Great Lakes Summit looks at threats to Lake Erie, seeks federal funding for clean up

CLEVELAND, OHIO - Carol Lanckiewicz stood on the Edgewater Pier looking out over Lake Erie on a bright September Thursday.

“Just so peaceful. This is my oasis,” she said.

While people cast fishing lines off the pier and brightly colored sail boats drifted by, Lanckiewicz said Lake Erie's natural beauty is calming, but its future causes her concern.

The Great Lakes Summit is being held in Cleveland this week.

Great Lakes advocates don't want to see a federal budget debate later this year result in money being cut to clean up the lakes and its rivers.

Pressing concerns include preventing invasive and destructive Asian carp from getting into the lakes and ruining the food chain for perch and walleye. Questions being asked include how to prevent dead zones created by low oxygen levels and how to clean up toxic algae blooms from farm run off.

The Great Lakes supply 30 million people with fresh drinking water.

Also on Thursday, the EPA announced $1.7 million in funding to improve water quality in the Cleveland area. Part of the money will be used to replace the parking lot at Great Lakes Mall in Mentor.

The parking lot will be replaced with pervious concrete that allows storm water to infiltrate the ground, rather than enter the sewer system sending contaminants including phosphorus into Lake Erie.