Clean up of Lake Okabena makes small waves of progress

What should be a serene oasis in the middle of the city of Worthington, instead is too often a stinky, unsightly pool of murky water. Lake Okabena, a shallow 776-acre body of water, has a persistent problem—algal blooms, and despite several local projects and efforts to improve its water quality, healing the water continues to be a work in progress.

The lake turns scuzzy with green, goopy algae as high levels of phosphorus and nitrates run into the waters from nearby farmland. When the conditions are right, like during the summer’s frequent heat waves, it can look like pea soup.