Meghan Hodges
The Great Lakes, a set of five lakes in Canada and the United States, have faced significant pollution issues for decades. Of these five lakes, Lake Erie has historically been the most polluted, with human activities such as industrialization, urbanization, and agriculture severely impacting its water quality. Despite efforts to improve the situation, Lake Erie continues to face challenges due to pollution from various sources, including sewage treatment plants, agricultural runoff, and sediment loading. Plastic pollution, affecting all five lakes, poses a serious threat to the environment and public health, with microplastics found in fish, drinking water, and other sources. While Lake Superior is in relatively good health due to its location in a forested area, it also faces the challenge of contaminant removal due to its large volume of water. The Great Lakes remain an essential water source for millions, highlighting the urgency of addressing pollution through stringent waste disposal regulations and collaborative efforts between Canada and the United States.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Lake with the most pollution | Lake Erie |
| Reason for high pollution levels | High levels of urbanisation, industrialisation, and agriculture |
| Population of the Lake Erie watershed | 11.6 million people |
| Percentage of total population of the Great Lakes basin residing within the Lake Erie watershed | About one-third |
| Number of people in the Milwaukee and Chicago areas | 8 million |
| Number of pounds of plastic pollution in the Great Lakes each year | 22 million |
| Percentage of litter collected on Great Lakes beaches that is composed of plastic | 85% |
| Number of pieces of litter collected on Great Lakes beaches over the past 20 years | More than 10 million |
| Number of gallons of sewage that gushed into the Niagara River before pouring into Lake Ontario | 71 million gallons a day |
| Number of people who rely on the Great Lakes for drinking water | 30-40 million |
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What You'll Learn
Lake Erie's pollution
Lake Erie, the shallowest and southernmost of the Great Lakes, has faced severe pollution problems since the mid-twentieth century. By the 1960s, Lake Erie had become extremely polluted, largely due to heavy industrial activity along its shores and a lack of substantial government oversight.
Industries dumped chemical pollutants, waste oils, floating solids, and heavy metals such as lead and mercury into the lake and its tributaries. These toxic substances entered the lake through factory discharge pipes, sewage systems, and agricultural runoff. The lake's condition was so poor that it led to public outrage and the coining of the phrase "Lake Erie is dead," which appeared in national publications in the late 1960s.
The pollution had severe ecological consequences, including fish kills along the shoreline due to a lack of oxygen in the water. Additionally, the increased levels of phosphorus and nitrogen from agricultural fertilizers contributed to eutrophication, encouraging the development of harmful algal blooms (HABs). These blooms produce dangerous toxins, such as microcystins, which pose a threat to both human and animal health.
In response to the lake's deteriorating condition, collaborative efforts between the United States and Canada began in the 1960s. The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement was established to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus discharge, improve sewage treatment, and protect and restore the lakes. While there have been improvements in water treatment and fish populations, toxic algae blooms remain a persistent issue, highlighting the ongoing need for environmental management and innovative solutions.
Today, Lake Erie continues to face pollution challenges, including agricultural runoff, sewage overflow, and industrial waste. With around 11 million residents relying on the lake for drinking water, ensuring safe and clean water remains a critical priority. Efforts are being made to address these issues, with organizations like the National Wildlife Federation developing action plans and promoting conservation practices to tackle nutrient pollution and protect the lake's ecosystem.
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Plastic pollution
Microplastics, plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in diameter, are a significant contributor to plastic pollution in the Great Lakes. They can form from the breakdown of larger pieces of plastic trash, as well as from smaller sources such as soaps, synthetic clothing and textiles, and microbeads in personal care products. Microplastics have been detected in 85% of fish sampled from Lake Michigan tributaries, and they can be found throughout the food web, including mussels, algae, invertebrates, and birds. The ingestion of microplastics can inhibit reproduction, growth, and the ability of organisms to avoid predators, potentially leading to population-level effects and changes in ecosystem dynamics.
Volunteer programs such as the Alliance for the Great Lakes' Adopt-a-Beach initiative play a crucial role in keeping plastic out of the Great Lakes. Each year, thousands of volunteers participate in shoreline cleanups, removing tens of thousands of pounds of trash, with about 85% being plastic. However, beach cleanups alone are insufficient to address the magnitude of the plastic pollution issue in the Great Lakes. More systemic solutions are needed, and efforts must focus on reducing plastic production and usage.
