toronto. 58 p.

Proctor and Redfern Ltd.   1981.  A  water quality  assessment of Lake Erie harbours.
     Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Toronto. 65 p.

Richards, R.P.  1979.  Water quality and  some aspects of  chemical limnology in the
     nearshore zone of the south shore of  Lake Erie between Vermilion and Ashtabula,
     Ohio.  Heidelberg College, Water Quality Laboratory, Tiffin, Ohio. 67 p.

Richards, R.P.  1980. Limnological surveillance of the nearshore zone of Lake Erie in
     central and  eastern  Ohio,  preliminary  report  part  I:  chemical  limnology.
     Heidelberg College, Water Quality Laboratory, Tiffin, Ohio.  255 p.

Richards, R.P.  1981. Chemical limnology  in the nearshore zone of Lake Erie between
     Vermilion, Ohio and  Ashtabula, Ohio, 1978-1979: data summary and preliminary
     interpretations.  Heidelberg College  Water Quality Laboratory, Tiffin, Ohio.   86
     P-

Richards, R.P.  1981.  Chemical limnology in  the nearshore zone of Lake Erie between
     Vermilion, Ohio  and Ashtabula, Ohio,  1978-1979:  appendices."   Heidelberg
     College, Water Quality Laboratory, Tiffin, Ohio. 72 p.
                                    .1 IT

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Richards, P.R.  1981.  Historical trends in water chemistry in the U.S.  nearshore zone,
     central basin, Lake Erie.  Center for Lake Erie Area Research, Columbus, Ohio
     and Heidelberg College, Water Quality Laboratory, Tiffin, Ohio. 43 p.

Rohlich, G.A. and D.3. O'Connor.  1980. Phosphorus management for the Great Lakes:
     Final Report, Phosphorus Management  Strategies Task  Force.   International
     Doint Commission's Great Lakes Water Quality Board and Great Lakes Science
     Advisory Board.  129 p.

Rosa, F. and N.M.  Burns.  1981. Oxygen depletion rates in the hypolimnion of central
     and eastern Lake Erie  -- a new approach indicates change.   Data report for
     Workshop  on Central  Basin  Oxygen  Depletion.   National  Water  Research
     Institute, Canada Centre for Inland Waters, Burlington, Ontario. 56 p.

Sievering, H. et al.  1981.   An experimental study of lake loading by air pollution
     transport and dry deposition.  Draft final report for 1979-1980.  Governor's State
     Univ. Environmental Science Program, Park Forest South, Illinois. 44 p.

Stanford, E.  1981. Bacterial water quality of the southern nearshore zone of  Lake
     Erie in 1978 and 1979.  Heidelberg College, Water Quality Laboratory, Tiffin,
     Ohio.  89 p.

Suns, K., G.A. Rees and G. Crawford.  1982.  Temporal trends and spatial distribution
     of organochlorine residues in Lake  Erie  spottail shiners (Notropis Hudsonius),
     draft.  Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Rexdale, Ontario.   12 p.

Thomas, N.A. 1981. Ecosystem changes in Lakes Erie and Ontario. Bull. Buffalo Soc.
     Nat. Sci. 25(4): 1-20.

Walters, L.3. and D, McGuire. 1978. Concentration of selected metals in Maumee Bay
     and its tributaries.  Dept. of Geology, Bowling Green University, Bowling Green,
     Ohio.  23 p.

Water Quality Laboratory. 1978.  Limnological surveillance of the  nearshore zone of
     Lake  Erie  in central and eastern Ohio,  a proposal  of research. Submitted to
     GLNP USEPA, Region V, Water Quality Laboratory Heidelberg College, Tiffin,
     Ohio.  47 p.

Weiler, R.R. and  I.W.  Heathcote.   1979.   Nanticoke water chemistry, 1969-1978.
     Water Resources Branch, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Toronto.  43 p.

Westwood,  3.D.   1981.  An  assessment of the bottom fauna and sediments of the
     western basin of Lake Erie,  1979.   Southwestern Region, London,  Ontario and
     Great  Lakes Surveys Unit,  Water  Resources Branch, Ontario Ministry of the
     Environment, Toronto. 24 p.

Witt, S.   1982.  Great Lakes bathing beach report.  USEPA, Great Lakes National
     Program Office, Chicago, Illinois.  6 p.

Yaksich,  S.M.  1982.   Lake  Erie wastewater management study, final report.  U.S.
     Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District. 105 p.
                                    -138-

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Zapotosky, 3.E. and W.S. White.  1980.  A reconnaissance survey for lightweight and
     carbon tetrachloride extractable hydrocarbons in the central and eastern basins
     of  Lake Erie:  September  1978.   Division  of  Environmental Impact  Studies,
     Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois. 150 p.

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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
GLNPO Library Collection (PH2J)
77 West Jackson Boulevard,
Chicago. IL  60604-3590

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