Agricultural runoff

When it rains, excess fertilizer and manure from farm fields flow into streams and rivers that feed the Great Lakes. This pollution fuels algal blooms that can make water toxic to fish, wildlife, and people.

Visit our campaign page to learn about stopping agricultural pollution at the source. Learn more about agricultural runoff below.

Press Release

July 9, 2020

Great Lakes leaders react to NOAA’s 2020 Western Lake Erie Basin Harmful Algal Bloom Forecast

Joint Press Release from Alliance for the Great Lakes, Freshwater Future, Michigan Environmental Council, Ohio Environmental Council Toledo, OH (July 9, 2020) – This morning the National Oceanic and Atmospheric […]

Annual Report

February 20, 2020

Green Bay’s Blue Future

For years, Green Bay has been plagued with harmful algae blooms and a deadzone. But on March 5, 2019 at Lambeau Field, the Alliance scored a victory on the path […]

Press Release

February 13, 2020

Ohio Announcement on Development of a Pollution Diet for Western Lake Erie a Step in the Right Direction

Cleveland, OH (February 13, 2020) – Earlier today, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the draft 2020 water quality report required by the Clean Water Act. In it, the agency […]

BLOG

February 10, 2020

Alliance Releases 2020 Great Lakes Federal Policy Priorities

Today, the Alliance for the Great Lakes announced our 2020 Great Lakes Federal Policy Priorities. With the support of Congress, the Great Lakes region has made significant progress to protect […]

Press Release

November 14, 2019

Alliance for the Great Lakes Statement on Gov. Dewine’s Announcement of the H2Ohio Implementation Plan

Nov. 14, 2019 – Earlier today, Ohio Governor Mike Dewine announced his administration’s implementation plan for the $172 million H2Ohio fund. The program will invest in long-term solutions to prevent […]

BLOG

August 1, 2019

Five Years Later: Lessons From the Toledo Water Crisis

On August 2nd, 2014, residents of Toledo, Ohio awoke to urgent warnings not to drink or use their tap water. Half a million people were unable to drink their water, […]

Press Release

July 11, 2019

Alliance for the Great Lakes Statement on 2019 Harmful Algal Bloom Forecast

July 11, 2019 (Cleveland, OH) – Earlier today, NOAA and its partners released the 2019 Seasonal Forecast of Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB) for Lake Erie. Researchers forecast a severe algal […]

BLOG

June 13, 2019

Green Is the New Black: Our Water, Our Commitment

Fifty years ago, the oil-coated black waters of the Cuyahoga River caught fire. It wasn’t the first time it had happened. But photos from the fire shocked the world and […]

Press Release

March 13, 2019

Environmental Groups File 60-day Notice of Clean Water Act Lawsuit Against U.S. EPA for Failure to Act After Finding of Impaired Waterways in NE Indiana

Joint Media Statement by Alliance for the Great Lakes, Environmental Law and Policy Center, and Hoosier Environmental Council Hammond, IN (March 13, 2019) – Today, the Environmental Law & Policy […]

BLOG

July 12, 2018

Western Lake Erie Harmful Algal Blooms

Today, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its annual harmful algal bloom forecast for Lake Erie. Every year, agricultural runoff pollution causes harmful algal blooms. This thick, green algae […]