To address plastic pollution, various legislative actions have been undertaken in the United States. Illinois has led the way by banning microbeads and implementing measures to address plastic production and reduction, improve reuse systems, and enhance data collection for policymaking. Additionally, the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 banned rinse-off cosmetics containing intentionally added plastic microbeads. The Great Lakes Marine Debris Action Plan, developed in 2020, outlines 47 actions focused on research, monitoring, policy, management, prevention, and removal of marine debris. While progress is being made, the protection of these vital freshwater ecosystems remains a critical priority.
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Nuclear power plants
The risk of an uncontrolled nuclear reaction in a reactor is small due to diverse and redundant safety systems, as well as the training and skills of reactor operators. In the United States, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulates the operation of nuclear power plants and sets strict limits on radioactive material releases. US nuclear plants have also voluntarily adopted groundwater protection programs to improve the management of radionuclide releases.
Radionuclides, such as tritium, are already present in the Great Lakes due to natural background radiation and fallout from global atmospheric nuclear bomb tests in the 1950s. While there haven't been major issues with radionuclides in the Great Lakes from power plants, people living in the region fear spills, meltdowns, or nuclear waste polluting waterways. To address these concerns, operators are required to monitor the environment around nuclear plants, including water supplies, shoreline sediments, and food sources.
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Industrial pollution
Lake Erie, in particular, suffered from severe pollution by the 1960s due to heavy industrial activities along its shores. The lake, with a large population in its basin and dominated by big cities and sprawling farmland in its watershed, became a dumping ground for chemical pollutants from factories, as well as pesticides, fertilizers, and sewage from surrounding urban and agricultural areas. This resulted in the death of fish and made swimming hazardous, leading to the phrase "Lake Erie is dead" being coined during that time.
Lake Michigan also faced significant pollution from industrial sources, particularly steel mills and refineries clustered along the Indiana Harbor ship canal, contributing to the oily and polluted state of the water.
The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, established in 1978 between the U.S. and Canada, aimed to address these issues by adopting an ecosystem approach to pollution control. However, the challenge of toxic pollutants in the Great Lakes persists, with chemicals like PCBs, DDT, chlordane, lead, copper, and arsenic still being detected in and around the lakes.
Efforts have been made to remediate contaminated sediments, with progress being made in the late 1990s and early 2000s. However, the scale of the problem remains significant, and the lakes continue to face the threat of industrial pollution alongside other forms of environmental degradation.
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Agricultural pollution
One of the primary sources of agricultural pollution in the Great Lakes is runoff from farm fields. When it rains, excess fertiliser and manure from farms flow into streams and rivers that feed into the lakes. This runoff contains high levels of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, which, while essential for plant growth, can have disastrous effects on aquatic ecosystems when present in excess. Nitrogen and phosphorus have been linked to harmful algal blooms, which can make water toxic to fish, wildlife, and people. When algae die and decompose, they consume oxygen in the water, creating "dead zones" where aquatic life cannot survive due to oxygen depletion.
Single-crop agriculture and factory farming have been identified as major contributors to nutrient pollution in watersheds. In Minnesota, for example, elevated nitrate levels have been detected in public and private water supply wells, threatening drinking water sources and increasing treatment costs for communities.
The impact of agricultural pollution is particularly evident in Lake Erie, which has historically been one of the most polluted of the Great Lakes. In 2014, nearly half a million people lost access to safe tap water for several days due to toxic algae contamination. The heavy industrial presence along its shores, combined with sprawling farmland in its watershed, has made Lake Erie highly susceptible to human activities and agricultural runoff.
Agricultural practices have also contributed to the filling in of wetlands around the Great Lakes, releasing carbon dioxide and adding excess chemicals and sediments to the water bodies. This has negatively impacted the quality and health of the lakes and their tributaries.
While there have been efforts to address agricultural pollution, such as the work of the Alliance for the Great Lakes in advocating for mandatory regulations, the lack of enforceable rules to limit runoff pollution remains a challenge. The complex interplay between agriculture, industry, and development continues to pose a significant threat to the health and sustainability of the Great Lakes ecosystem.
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Frequently asked questions
Lake Erie is the most polluted of the Great Lakes. It is the smallest and shallowest of the five lakes and has been heavily impacted by human activities.
Lake Erie receives pollution from the eight million people in the Milwaukee and Chicago areas, as well as from surrounding cities, industrial plants, and agricultural runoff. The lake is also affected by sediment loading due to the underlying geology and land use.
Pollution has led to increased algae growth, dead fish, and hazardous swimming conditions along the lake's shoreline. The lake was perceived as "dying" in the 1960s due to the severe pollution levels.
