Rachel

Lake Erie's Water Pollution

The study of Lake Erie's Water Pollution made me aware of many issues. During my research, I learned about different topics concerning Lake Erie. My research showed how the Clean Water Act helped save Lake Erie from being known as "dead". I picked this topic because I had always wondered why Lake Erie was not cleaner. I saw trash, like bottles and wrappers floating in the water. There were always little rocks on the shore that were made out of bottle pieces. Now I know why there are all of these issues with Lake Erie. Many things I learned unintentionally. I hoped to learn who all of the researchers were who help with Lake Erie. However, I often got information on research that was done, but there was no mention of who did the research. One thing I had to learn, but did not intend to learn was all of the program abbreviations. Except for the researchers, I found everything I wanted to know. At first, I started with the title, The Great Lakes Water Pollution, but I changed my topic so my project turned out completely different then I thought it would. I used many resources to do my research. At our school library and our public library, I could not find many books related to my subject. Therefore, I used mostly web sites. To find facts on the web, I had to search under many different subjects. Trying to find one book that related to my subject was the most difficult aspect of my project. For one of my objectives, I used a web site that was very helpful at, http:www.lakecountyohio.org/soil/nps/page,htm . All of the resources I used helped me a lot. The pollution of our water ways became a national issue in June of 1969. The Cuyahoga River flows through Cleveland, Ohio. On it's way to Lake Erie, it caught fire because it was so polluted. Even though this was not the first time the Cuyahoga River had been in flames, the 1969 fire caught the attention of the nation and the fight began for increased water pollution controls. This eventually led to the Great Lakes Water Quality Act and the Clean Water Act in the 1970's. Point Source Pollution (P.S.P.) is terrible for our waterways, but can be handled. When pollutants enter the waterways through a specific entry point such as a drainpipe, draining directly into a river, it's called P.S.P. Industrial water discharges and sewage treatment plants cause most of the damage for this type of pollution. P.S.P. can include many different organic and inorganic substances, including human waste and toxic metals. P.S.P. can be traced to a specific discharge point and owner. Therefore, it has been the easiest source of pollution to control and regulate. Since the Clean Water Act of 1972, nearly 100% of all industrial plants use control measures to reduce their toxic discharges, and the number of sewage treatment facilities P.S.P. is very dangerous. Non point Source Pollution or N.P.S. is believed to be one of the main reasons for Lake Erie's pollution problem. N.P.S. pollution comes from many different diffuse sources and is extremely difficult to regulate and control. Many experts believe that N.P.S. pollution is the top hazard facing Lake Erie today. N.P.S. pollution is mainly caused by runoff. That is when rain and snow melts and moves over the land, picking up pollutants along the way and eventually dumps the pollutants into rivers and lakes. Some common N.P.S. pollutants include fertilizers, oil, grease, salt from highways, sediment and animal and human waste. N.P.S. pollution is terrible and everything should be done to stop it. In the 1960's Lake Erie was declared "dead," though amazingly, it was full of life, just not the right kind. Eutrophication, or excessive plant growth, had damaged Lake Erie and was covering beaches in slimy moss. It was killing off aquatics species by soaking up all of the oxygen. The pollution of Lake Erie even made it into a Dr. Seuss book, The Lorax, where everything becomes polluted. Lake Erie is the most shallow and warmest of the five Great Lakes. The basin of the lake also expanded development with agriculture, urban areas, industrial and sewage treatment plants. For many years, pollution filled Lake Erie with far more nutrients than the lake needed, with phosphorous being the main problem. Phosphorous is a fertilizer which contains algae. Algae was also found in many detergents at the time. Plants began to grow and then die and decay in Lake Erie. This created anoxia, or reverse deficiency of oxygen at the bottom of the lake, leaving the waters surface putrid and mossy. The lack of oxygen killed fish and other lake life. The smelly surface repelled the anger of tourist and those living around Lake Erie. Heavy metals, also, had contaminated much of the fish population. In repose to public concern and recommendations by the International Joint Commission I.J.C. the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement ( G.L.W.Q.A.), was signed by the United States and Canada in 1972. The agreement insisted the reduction of phosphorous entering the Lake Erie. In 1977 maximum levels for phosphorous were added to the agreement. Phosphorus detergents were also banned. With the Clean Water Act, the G.L.W.Q.A. did just as much to reduce phosphorus levels in the lake. Today, phosphorus is below the maximum allowed in the G.L.W.Q.A., and eutrophication is under control. Algae and excessive plant growth has been reduced, and native plants grow in the lake again. Lake Erie still has many problems, such as nonnative invasive species, contamination and public support, the lake is no longer known "dead," and hopefully, people will have a better understanding and concern for the effects of human activity on water