Preview

Great Lakes

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
870 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Great Lakes
Karen Gassler
ENG 115
Professor Evans
June 3rd, 2013
Week 7 assignment 3.2 Revised Version

The North American great lakes including Lake Erie, Michigan, Huron, Superior, and Ontario. Lake Huron is the 3rd largest lake out of all five of them. It measures at 850 cubic meters of water; it extends to about 3,827 miles, measures at 206 miles across, and about 183 miles north to south. The average water depth in this huge lake is 195 ft. These lakes are the largest fresh water supply and home to many of the world’s wildlife. For several years the Great Lakes have served as a dumping ground for many harmful pollutants. Damage from drain pipes and industrial waste produce harmful conditions for the fish, wildlife, and humans dwelling in the surrounding area of the region. Countless people wouldn’t believe so because this is a second home place to many, many families and they travel to this area for their summer vacations. As people travel to the Great Lakes, perhaps they can all see the true of how mistreated these stunning lakes are.
The first major source of pollution comes from point source pollution. Point source pollution is simply a direct source of pollution such as a pipe or other vessels. Earlier age industrial companies, such as pulp and paper were located right on the outskirts of the Great Lakes. They were dumping tons of waste including mercury into the water. Some of this polluting was done involuntarily with the malfunctioning of these pipes or vessels. However, some of this pollution was intentional from them thinking that anything would dissolve in the waters and “neutralize”.
Pathogens are another source of pollution to the Great Lakes. Pathogens refer to bacterial organisms found in the intestinal tracts of mammals. Nutrient sources include municipal wastewater treatment plants, septic systems, and agricultural runoffs. There are three major areas which are Saginaw Bay, Severn Sound, and the southeastern shore of Lake Huron Basin. Pathogens

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The costs of the proposed change are the benefits forgone from the restoration projects conducted by the Great Lakes Restoration Project. The main benefits of GLRI derived from its pollution remediation efforts. The Great Lakes made up 95 percent of the “fresh surface water in the U.S.” (Regan 2017), so its condition has…

    • 1089 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To increase are understanding of Seneca Lake’s biotic and abiotic characteristics we studied the plankton composition, water chemistry, the temperature to depth relationship, and the sediment piston core of the lake.…

    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Great Lakes (Lake Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario) are the largest surface freshwater system on the Earth. They form a great part of the American and Canadian physical and cultural heritage. They form 84% of America’s fresh water and about 21% of the world’s surface fresh water, providing water for consumption, energy, transportation and recreation. One of the biggest problems to these lakes is sediment toxins caused by such factors as industrial and municipal discharges, sewer overflows, and urban and agricultural. To fix this problem, the EPA has provided financial assistance as well as field and technical support for remediation of these areas of concern (AOC) and each have implemented a remedial action plan (RAP). The process of remediation for these areas of concern has accelerated due to the efforts of the Great Lakes Legacy Act and Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.…

    • 289 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    HAVANA, Ill - As scientists aboard a research boat activate an electric current, the calm Illinois River transforms into a roiling, silvery mass. Asian carp by the dozen hurtle from the water as if shot from a gun, soaring in graceful arcs before plunging beneath the surface with splashes resembling tiny geysers. These fish aren’t the normal species of fish you would see around here. When brought to the Great Lakes these fish have the potential to destroy the ecosystem the normal fish and organisms live in. We need to prevent the Asian Carp from getting into the Great Lakes so we can preserve its ecosystem and habitat to the organisms that already live there.…

    • 1180 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the ancient life of the Great Lakes Basin from the Precambrian era through the Ice Age. The Great Lakes region is a freshwater lake, which has a study of ancient life. The area has showed organisms that have lived about 3 billion years ago.…

    • 851 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ohio River Research Paper

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The people in surrounding communities, the wildlife habitat, and the river water quality. The Ohio River community needs to be more informed and aware of the toxins in the Ohio River in order stop this devastating problem.…

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    U-High Creek Quality

    • 363 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The water quality of the U-High creek was excellent because it had pollution sensitive micro-invertebrates. However, not all creeks are this way. One example of humans polluting creeks includes farmers’ pesticides and fertilizers that soak through the ground and travel into the water (Lenntech, 1998-2016). These materials hold a lot of phosphorus and nitrogen which causes a surplus of algae. If this occurs, then the water could turn green (causing a low aesthetic value) and also once it breaks down, its’ bacteria will steal away the dissolved oxygen that the fish need to survive. Another example is the runoff of factory waste (Lenntech, 1998-2016). This waste brings toxins that could kill all the organisms and animals that interact with the…

    • 363 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Lake Huron Research Paper

    • 1249 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Mostly all of the pollution, however, can be attributed to four main causes. These causes are Atmospheric pollution, air pollution, point-source pollution, and nonpoint-source pollution. Even though there are other sources that causes pollution of the Great Lake Huron, these four have been proven to attribute the most harmful of those causes. Atmospheric pollution is cause one and a major concern. It usually happens when rain or snow carries contaminates and makes its way to the water source contaminating the water itself. Cause two is air pollution and it is when waste from plants makes its way into the air from the burning of harmful substances and is then deposited into the water source. Cause three is point-source pollution and that usually means that the pollution comes from sewage, fecal matter, and mercury that comes from treatment plants and industrial facilities that are near the lake. As this matter is dumped into the lake, it causes problems because the life around the lake depends on the life that is inside of the lake itself. Nonpoint-source pollution is the fourth cause and it means that the pollution comes from a runoff of polluted water from lawns or crops that can have contaminates in it. “Water washing over the land, whether from precipitation, car washing or watering crops or lawns, picks up an array of contaminants including oil, sand and salt from roadways, agricultural chemicals,…

    • 1249 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The bodies of waters are Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lake Ontario, Lake Superior,…

    • 2050 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nature always attracts people with its beauty, as it is not only pleasing the eye but also gives us a state of equilibrium and comfort. Lakes are a gift from the gods for us; they personify calmness and clarity. The Lakes in Canada: 5 Great Lakes article includes locations and small descriptions of 5 the most beautiful lakes in Canada.…

    • 635 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Great Plains

    • 508 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Great Plains Native Americans were indigenous people who live in the center of North America. They covered states from the Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi River and cover some provinces in Canada to Texas. The Great Plains Native Americans were separated into two groups called the Plain Indians and Prairie Indians. The Great Plains Native Americans were rich with culture, wore traditional clothing, and made their own tools.…

    • 508 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Neighborhood News

    • 497 Words
    • 2 Pages

    It is very important to address this issue because the article alludes to the fact that people have fished out of the and more importantly that the lake serves as a water source in some capacity. It is important to remember that contaminated water can affect drinking supply and food supply when used to water crops for consumption. It can also trickle down and affect meat production as the animals ingest the water and food grown using the water. This cycle can be devastating for a community.…

    • 497 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Pollution is a problem around the world. There are different types of pollution. The biggest form of pollution is probably water pollution. An example of water pollution that is located near by is the water issue in the Passaic River and New York Bay.…

    • 309 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Neighborhood News

    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Water pollution can be caused by many different environmental factors. It can be caused by pesticides, sewage, chemicals. It can be a health risk to individuals causing infections such as bacterial and viral infections, as well as parasites. Preventative measures are proper monitoring of the water system with…

    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are various causes of pollution; however the major culprits are human beings. Thousands of power plants continue to pollute our world by releasing mercury into the atmosphere. If humans started Earth on this path of destruction, then they can stop it. Another cause of pollution is industrial facilities. Most of these industries are releasing waste into the world; this waste is a major factor that causes pollution. The waste such as electricity from burning fossil fuel such…

    • 1122 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays