There is no truth to the information Milt Miller has shared in the story, “Grand Lake Showing Positive Results.” This has been a two-year misinformation campaign to entice tourists back to the lake. The Kasich Administration likes to give the impression that they are trying to clean up Grand Lake St. Marys while knowing every project they have funded would not work. During Gov. Kasich’s first four years, the toxin levels have increased 285 percent. This past spring, Grand Lake St. Marys reached a new high with the microcystins reaching 169ppb.
This year, a woman on a jet ski became sick because of the lake toxicity and it was eventually reported to the Ohio Department of Health who immediately posted the lake for no contact. Grand Lake St. Marys has been posted for seven years with health warnings by the Ohio EPA, whose safe limit is 6ppb. This year was the first year the state health department posted the no contact warning.
If Mr. Milt Miller’s story was true then why do the toxins continue to climb? When asked in a meeting what scientific evidence did he have that proved the treatment train was working, his response was that he scooped a jar of water out of the last pond and the water was clear. Mr. Miller does not seem to understand that most of the toxins in Grand Lake St. Marys are not visible to the naked eye. He then admitted that they added alum to the last pond to clear up the water.
Gov. Kasich has turned his back on the people in the lake area for greater profits for greedy farmers. None of the current elected officials, local or state, deserve to be re-elected because of their neglect of the greater number of people for a very few.
— Kate Anderson, St. Marys
