The Importance Of Toxins In Lake Erie

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A tremendous amount of toxins in Lake Erie has caused more than a half-million residents in Northwest Ohio to be deprived of drinking water. The recent drinking-water crisis was brought on by a harmful algae bloom (HAB). HABs occur when excess nitrogen and phosphorus are present in lakes and streams. Lake Erie, which is a source of drinking water for the Toledo water system has been impacted. Flooded by tides of phosphorus mainly from farm fertilizer runoff and sewage treatment plants, leaving behind toxins that have contributed to oxygen-deprived dead zones where fish can’t survive. The toxins can kill animals and sicken humans. Lucas County Health Department Officials state that “residents consuming contaminated water should know the following: …show more content…

Water quality cleanup efforts, individuals and communities need to be more involved. Lake Erie was mocked as dead in the 1960’s. The demise of Lake Erie even made it into a Dr. Seuss’ 1971 book, The Lorax:
You’re glumping the pond where the Humming-fish hummed! No more can they hum, for their gills are all gummed. So I’m sending them off. Oh, their future is dreary. They’ll walk on their fins and get woefully weary In search of some water that isn’t so smeary. I hear things are just as bad up in Lake Erie. The Cuyahoga and Black river were so polluted that an official announcement was made warning against contact with the water. The Cuyahoga was polluted with oil and debris that collected on the surface that caught fire in 1969. The fire pulled national media attention, including stories in Time …show more content…

The Maumee River was the main source of Toledo’s early economic success and is the largest watershed in The Great Lakes system. The Maumee River runs through the Midwest, filled with highly productive farmlands. Drainage tiles allow removal of water from the top of the soil, and creates swampland used for farmers. Drainage tiles also collect majority of the runoff and transports to rivers and streams. Creating wetlands are vital to the health of waterways. Wetlands filter, clean and store water, they are some of the most important ecosystems in the world. The global climate change also plays a big role in the recent algae blooms. High amounts of rainfall create runoff. Director of Ohio Sea Grant Dr. Jeffrey Reutter said, “Bloom is regulated by the amount of phosphorus entering the lake. A wet year means a worse bloom.” Algae blooms during the summer have become more frequent around the western end of Lake

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