Dec 31, 2012 1 min read

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A new report says Lake Erie is one of the most threatened of the five Great Lakes.

The Great Lakes Environmental Assessment and Mapping Project concluded that Lake Erie was the second-most threatened of the lakes, behind Ontario. That’s because of toxic blue-green algae and invading species of fish, mussels and plants.

The Columbus Dispatch reports that researchers with the project spent more than three years collecting data on 34 lake “stressors” — including invasive species, climate change and pollution.

Lake Ontario landed its “worst” status because of widespread mercury and PCB pollution, and problems stemming from invasive sea lampreys and zebra and quagga mussels.

But Ohio advocates and experts have long argued that Erie is the most-threatened of the Great Lakes.