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There are several lakes around the world that are highly polluted. Onondaga Lake in New York, for instance, has been labelled the most polluted lake in America due to the dumping of chemical and sewage waste. Similarly, Lake Karachay in Russia has been described as the most polluted place on Earth, owing to its use as a radioactive waste dump. Other polluted lakes include Lake Kinkaid in Illinois, Grand Lake in Ohio, and Lake Lanier in Georgia, United States.
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What You'll Learn
Mercury pollution in Lake Kinkaid, Illinois
Lake Kinkaid in Illinois is one of the most mercury-polluted lakes in the state. The mercury pollution in the lake can be traced to emissions from the state's coal-fired power plants. Illinois has 23 coal-fired power plants that release about 6,000 pounds of mercury annually. Once released into the atmosphere, mercury settles in the water and ends up in fish.
The Illinois Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), a non-profit, non-partisan public interest advocacy organization, has been campaigning to build coalitions among local businesses to raise awareness of mercury pollution in Illinois lakes and its harmful effects on the population. The group has also been visiting cities across the state to persuade the Blagojevich administration to set new power plant emission standards for mercury and other pollutants.
The state has issued a fish consumption advisory, recommending that people limit their consumption of fish caught in Illinois. The PIRG's short-term goal is to reduce air pollution by mandating that all power plants meet modern emission standards. In the long term, it is necessary to reduce reliance on coal, oil, and other polluting energy sources and increase the use of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power.
Cleaning up the mercury and other pollutants from power plants in Illinois would significantly reduce mercury contamination in Lake Kinkaid and other water bodies in the state. It would also improve air quality, reduce asthma attacks, emergency room visits, and premature deaths caused by soot and smog.
Pollution's Devastating Impact on Habitats and Ecosystems
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Radioactive waste in Lake Karachay, Russia
Lake Karachay, a small lake in the southern Ural Mountains of central Russia, is considered the most polluted lake in the world from a radiological perspective. Starting in 1951, the Soviet Union used Lake Karachay as a dumping ground for radioactive waste from the nearby Mayak nuclear waste storage and reprocessing facility. Mayak was built in secrecy between 1946 and 1948 and was the first reactor used to create plutonium for the Soviet atomic bomb project.
The lake's proximity to the facility made it a convenient site for disposing of large quantities of high-level radioactive waste. The sediment of the lake bed is estimated to be composed almost entirely of radioactive waste deposits to a depth of approximately 3.4 meters (11 feet). The radiation levels in the region near the lake were extremely high, reaching 600 röntgens per hour (approximately 6 Sv/h) in 1990, which is sufficient to deliver a lethal dose to a human within less than an hour.
The consequences of this radioactive pollution have been devastating. In 1968, a drought caused the water levels in the lake to drop, exposing contaminated silt. The wind carried radioactive dust away from the dried lake bed, irradiating approximately half a million people in the surrounding areas. The Techa River, which provides water to nearby areas, was also contaminated, leading to chronic radiation sickness among 65% of residents in the village of Metlino.
Efforts have been made to remediate the pollution and contain the radioactive waste. Between 1978 and 1986, almost 10,000 hollow concrete blocks were placed in the lake to prevent the radioactive sediments from shifting. In November 2015, the lake was completely backfilled, and in December 2016, the final layer of rock and soil was added. Monitoring data showed a significant reduction in the deposition of radionuclides on the surface. However, the long-term environmental and health impacts of the pollution on the surrounding areas remain a serious concern.
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Salt extraction industry pollution in Onondaga Lake, New York
Onondaga Lake in Syracuse, New York, has been dubbed "the most polluted lake in America". The lake is sacred to the Onondaga Nation, who have held stewardship over the territory for over a thousand years. However, following the American Revolutionary War, control of the lake was taken from them by New York State.
The industrialization of the region in the 19th century led to the development of the lake's shoreline, with the construction of resorts, hotels, restaurants, and amusement parks. This industrialization, coupled with a growing population, resulted in increased sewage and industrial discharges that severely degraded the lake's water quality. Onondaga Lake received industrial and municipal sewage discharges, including mercury, salt processing residue, ammonia, organic compounds, and PCBs, for more than 100 years.
Salt extraction played a significant role in the pollution of Onondaga Lake. The availability of salt and limestone along and near the lake attracted companies such as Solvay Process and Honeywell International, Inc. These companies discharged waste directly into the lake, with Solvay alone dumping over 120 tons of waste material daily from 1884 until 1986. Approximately 6 million pounds of salty wastes, composed of chloride, sodium, and calcium, were dumped into the lake before Allied Chemical closed in 1986.
The pollution of Onondaga Lake resulted in the banning of swimming by 1940 and fishing by 1970 due to unsafe levels of pollution and mercury contamination. Despite the implementation of the Clean Water Act in 1973 and the closing of major industrial polluters, Onondaga Lake remained severely polluted for decades. It was designated a federal Superfund site in 1994, and various cleanup initiatives have been undertaken since then.
