It’s about time

The Lima News: Gov. Ted Strickland understandably ran into hostile questions Friday when he announced a series of steps to clean up Grand Lake St. Marys. Residents there have had their livelihoods threatened and the recreation in their backyards stolen away because of the toxic water. It’s an issue the state has ignored for too long.

Ohio government had a stake in this already, given the wide-scale economic and health risks. But the stake the state has in correcting what ails its largest inland lake has grown tremendously. Blue-green algae is appearing in other, smaller bodies of water, and it’s showing up earlier than usual in Lake Erie. Researchers fear the problem is going to grow.

It makes sense then for the state to try to fix the problem. Strickland and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown recently announced federal funding to help with Grand Lake, but it’s not enough. The governor on Friday announced further steps to try to fix the problem. Residents understandably are saying it’s about time.

No guarantees

Unfortunately, the steps the governor announced Friday are not certain to work — or even happen.

Correcting this problem won’t be easy. It is necessary.