TOLEDO, Ohio — The USDA has announced $17.5 million in federal funds earmarked for a tri-state project to help protect water quality in the western basin of Lake Erie.

The funds are part of a new initiative called the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), authorized by the 2014 farm bill. “This project demonstrates what RCPP is all about,” said Deputy USDA Secretary Krysta Harden. “It’s about putting partners in the driver’s seat and helping them achieve their natural resource goals.

“The diverse partnership that crafted this proposal and pledged their financial and technical resources to leverage federal funds shows their strong commitment to improving Lake Erie water quality for the 11 million residents that rely on it for drinking water.”

This funding is a response to a large algal bloom that occurred in western Lake Erie last August, in which hundreds of thousands of nearby residents were advised not to drink or shower in their tap water because of naturally occurring toxins from an overgrowth of algae blooming in the lake. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), August is usually the peak of the summer bloom period.

NOAA stated the primary culprit behind these blooms is excess fertilizer, mainly phosphorus, which washes off of farmland and into rivers and streams that flow into the lake. In this case, winds and currents conspired to concentrate the algae in exactly the wrong spot, surrounding the Toledo municipal water intake.

It’s hoped RCPP funds will help resolve this problem, as well as other environmental, especially water related, problems across the nation. The tri-state project involves more than 40 public and private sector groups. Michigan, Indiana and Ohio organizations are all involved, both profit and not-for-profit.

Universities as well as businesses are involved. All of these groups are contributing dollars to the cleanup effort. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) is lead partner in the project. Project Coordinator Stephen Shine said the program is using MDARD’s Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) to work with farmers to reduce runoff.

“We use MAEAP to evaluate the risk on a farmer’s farm,” he explained.

One practice that’s encouraged to reduce runoff is the planting of cover crops, Shine said. Oats make a good cover because they germinate and grow in the fall, but then die after the first frost, thus eliminating any competition with spring planted crops. A farmer can get a small financial subsidy through their local conservation district to plant a cover crop, or do other practices through this RCPP-sponsored program.

“Conservation districts are the front line for us in doing this program,” Shine added.

On Jan. 14, just two days before the tri-state announcement, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a total of 115 projects, more or less similar to the Lake Erie cleanup. All fall under the rubric of RCPP. All 50 states and Puerto Rico will be affected, with more than $370 million earmarked for the projects.

Also according to the announcement, partner groups will contribute an estimated $400 million toward the various projects, which are all designed to improve water quality, support wildlife habitat and enhance the environment.