The Pros And Cons Of Water Pollution

In 1960, Lake Erie was very polluted A lot of the cities such as Toledo, Sandusky, and Port Clinton’s waste was dumped into Lake Erie. Many of the factories that were surrounding the lake erie would dump their waste into the river, which was the cause of a lot of the pollution. Pesticides and chemicals from nearby farms washed off into the river whenever it rained, so the chemicals started to pollute the river. The cities that surround the near by river or lake paid a huge amount of money to get new sewer systems to help keep the water clean. This major source of freshwater is critical to the survival of the entire ecosystem and must be protected at all costs.

When was the last time you swam in the Great Lakes? Could you say that it was clean, could you say that the organisms were all healthy and doing great? Well, unfortunately, there are many things harming our Great Lakes, like chemicals, pollution, and invasive species.

     Keeping the pollution to a minimal isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do. The major water pollutants are chemical, biological, or physical materials that

The Great Lakes have been under threat for the last two centuries, but the situation is the far worse today. It use to be believed that dumping sewage or chemicals into rivers and lakes was a great way to dilute and disperse it. As it turns out, it's not a good idea since those are the very rivers and lakes that we get our drinking water from. In recent decades, a lot has been done to stop that practice, but the sources and amount of pollution keeps skyrocketing each year. This pollution in the lakes must be stop at once or else bad consequences will be appond us because of it

In 1972 The United States and Canada signed the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement to try to control pollution in there waterways. Since then very little has improved. Scientists in Ohio studying the pollution

The polluted water supply that results can become harmful to humans. Aquatic life quickly suffers the effects of watershed pollution.

Just a few miles away, our Great Lakes are being ravaged by plastic particles being released throughout. Issues around the world regarding water have always been prevalent. Dehydration kills about 2.2 million children every year. We can not stand idle by as a possible solution degrades daily right next to us. Lake Erie is known as the most polluted of the Great Lakes however, Lake Michigan is close behind. Due to the boom in industry in the Milwaukee and Chicago areas during the Industrial Revolution, and the disregard of the environmental impact, Michigan has already absorbed a large amount of pollutants. Only one percent of the water in the Great Lakes leave the

More than 35 million people in the United States and Canada depend on the Great Lakes for their water. Wastewater, development, air pollution, pesticide runoff , chemicals, metals, plastic and paint manufacturing, the food and agriculture industry, tech companies, aerospace and automotive sectors are some of the sources of pollution of the Great Lakes in Canada. Pollution in the Saint John River, the threat level is very high, the reasons are: pulp and paper industry, oil industry, food and agriculture, forestry. And, pollution in the Skeena River: Threat Level is Low, and some Pollution sources are forestry and wood related manufacturing, municipalities and local

While rain does help replenish and dilute polluted fresh water, it also can contaminate it just as fast. Sewage waste and runoff fills the waters with pathogenic microorganisms and chemicals that reduce the dissolved oxygen levels. A loss in oxygen kills off fish and leaves their habitat murky and dark. High levels of nitrogen and phosphorus from runoff cause growth of algae and other harmful aquatic life. In an article on water pollution, it is stated that “many fish species require a minimum of 4–5 mg of dissolved oxygen per liter of water” (Scholz, Nathaniel). Scholz is saying that fish in the areas that become over polluted die off or are forced to leave their natural environment due to a lack of oxygen. The article continues to explain that the fish living in these poor conditions are consumed as food and the levels of toxins can multiply as it goes up the food chain, potentially leading to illnesses for humans. As more water is demanded, more water filtration plants are put into place to get consumable water to all in need. One gallon of contamination can make one thousand gallons of water undrinkable. In 1993, Michigan received heavy amounts of rainfall which affected Lake Michigan and the drinking water. The study of this incident is included in John Gary’s book, Can We Cope?, and is stated that:

River pollution is a major problem and it has serious consequences, for example, because of pollution there are now 34 species of fish that live in the Missouri river that are rare or endangered. Also pollution is contaminating fish that come from the river, fish have been found with potentially deadly chemicals in them. This can be extremely dangerous, “According to a study by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, just a small drop of mercury is enough to contaminate a 20-acre lake, making fish unsafe to eat.” (Community Members Say Missouri River At Risk From Coal’s Mercury Pollution, 1). And 3 Million habitats have been changed because of pollution and this has affected the health of the wildlife and the ecology of the

Water quality in the Great Lakes is something that has been a criticall issue in the Great Lakes Region for a number of years. Water quality can be anything that affects the benefits humans derives from water. It can include drinking water, food, recreation, and any other use of water that is possible. Many invasive species including zebra mussels and Asian carp pose a great threat to the water quality of the Great Lakes. The ecosystem and industry relying on the Great Lakes are also affected by this invasion. I feel that the best way to stop invasive species from coming into the Great Lakes is to prevent the problem from happening before it already has.

Water pollution has had devastating effects on the environment, which include irreversible effects to the ocean's ecosystem, health problems and abnormal conditions.

The first problem the Great Lakes are facing is pollution. When factories have waste they immediately see any lake, river, or forest as a dumping ground when in reality these places are home to a bunch of wildlife. The chemicals can cause deformities, cancer, and weaken the eggshells of birds. An even worst form of pollution is non point source pollution, which has all the same effects, but comes from multiple sources and therefore is more difficult to control.

Actions are to be judged right or wrong mainly by their own consequences. Nothing else matters. Right actions are those that have the best consequences.

Water pollution is a serious environmental issue worldwide. 1 Water is one of the most valuable resources on our planet; having clean water is vitally important for our survival. Here in the United States, the Clean Water Act of 1972 was very successful in reducing point sources of water pollution; however, it has been ineffective in reducing nonpoint sources of water pollution (Manuel, 2014). Nitrogen and phosphorous that originate from agricultural sources, such as manure and inorganic fertilizer, are contributing to nonpoint source pollution of our waterways. Also referred to as nutrient pollution, this issue is created by the runoff of excess nutrients into waterways and the effects of this can reach hundreds or even thousands of miles