Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

Funds sought for study

Celina renewable energy center

By Nancy Allen
Kent Bryan, the city of Celina's planning and community development director, said there is much misinformation and misunderstanding about the algae toxin in Grand Lake.
He said he wants to go after a research grant that he hopes could clear the air.
Since the state first announced the presence of the toxin just prior to the Memorial Day weekend, the city has been required to have the lake's water tested to determine the toxin levels. This is so the Ohio EPA can make the information available to the public who want to use the lake recreationally. The lake also is the city's sole source of drinking water and tests have continued to show the toxin is not present in drinking water.
To measure toxin levels, the algae cells are broken open to release the toxin by blasting open the cell walls with a device called an ultrasonificator. Many of those readings have been well above the 20 parts per billion threshold set by the World Health Organization for recreational use.
During the last six weeks the city has been measuring the free toxin levels in the lake water, that is the levels already present in the lake water without blasting the algae cells apart to release the toxin. Those readings have ranged from 1.5 parts per billion to 13.2 parts per billion.
Bryan fears the way the EPA requires the toxin levels to be tested is not a true indication of the toxin in the water.
"We're running into people who think if they get into the water, when it touches your skin, it's at those levels," Bryan said. "We're finding when we test the algae, the majority of the toxin is contained within the cell."
Bryan said the EPA's argument is if you swallow the lake water containing algae, stomach acid could rupture the algae cells and release the toxin and make people sick.
"But you'd have to take in a huge amount of water for it to be harmful and who's going to do that."
The toxin can cause skin rashes, and nausea, diarrhea and vomiting if ingested. It also can cause weakness or dizziness, breathing difficulty and convulsions, information from the Ohio EPA states. It is particularly deadly to small animals such as dogs, the EPA states.
Scientists studying blue-green algae toxins have said they do not know what triggers blue-green algae to release the toxin some times and not others. They do know that the algae is fed by excess nutrients and that the more nutrients there are, the more algae is produced and the greater the likelihood the toxin is present.
Bryan said he hopes to apply for a research grant that shows the benefits of harvesting the algae as a way to perhaps lower toxin levels and looks at the amount of nutrients already in the sediment at the lake's bottom as a way to emphasize the importance of dredging.
Additional online stories on this date
COLDWATER - Garage sales are nice, but they need governed, say village officials.
Councilors heard first reading Monday evening on a new ordinance that annually will limit the number of garage/yard sales per address in the village, as well the length of the sale. [More]
Computer Points
While the high school football season is 10 weeks long, the most important part of the schedule for area conferences occurs in the first week or two of the season. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
Celina renewable energy center
Celina city officials are now considering an anaerobic digester that turns methane gas from livestock manure into electricity as part of a proposed Celina renewable energy center, said Celina Planning and Community Development Director Kent Bryan on Monday.
The city of Celina is delaying locking in its aggregated natural gas rate for the coming year in an effort to take advantage of what some expect may be the lowest heating fuel price in years.
A group of downtown Celina property owners urged Celina City Council members on Monday night to establish a new parking lot.
Nancy Otis, owner of 1
Area man killed when driver fails to yield
The number of motorcycle crashes and fatalities continues to rise locally and statewide. Officials believe the sluggish economy may be to blame.
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Marion Local Schools
MARIA STEIN - Dot Garman, technology coordinator at Marion Local High School, is one of 100 educators from across the nation to receive an Unsung Heroes grant from ING, a global financial services company. The recipients were selected from a record number of more than 2,000 applications.
St. Henry
ST. HENRY - The $330,000 highway enhancement project along state Route 118 in the village is complete.
That news and other project updates were discussed by village councilors during a meeting Monday night at the village hall.
Marion Local Schools and Shaker Heights
MARIA STEIN - What do students taking Mandarin Chinese at Marion Local High School and in the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights have in common?
Th
St. Marys
ST. MARYS - Council members passed resolutions honoring service to the community as well as welcoming newly installed fire department personnel.
At Monday's city council meeting, Joey Weaver was installed as the city's new fire chief by Mayor Greg Freewalt.
Celina City Council members had to appropriate nearly $10,000 from the park/recreation fund to the pool payroll fund to cover a shortfall.
During t
ST. MARYS - A year after getting their first-ever win over Celina, the St. Marys girls soccer team looked to make it a winning streak as the teams met in Western Buckeye League play on Monday.
Compiled by Ryan Hines
and Gary R. Rasberry
St. Marys saw its record go to 4-4 on the season after losing to Lima Senior in a four-game contest at Cook Gymnasium on Monday evening.
Marion Local graduate Cory Luebke pitched a gem for the United States Baseball Team on Sunday in beating Canada 8-0 at the IBAF World Cup. The tournament is taking place in Italy, Germany and the Netherlands with the final round taking place in Italy.
People interested in winter cover crops are invited to see some recently planted plots during a Cover Crop Walk next week near Fort Recovery.
The w