Columbus-Farmers in the Grand Lake St. Marys watershed will have to give up spreading manure on frozen land to keep nutrient runoff out of the state’s largest inland lake and other waterways. The go-ahead was given earlier this month by the legislature’s joint committee on agency rule review for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to put the ban into effect by yearend as part of an effort to restore the algae-plagued waters to a more normal condition. This past summer swimming was restricted at Grand Lake St. Marys in western Ohio, which also experienced a decline in tourism. Environmental groups contend that the winter ban is critical to stopping the manure from flowing into the watershed after the snow melts, the ground thaws, and spring rainfall begins. Agriculture interests indicated the decision was a sensible way to deal with the problem. Ohio Farm Bureau’s Beth Vanderkooi called it “a reasonable approach,” saying the organization plans to monitor how the department moves forward with the plan. Once the department’s regulations take effect, farmers would have two years before they would be banned from putting it on their fields. During that time they would be required to follow federal best management guidelines for manure application and develop a plan for how to get rid of and apply manure in the future. Mike Shelton, a spokesman for the natural resources department, said two years gives farmers the chance to build manure storage facilities that could qualify for state aid and possible federal aid, in addition to possible federal aid to help develop a manure management plant.
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