I agree with you.
I live just out of the restricted zone. This almost blame on the livestock/farmers/fields has me concerned. Not that those factors aren’t part of the problem, but why hasn’t it ALWAYS been a major problem? Why did this particular issue get pushed to the forefront following the EPA’s visit last week? Are they saying that the run off from fertilized landscapes and yards isn’t a factor? and as you stated: golf courses? Shoot, Ottawa Hills alone could supply a crop field with nitrogen.
Probably just the right combination of rain, lack of rain, runoff and temperature. It has been COLDER than usual for this time of year over this past week.
I now live in NE Ohio, 3 miles from Lake Erie...no real algae problems in the Lorain/Cleveland/Mentor area. IMHO, weather is DEFINITELY the biggest culprit here, along with the topography (or whatever you call it) of the Erie coastline in Ohio...the western Maumee bay basin is the shallowest in the lake, and I read in the paper today that prevailing NE winds had pretty much kept the Bay water and algae in place along the shore there.
In comparison, there's much more "open water" across the lake the further East you go. I also read that Cleveland's water intake plants are much better than Toledo's, although I'm not sure that's true...and even with adequate treatment facilities, more important is how far out and how deep into the lake the water intake pipes can go.
Toledo folks, hang in there!! Or come East for a few days! Ohioans are resilient...and welcoming...praying this Toledo crisis is resolved SOON, and correctly...