There are five lakes in Canada and the United States that are connected with each other by approximately 5,000 tributaries.The five lakes are Lake Erie, Lake Michigan, Lake Ontario, Lake Huron, and Lake Superior. The set of these five lakes together is known as ‘The Great Lakes’. The Great Lakes are the largest source of water supply in the world.These lakes contain nearly 20% of the world’s freshwater. About 14,000 years ago when the glaciers retreated, the Great Lakes were formed. These lakes are a source of billions of dollars of revenue. However, there is a huge problem facing the Great Lakes, they are suffering tremendous ecological strain. These Great Lakes are essentially a closed system which is why the industrial pollutants, as well as various other waste materials and toxicants that are dumped in these Great Lakes, get accumulated.Over time these pollutants become concentrated and begin to contaminate the water. Each of these lakes has different interesting characteristics. Lake Superior is the largest, coldest, and deepest of the Great Lakes and is in a better condition when compared with the others. Lake Superior is surrounded by forests and less urbanization that has helped the lake in maintaining its condition. The other lakes suffer from intense agriculture and heavy industrialization.Further, we shall be learning about these lakes in detail, the problems of pollution persisting, and the areas of concern. Read further to know more about the impact of plastic pollution on the water quality of the Great Lakes. Afterward, also check Los Angeles pollution facts and air pollution facts.Pollution Levels In The Great LakesHere are some extremely important facts about the increasing pollution levels in the Great Lakes to help you understand the magnitude of the problem:The increase in pollution levels in the Great Lakes is due to the chemicals, plastic pollution, toxic pollutants, pesticides, and heavy metals that enter the lakes via thousands of industrial pipes, sewage plants that discharge these in the lakes directly.These toxicants not only pollute the lakes but also contaminates the nearby areas that surround the lakes. The contaminated water is later consumed by people, animals, and aquatic organisms. This water is capable of causing deadly diseases like cancer, birth defects, and damage to the nervous and immune systems.The pollution has increased at such levels that it has almost caused the death of Lake Erie. Lake Erie is the smallest, shallowest, and warmest lake among the five lakes. It had become heavily polluted by the 1960s, this was mostly due to the heavy industrial presence along its shores. Waste and pesticides from these industries made their way into the lake and contaminated its water to such a level that dead fishes started to appear in the late 1960s.Loadings of nutrients especially phosphorous and lead from treatment plants and other anthropogenic sources altogether have visibly degraded Lake Erie. The national publications labeled it as ‘Lake Erie is Dead’. The International Joint Commission (IJC) comprises scientists, engineers, planners, and technical experts. The IJC unites Canada and the United States to fight the pollution problem that impacts the water bodies along their shared border.With the increasing levels of pollutants in these lakes, according to the data and the news reports, Lake Michigan and Lake Ontario are also facing serious bad conditions. Lake Michigan and Lake Ontario lakes are so large that a person visiting the lakes cannot imagine how these big water bodies could be affected so profoundly by pollution or climate change.Great Lakes Plastic PollutionThe plastic pollution in the Great Lakes has increased so much that microscopic pieces of plastic are found in the lakes and even in the treated drinking water.According to the Rochester Institute of technology, more than 22 million lb (48.4 million kg) of plastic is dumped in the Great Lakes every year causing plastic pollution. The worst thing about plastic is that it never really ends or dissolves, the last stage in its breakdown is that of microplastics.Keep Plastic Out of the Great lakesPlastic Pollution in the Great Lakes is a major area of concern that should not be neglected in any way. It is extremely important to keep the plastics out of the Great Lakes as they play an important role in the ecology of North America.This is the reason that authorities have taken several steps to keep plastic out of the Great Lakes. Here are some of the techniques the local authorities have implemented to help keep plastic out of the Great Lakes:A federal ban on the manufacture and sale of microbeads: Microbeads are tiny plastic particles used as an abrasive in many skincare and personal care products. These are so small in size that microbeads escape the sewage treatment and end up contaminating the water bodies. Microbeads can absorb toxic materials and get mixed up in food consumed by wildlife.An alliance was thankfully formed for the Great Lakes to fight for imposing a federal ban on microbeads. The