GLIN==> Lake Erie Fishing key to Ohio's economy

Lake Erie Fishing key to Ohio's economy
The Blade article June 13, "Bay Shore plant not only Erie fishery foe," by Steve Pollick casts shadows of dispersion on the facts and issues contained in the May,, "Economic Damages of Impingement and Entrainment of Fish, Fish Eggs, and Fish Larvae at the Bay Shore Power Plant" by Gentner Consulting Group. The facts of the study were very clear yet not accurately reported by Mr. Pollick. The study only covered the issues of impingement and entrainment yet many other issues pertain to the violations of the Clean Water Act by First Energy/Toledo Edison Bay Shore Power Plant.

As a sportsman, resident of northern Ohio (Erie County), boat owner, and fisherman, I do not take violations of the Clean Water Act lightly. As state president of the Izaak Walton League of America-Ohio Division - an organization formed in 1922 by a meeting of 54 sportsmen/fishermen in Chicago, with their decision to end the decline of our nation's natural resources - the particular violations CWA 316(b) have been of great concern to me for several years as the Walleye and Perch populations of the Western Basin have continued their decline.

While the actions of the Bay Shore Power Plant are not responsible for the entire decline, I believe that its contribution is significant. The economic impact of the plants impingement and entrainment alone is just less than $30 million. This doesn't take into account other impairments done by the thermal plume from the discharge of the hot water into Maumee Bay, which in itself may be a significant contributor to additional fish mortalities and the "algal bloom," which adversely affects water quality, which in turn relates to drinking water and tourists.

The economic footprint of Lake Erie fishing is $1.4 billion. The value of tourism to our region is also in the billions. We cannot afford to let this continue. The upgrades to the plant will also provide construction jobs along with the benefits of much reduced adverse ecological impact.

Rick Graham
Monroeville, Ohio

Kristy Meyer, M.S.
Director of Agricultural & Clean Water Programs
Ohio Environmental Council
1207 Grandview Ave., Ste. 201
Columbus, OH 43212
Direct Phone: (614) 487-5842
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Kristy at theOEC.org
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