$19M coming from federal government to fight Lake Erie algae

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's first round of grants for soil and water conservation includes more money to help Lake Erie.

About $19 million in federal funds will go toward cutting down on agriculture runoff that contributes to the algae in the lake.

Nearly all of that money will be spent trying to help farmers in Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. The idea is to reduce the amount of phosphorus that comes from farm fertilizer and washes into the rivers that flow into the lake.

Researchers say reducing the runoff should help improve water quality.