Canada and US runoff blamed for rash of Lake Erie algae blooms

Ontario, Ohio and Michigan are being asked to develop a cleanup plan for Lake Erie.

A new report says Canada and the US should take urgent steps to crack down on sources of phosphorus runoff blamed for a rash of harmful algae blooms on Lake Erie.

The International Joint Commission says different sources of phosphorus runoff have emerged.

Large farms, where manure and other fertilizers are washed into rivers during storms and snowmelt account for more than half of the phosphorus that reached the lake in 2011.