Pollution in the Great Lakes

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Overview
Pollution in the Great Lakes is a major problem. It affects both Canada and the U.S. and has been a problem for over 50 years. Both the Canadian and American governments have taken action against this, but the problem hasn’t gone away yet. This report will talk about pollution, and its toll on the Great Lakes. It will also talk about what we can do to slow down, and hopefully stop pollution in these lakes.
Environmental Issues
There are many issues that have to deal with pollution. Everything from algae to the supply of water we need to survive is affected by pollution. The Great Lakes makes up one fifth of the world’s fresh water and this one fifth is now being polluted. The destruction of the area and the increase in pollution has increased since the 1960’s. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2012)
Dumping and contact with toxic chemicals have made much of the Great Lakes dangerous. One of the major sources of toxins and pollutants that are polluting the lakes is large farms. The artificial fertilizers and pesticides that are used run off into the water and then into the lakes. Sewage water from cities drains into the lakes when overflowing occurs, contributing to the pollution. Chlorine has to be used as a disinfectant in the drinking water that comes from the lakes.
Phosphorus and nitrogen are the main pollutants that leach into the waters. When rivers, like the Humber River, become polluted, they eventually run out into the Great Lakes. This is why regular litter from suburban areas is also a factor of pollution in the lakes.
There are many ways pollutants can enter lakes and rivers: agricultural and urban runoff, industrial outfalls, migration through groundwater, through the food chain, and many more. Many p...

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Works Cited

Environment Canada. (2013). Great Lakes. http://www.ec.gc.ca/grandslacs-greatlakes/default.asp?lang=En&n=70283230-1
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2012). The Great Lakes Today: Concerns. http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/atlas/glat-ch4.html
Latham, A., Wright, E., & Tsang, A. (n.d.). Pollution's Effects on the Great Lakes Ecosystem. Retrieved from University of Michigan website: http://sitemaker.umich.edu/section5group1/introduction_and_background
TEACH. (2006). Water Pollution in the Great Lakes. http://www.greatlakes.net/teach/pollution/water/water1.html
The Guides Network. (2014). Water Pollution Guide. http://www.water-pollution.org.uk/preventingyou.html
Great Lakes Water Quality Board. (1991). Cleaning up our Great Lakes. Windsor, Ont. The Commission.

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