Phosphorus loading to Lake Erie

The Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators (CESI) program provides data and information to track Canada's performance on key environmental sustainability issues. The phosphorus loading to lake Erie indicator reports on the total phosphorus loads flowing directly into Lake Erie or from its tributary rivers, mainly due to human activity. When phosphorus levels in water become too high, algal growth and certain types of bacteria associated with them, called cyanobacteria, can become excessive and harmful. Cyanobacteria can release substances that can harm, and in some cases kill animals that depend on the water. The decay of the excess algae and bacteria can also reduce the amount of oxygen available for fish and other aquatic animals. They can also affect human health, if humans are exposed to them. Information is provided to Canadians in a number of formats including: static and interactive maps, charts and graphs, HTML and CSV data tables and downloadable reports. See the supplementary documentation for the data sources and details on how the data were collected and how the indicator was calculated.

Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators: https://www.canada.ca/environmental-indicators