ST. MARYS, Ohio – A Cleveland company wants to create a facility to turn animal waste into energy near Ohio's largest inland lake, where farm runoff contributed to a toxic algae problem.

The Dayton Daily News reports quasar energy group is seeking a $1 million federal grant for the facility near Grand Lake St. Marys between Dayton and Toledo. The $2.2 million methane digester would turn manure into usable methane and could create new jobs.

It's not clear how much waste would be processed. The newspaper says three producers in the watershed each could supply up to 50 tons of manure a day.

Manure and chemical runoffs led to high levels of phosphorus, which fed the blue-green algae that was found at the nearly 13,000-acre lake and led to a decline in tourism there.