Gov. Kasich plans broad attack on lake's algae

COLUMBUS (AP) — Gov. John Kasich says his administration will take its “best run” at stopping toxic algae on Ohio’s largest inland lake.

The plan for Grand Lake St. Marys announced by the Republican governor and members of his cabinet on Thursday would step up water treatment and lake sediment dredging.

An outbreak of blue-green algae on the lake in western Ohio last summer led to water warnings and a decline in tourism. The 12,700-acre lake is one of the state’s most polluted because of manure and fertilizer run-off from nearby farms.

Officials are looking for funding to begin treating the water with aluminum sulfate, or alum, immediately. Alum was not completely effective against the algae in an earlier test, but Kasich says the chemical will now be used on a wider scale.