We as humans, along with many other organisms on this planet, need nutrients to live, and how we talk about nutrients varies greatly based on the context. Today’s context is nutrients and water quality.
Michigan’s status as the Great Lakes State, in addition to having significant freshwater resources, makes this conversation frequent and often passionate, which can leave a lot of science lost in translation.
So, let’s get back to nutrients and their role in aquatic ecosystems. Like many of our crops, algae require nutrients and photosynthesis to grow. They’re also essential food sources in many ecosystems, from rivers to lakes. All algae require nitrogen, phosphorous and other trace elements (sound familiar?). Nutrients can come from many sources: leaky septic systems; wastewater treatment; wildlife; nutrient applications in residential, commercial and agricultural settings; and from natural sources in the soil — just to name a few.
Algal blooms can occur when there is an overgrowth of algae, which may happen due to high levels of nutrients and favorable weather conditions (generally warm temperatures and sunlight). Algal blooms can occur naturally, but concerns rise when there’s a harmful algal bloom (HAB if you want more acronyms in your life).
Harmful algal blooms produce a toxin (which varies by algae type) that can be harmful if ingested by humans or animals. Some coastal communities draw drinking water from the Great Lakes, and in some cases harmful algal blooms have led to availability issues and increased water treatment costs. In summary, algae are an important part of the ecosystem, but balance is important to ensure a healthy environment.
While finding a balance may seem simple, the complexity of finding that balance can be difficult. Let’s look at the Saginaw Bay, which can be used to show why both too many and too few nutrients are not good for water and how complex understanding water quality is.
In the inner Saginaw Bay, there is a concern about too much algae leading to muck on the beaches and algal blooms. But if you look to the outer Saginaw Bay (further out into Lake Huron) there is the opposite concern. Scientists are concerned that there are too few nutrients and that the waters will not support fish populations.
You may wonder how this happened as it seems odd that a high nutrient and low nutrient situation would exist so close to each other. Scientists believe that, in part, invasive mussels may have altered how nutrients flow through the Bay, resulting in water-quality issues on both ends of the spectrum.
Saginaw Bay illustrates how complex water quality issues are. Even in the places like the Western Lake Erie Basin, where we have a significant history of water quality monitoring and research, we still have significant ongoing research to understand what moves the needle when it comes to improving water quality, how long until changes made impact the behavior of the harmful algal bloom, and what role natural processes play in the system.
Rest assured: Scientists at Michigan State University, Saginaw Valley State University, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) — even Ohio State — who continue research to support a science-based approach to algal blooms across the Great Lakes.
Harmful algal blooms are a bit of a downer, but let’s end on a high note:
Michigan farmers have worked hard to improve water quality and improve things for the future. The Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) is proof of that, with over 7,000 verifications. There are a number of farmer-led watershed groups across the state with farmers coming together to encourage the adoption of conservation. Many farmers throughout Michigan have participated in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) programs, USDA Conservation Programs, and other programs supported by other industry partners.
Michigan Farm Bureau also continues to advocate for you and your farms when it comes to water quality. Policy #82, Nonpoint Source Pollution and Watershed Management, touches on a number of topics to support farmers in voluntary conservation adoption: supporting conservation districts, research and research funding, simple and transparent programs, and coordination across different efforts. In policy #82 and throughout your 2025 policy book, you will find support for economically and scientifically sound environmental standards.
Tess Van Gorder is MFB’s conservation and regulatory relations specialist.
Questions:
- Do you participate in any environmental stewardship programs (e.g., MAEAP)? What do you like about those programs and what could be improved?
- What do you think the biggest hurdle(s) to conservation practice adoption is?
- What do you wish the public understood about agricultural conservation?
- What resources or programs would you like to see related to nutrients and water quality?
Include your name & CAG affiliation with your responses:
- EMAIL: [email protected]
- MAIL: MFB CAG Responses, ATTN: Ashley Frazee, 7373 W. Saginaw Hwy, Lansing, MI 48917
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