Tagged: Grand Lake St. Marys

ST. MARYS, Ohio - A Cleveland company has received a 1 million dollar federal grant to help create a facility that would turn animal waste into energy near Grand Lake St Marys.

 U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown announced today (Monday) that Quasar Energy Group will use the U.S. Department of Agriculture grant for a methane digester. The 2.2 million dollar facility would turn manure into methane that can be used for heating and converted into alternative vehicle fuel.

The state is setting up a monitoring system at the polluted Grand Lake St. Marys that officials say will help battle the algae that's fouling the water. Four water monitoring stations have been set up at the lake between Dayton and Toledo.

It's the state's largest inland lake and it has been plagued by algae in recent years, prompting warnings against swimming and boating last summer.

In June, the state began spraying the lake with about 3 million gallons of alum in hopes the chemical can neutralize phosphorous in the water that feeds the blue-green algae.