By DOUG GRAVES

Ohio Correspondent

SIDNEY, Ohio — In recent years farmers have been blamed for runoff from their farms that have created algal blooms in lakes and streams in Ohio. Now there are more issues from some of these fields.

Environmental regulators in this state are looking into at least 14 farm manure spills that have made their way into rivers, creeks and ditches within the past month. Seven spills were reported last week in Darke County, located northwest of Dayton along the Indiana state line and home to many large poultry farms.

According to the Ohio EPA, other spills are being investigated in Paulding, Van Wert, Shelby, Portage and Ashland counties. “This should not happen,” said Joe Cornely, a spokesman for the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF). “It’s not acceptable.”

Most of the spills reported to the state EPA have been linked to farmers who put livestock waste on frozen and snow-covered fields. Rising temperatures and melting snow, especially in the last few days, have caused the manure to run off the fields and pollute waterways in the western part of Ohio where agriculture dominates the economy.

The spills come at a time when state lawmakers are moving toward banning the practice. Gov. John Kasich has called for the ban as one way to reduce the pollutants feeding the annual algal blooms on Lake Erie, which contaminated the drinking water for 400,000 people in Ohio and Michigan last August.

“Water samples near the spills have found very high ammonia levels that can harm fish, but so far there haven’t been any large-scale fish kills,” Ohio EPA Director Craig Butler told reporters. “The reports of manure washing into streams are certainly a significant number and a cause for concern.

“It’s a little surprising after having all of the discussion over the past year and hearing that it’s not best management practice to do this.”

The EPA reported those responsible for the spills could face fines or be forced to pay the cleanup costs.

The OFBF, the state’s largest and most influential agriculture organization, has led a campaign to encourage farmers not to put manure on frozen ground, while also acknowledging banning the practice would be costly for farmers who lack storage for the manure.

The organization last week announced support for legislation passed in the Ohio House of Representatives that would prohibit farmers from dumping manure on frozen fields or when heavy rain is in the immediate forecast. “The bill would allow farmers time to come into compliance. Designing and constructing storage and paying for it can’t be done overnight,” Cornely said.

The state Senate and Kasich have backed plans that don’t include what environmental groups have called a loophole for farmers in the House measure, which would allow violators to go unpunished.