Solving Lake Erie's harmful algal blooms by restoring the Great Black Swamp in Ohio

A thorough investigation of this idea will first require physical (multi-year mesocosm experiments), mathematical, and business models to explore biogeochemical, hydrologic and economic feasibility and reliability. If this presents reasonable results, it would be followed by the creation of a small 400-1000 ha (1000-2500 acre) demonstration treatment wetland in the Black Swamp region to see if wetland performance will scale up as predicted with the mesocosm and mathematical models. Only after a decade of studies at these smaller scale models and a demonstration levels would the full-scale nutrient retention wetlands be implemented in the former Black Swamp. When completed, these treatment wetlands would cover about 10% of the Great Black Swamp region and could remove, with proper ecological engineering design, 40% or more of the phosphorus load from the Maumee River Basin now going into Lake Erie.