The crisis that Lake Hachiro faced around 2007 and the long-term reforms that Akita Prefecture has embarked on

The crisis that Lake Hachiro faced around 2007 and the long-term reforms that Akita Prefecture has embarked on
Lake Hachiro used to be one of the most productive fishing grounds in the Tohoku region, but since the 1960s, reclamation projects and changes in the industrial structure of the surrounding area have led to a serious deterioration of the water quality. In the 2000s, the eutrophication of lakes and marshes was once again recognized as a nationwide problem, and the national government began to take priority measures under the designated lakes and marshes system. In the 2000s, eutrophication of lakes and marshes was once again recognized as a national problem, and the government began to take priority measures under its designated lakes and marshes system.
In 2007, Akita Prefecture began to formulate a long-term water quality improvement plan for the next 30 years in conjunction with its application to the government for lake designation. The plan was not a short-term purification measure, but rather an attempt to fundamentally revitalize the lake's ecosystem. A draft amendment to the pollution prevention ordinance was to be submitted to the regular meeting in September of the same year in order to impose new effluent regulations on business and agricultural community drainage facilities around the lake. Also, as a symbol of this plan, a two-year pilot project was presented to improve water quality through natural regeneration by restoring the reed fields, a natural resource of Lake Hachiro, and taking advantage of its purification function.
Reed is a natural water purification mechanism that absorbs nitrogen and phosphorus in the water, and although it was largely lost during development during the period of rapid economic growth, environmental policies that harness the power of nature were attracting attention around 2007. The Kyoto Protocol came into effect, raising environmental awareness among local governments, and Lake Hachiro's efforts were in line with this trend. The measures described in this article go beyond the problems specific to Lake Hachiro and are symbolic of Japan's policy shift to a policy of restoration with nature, an important step toward the long-term restoration of the lake.