battle was won and several states have followed suit. All the remaining states should also do the same.Volunteers with the Alliance’s Adopt-a-Beach program participate in hundreds of beach cleanup campaigns across all the five Great Lakes.Reducing the use of plastics is an important step taken by many industries and small companies too. We all can start reducing plastic use now as we all have the power to reduce the amount of plastic we use. It can be done by refuse (refuse the use of single-use plastic items), reuse (reuse by choosing reusable alternatives over plastic), and spread the word (by sharing this information with friends and family).The Effects Of Toxic PollutantsPolluted water bodies affect aquatic life as well as territorial life. The pollutants make the waterbodies a bad habitat for aquatic life and when consumed by people and other animals, can cause serious health issues.The most significant stressors that have and are badly affecting the Great lakes are as follows:Heavy loading of industrial and agricultural waste rich in Phosphorous into the lakes is one of the most significant stressors. It propels eutrophication and the growth of nuisance algae that highly contaminates the water making it unsuitable for consumption. It also results in the climate change of water bodies.Zebra and Quagga mussels are highly invasive species that have colonized all five of the Great Lakes. These species are also a serious stressor for the waterbodies. Unfortunately, these species made their way into the lakes from various sources. Zebra mussels appeared for the first time in St. Clair that is the north of Lake Erie. Zebra mussels came from the Black and Caspian seas while the Quagga mussels came to Lake Erie from the Dneiper River drainage of Ukraine.Reduction in the ice coverage over the Lakes is also one of the serious stressors affecting the temperature of the water and the aquatic life the lakes support. During the last 40 years, the cover of ice over the lakes has been reduced by more than 71%.Tributary dams: The damming of the tributaries affects the flow of water, nutrients, and sediment to and between the Great Lakes. These tributary dams block the routes between spawning, nursery, and overwintering habitats. It threatens the aquatic organisms, the diversity of native fish species.Great Lakes Areas Of ConcernAll of the Great Lakes shores have accumulated so much that the collection of all the junk has contributed to a mass of waste being used as a landfill. Especially the shores of Lake Erie, they have been so badly contaminated that even the experts have warned that there is little that can be done for the dying lake.The piles of accumulated trash block the water passage and decrease the level of oxygen and its flow. It suffocates the fish causing premature deaths. This situation of the Great Lakes is a matter of great concern for the entire world.If not taken care of, there are bigger changes that are likely to come. The Great Lakes themselves are warming in highly unlikely and volatile ways.In 1972, the Water Quality Agreement was signed between the United States and Canada. The Agreement holds the committee and regulations that decide whether an area should be considered an Area of Concern and then regulations are made accordingly. Area of concern in the agreement has been defined as the geographic areas that fail to meet the specific objectives that have caused or could cause harm to the aquatic life.The goal of the agreement is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem by implementing certain action plans made for the same. Great Lakes Fishery Commission has also been created to control the situation.To restore the balance in the Great Lakes, not only Government policies and laws are required, but efforts from the sides of an individual as well as from the side of private industrialists and farmers are required.There are various types of pollution residue in the Great Lakes basin which need to be controlled by the environmental protection agency. Toxic chemicals in the lake water result in Acid Rain as well as algae bloom, air pollution due to the burning of fossil fuels, degrading of natural resources in lakes like the Laurentian great lakes and affecting the invasive species, agricultural runoff, and raw sewage in freshwater that causes water pollution, and many other reasons of pollution can be spotted.Even the health of the wildlife drinking water from such a basin, rivers, and streams like the Lawrence river is causing the death of such animals due to the increase in mercury levels in the water. Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, and Lake Ontario have become of great concern among the eight states among the north Canadian population and entire North America.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Great Lakes pollution facts then why not take a look at coal pollution facts, or car pollution facts.
There are five lakes in Canada and the United States that are connected with each other by approximately 5,000 tributaries.