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Algal blooms in Grand Lake, Ohio
Grand Lake, Ohio's largest inland lake, has been dubbed the "poster child" of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). HABs are a global threat to water resources and can have significant social, economic, and environmental impacts. In 2009, Grand Lake began experiencing extensive algal blooms, which led to it being labelled as a distressed public drinking water supply in 2011. The lake has historically ranked among the highest for public drinking water intakes in the United States due to high levels of toxins.
The main cause of the algal blooms in Grand Lake is the high external nutrient loading from the agriculturally dominated watershed. Both nitrogen and phosphorus contribute directly to HABs, and excess nitrogen is associated with cyanotoxin production. The blooms in Grand Lake are typically dominated by Planktothrix, which can produce microcystin, a potent cyanobacterial toxin. The concentration of microcystin has varied over the past decade, with recent years exhibiting anomalous combinations of winter ice cover and spring runoff, which contribute to changes in HAB severity and toxicity.
Water sampling and modelling efforts have been conducted to better understand the changes in phytoplankton biomass, community structure, and toxicity during hydrologic extremes such as heavy rain and drought. Results from dry years show that external nutrient load reductions can positively impact phytoplankton community structure, biodiversity, and toxicity in the same year. Additionally, applying NH4+ turnover to model microcystins in situ can improve model accuracy at high biomass but low toxin concentrations.
To address the issue of HABs, lake managers can use algaecides or emerging water treatment options such as Nanobubble Ozone Technology (NBOT). While algaecides may have negative environmental impacts, NBOT has been shown to effectively decrease chlorophyll a, phycocyanin, and microcystins in mesocosm experiments and trials. Other strategies to improve water quality in Grand Lake include implementing farm techniques that limit fertilizer and manure runoff, annual dredging of lake silt, and restoring water-filtering wetlands. These efforts are slowly improving the lake's water quality.
It is important to note that Grand Lake is not the only body of water affected by HABs. Lake Erie, for example, is also susceptible to harmful algal blooms, particularly in its shallow, warm western basin. Recent research has shown that fish fillets from Lake Erie are safe to eat as long as consumption advisories are followed.
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Industrial discharges in Utah Lake
Utah Lake is one of the largest natural freshwater lakes in the western United States. The lake's water quality is affected by several factors, including industrial discharges, which contribute to its pollution levels.
Industrial facilities such as manufacturing plants, mines, landfills, and wastewater treatment plants are required to obtain permits for storm water discharges associated with their operations. These permits, known as the Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP), aim to regulate and control the discharge of pollutants into water bodies, including Utah Lake.
The Utah Department of Environmental Quality (UDEQ) plays a crucial role in managing the lake's water quality. They have implemented the Great Salt Lake Discharge Permitting Program, which sets stringent limits on technology-based and water quality-based effluent discharges. These permits ensure that the lake's beneficial uses are protected while water-quality standards are developed and adopted.
However, despite these efforts, Utah Lake still faces challenges from industrial discharges. Excessive nutrients from various sources, including industrial activities, contribute to large seasonal algal blooms, elevated pH levels, and the potential production of cyanotoxins. The "muddiness" of the water, caused by suspended silt, has surprisingly helped mitigate the impact of pollution on the lake's ecosystem by reducing the amount of sunlight that reaches the algae, thus lowering the potential harm to fish and other aquatic life.
While industrial discharges are a significant contributor to the pollution of Utah Lake, it is important to note that other factors also play a role. Wastewater treatment plant effluent, stormwater discharges, and nonpoint source runoff all contribute to the overall water quality issues in the lake. Additionally, rapid urbanization within the watershed area may be exacerbating the hypertrophic conditions and further degrading the lake's ecosystem.
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Frequently asked questions
There are several lakes that have been labelled as the most polluted, including Lake Karachay in Russia, Onondaga Lake in New York State, and Grand Lake in Ohio.
Lake Karachay was used as a dumping site for radioactive waste from the Mayak nuclear waste storage and reprocessing facility starting in 1951. The radioactivity of the lake is comparable to the Chernobyl disaster.
The pollution in Lake Karachay has had significant environmental and health impacts. The Techa River, which provides water to nearby areas, was contaminated, and about 65% of local residents suffered from chronic radiation sickness. The lake's sediment is estimated to be composed almost entirely of high-level radioactive waste.
Onondaga Lake, sacred to the Onondaga Nation, has been polluted by chemical and sewage waste, mercury, carcinogens, and other harmful chemicals. The pollution has transformed the lake into a toxic site, leading to a ban on swimming and fishing.
The pollution in Onondaga Lake is attributed to various factors, including waste from the salt extraction industry, the release of phosphorus, nitrites, and ammonia from Syracuse sewers, and the extreme increase in mercury levels due to chemical industries.
