Lake Erie Charter Captains Play a Major Role in Water Quality Sampling
Finding time and money to take regular water quality samples in a space as large as Lake Erie’s western basin can be difficult for even the most dedicated researchers. But sometimes, help shows up on a lab doorstep and is too good to turn away.
That was the case in 2012, when a group of Lake Erie charter boat captains approached the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) to ask how they could help monitor and improve water quality in the lake on which their businesses depend. They had seen the impact the severe 2011 harmful algal bloom (HAB) had had on their fishing charters and on other Lake Erie businesses, and wanted to contribute to improving the health of the lake.