quality in the Lake Erie and beyond. Many animals have miserable lives because of the deformities caused by pollution in Lake Erie. Heavy metals such as mercury, lead and human made organic chemicals such as pesticides. Animals biomagnify as they move up the food chain. This results in tumors and death for predatory animals, such as lake trout, herring, gulls and even humans. Toxic pollutants can also alter the genetic makeup of an organism, resulting in ether death or extreme deformities. Some deformities include large fish tumors and three-legged frogs. Lake Erie has caused suffering of many animals. Humans have had many negative affects on Lake Erie. Water Pollution is defined as a change in the chemical, physical and biological health of a waterway due to human activity. Ways that humans have affected the quality of the Great Lakes water over the centuries include sewage disposal, toxic contamination through heavy metals and pesticides, overdevelopment of the waters edge, runoff from agriculture and urbanization, waste and air pollution. Under the belief that water could dilute any substance, industries and individuals during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries often used rivers and lakes as garbage cans. Industrial effluent would often be dumped into waterways without any thought of contamination and double stream neighbors. The practice started changing in the 1970's as humans became aware of the importance of clean water to health. However, the more industries and people that moved into the Great Lakes region, the more polluted Lake Erie became. Today pollutants enter the Great Lakes in many different ways. Our sewage causes many problems in our world. Swimming is not allowed in certain lakes and animals are endangered by polluted water. Sewage comes out from our pipes. This is the reason dirty water goes down to a treatment plant to be cleaned. When electricity is produced it releases a greenhouse gas which helps trap too much heat in our world. At the same time, all of the rotting sewage produces a greenhouse gas of it's own called methane. Therefore, the way we use water harms the air in our world too. During my research I read a biography that connected with my topic. The biography was of Ren'e Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle. He discovered what is now called the Ohio River. The best part of his life, he said was when he finally got all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico, through the Mississippi River. He did not discover this river, but he was the first on e to get all the way through it and it's tributaries. During his voyage, he did cross Lake Erie twice. Reading about him helped me understand how difficult it was to try to discover Lakes and Rivers without being killed. I'm glad I researched La Salle for my biography, because researching him helped me a lot with my research. Researching this topic for I.S.P. has helped me learn about Lake Erie. Doing this project showed my how much people have sacrificed to be able to keep Lake Erie clean. I now know how polluted Lake Erie use to be. My interview with Cheryl Wolfe-Craigin helped me a lot. Making fact cards was the hardest part of this project for me. If I had more time to work on my project, I would invent many more objectives. I will never regret doing this topic for I.S.P. There are many jobs that effect Lake Erie's Pollution. Some jobs, or just committees, are good for Lake Erie. Committees like the one that Charol Wolfe-Cragain is in clean up rivers that lead to Lake Erie. She is in a committee that cleans up the Black River, but she is the manager of the Lewis Environmental Center, in Oberlin. Other jobs, like working in a automobile factory, are terrible for Lake Erie. All of the pollution that is coming out of the smoke stacks causes N.P.S. pollution. You need a high school degree to work their. Many jobs do different things to effect Lake Erie's Pollution.   Glossary anoxia - reverse deficiency of oxygen. biomagnify - concentrating cadmium. cadmium - a soft, bluish white metallic element occurring primarily in zinc, copper, that is easily cut with a knife. effluent - water mixed with waste. euticephication - A bay of water rich in nutrients which causes excessive growth of aquatic plants, algae, resulting in bacteria consuming nearly all the oxygen. greenhouse gas - any atmospheric gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect. induces - persuade. methane - an odorless, colorless, flammable gas that is the major constituent of natural gas and is used as a fuel and as an important source of hydrogen. methane - a rotting sewage that produces a greenhouse gas of it's own. obigotrophic - locking in plant nutrients and having a large amount of dissolved oxygen throughout. phosphorous - a fertilizer. putrid - smelly sewage - waste carried away in sewers and drains. storm water - gutters channel excess rainwater into drains, which carry to local waterways.   Bibliography Dalgleish, Sharon. (2003). Saving Water. Broomall. Clutting, Saron R. Water Pollution in the Great Lakes.[Online] Available http://www.greatlakes.net/teach/pollution/water/ water/.html, December 15, 2004. Meersman, Tom. Invaded Waters. [Online] Available http://www.stavtribune.com/stories/122/4824994.html, January 19, 2005. Unknown Author. Are Lake Erie's Fish Threatened? [Online] Available http://archives.cbc.ca/IDG-1-75-1380-8678/science_ technology/great_lakespollution/clip/, January 18, 2005. Unknown Author. Water Pollution. [Online] Available http://www.overpopulation.com/fag/enviromental_issues/pollution-water.html, February 23, 2005. .

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