Assignment #3.1 “Determining Causes and Effects-Draft Version” “Determining the Causes and Effects of Water Pollution in Lake Huron” By: Maricel N. Johnson November 28, 2012 Eng 115 (Tuesday Class) Professor: Michael Hunter Lake Huron is the third largest of the lakes with 3,540 feet of water, with it’s average depth is 195 feet and with maximum depth of 750 feet. The Great Lakes, Lake Michigan, Erie, Ontario, Superior and Huron are our largest freshwater system. Lake Huron contains many wildlife and is in danger of being polluted. This pollution is harmful to fish, wildlife animals, and to humans of the region. Determining the cause and effects of water pollution in Lake Huron contributes to finding solutions for cleaning up our waterways and improving public health.
The effects of pollution on the Great Lakes Region: The Great Lakes are located on the north-eastern border between the United States and Canada. They include lakes Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior. Together they form the largest fresh water collection on Earth (Wikipedia, 2010). The surrounding American and Canadian population of the Great Lakes basin is 36 million people and covers an area of 75,000 square kilometres (Tremblay & Gilman, 1995). As a result of the large number of inhabitants surrounding the lakes and the many industries that depend on the area, the environment is subject to several ecological hardships such as sewage disposal, agricultural/urban runoff, and industrial effluent (Beeton, 1965).
Copper mining activities in the area from the 1890s until 1969 produced mill tailings (called stamp sands) that contaminated the lake sediments and shoreline. This site is being addressed through federal Fund-lead actions with the State of MI conducting Operation and Maintenance activities. About 200 million tons of copper mill stamp sands were dumped into Torch Lake itself, filling about 20 percent of the lake's volume. The contaminated sediments are believed to be 70 feet thick in some areas, and surface sediments contain up to 2,000 parts per million (ppm) of copper. The stamp sands deposited in Torch Lake and on the shoreline were dredged up during the early part of the 1900s and were processed with flotation chemicals to reclaim copper.
DEVASTATING WALKER RIVER FLOOD! In the last couple of days California and Nevada have suffered the worst floods in living memory! Normally the river flows at 650 cubic feet per second, however in the past week the river flowed more than twice that and at a devastating rate that destroyed everything in its path, including lives of two people. The flood also inundated 63,000 acres of land and cost millions in damage and additional costs due to disruptions in travel and business. The Walker River begins at a confluence where the tributaries of the West and the East Walker Rivers meet.
The Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River has a negative impact on its surrounding environment. The Yangtze River is the longest river in Asia, stretching 6,418km long. It begins in the province of Qinghai, high in the Tibetan Plateau, from glacier runoffs. Being so large, approximately 450 million people rely on the river and its basin for their water needs. The river is both culturally and economically the most important in China.
More than 1 billion people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water (Lawrence & Weber, 2011, p. 43). Especially in the developing countries, with poor water management it contributes to increasing malnutrition and disease, a losing of biodiversity and agricultural production, rising food prices, reducing economic growth and social stability, that leading to conflicts over water resources. The major source for of the Coca-Cola Company’s (TCCC) products is water. Even the company’s CEO admits “that unless the communities where the company operated had access to water, they haven’t got a business” (Lawrence & Weber, 2011, p. 43). Coca-Cola and its bottlers using 80 billion gallons of water every year worldwide; in which two fifths goes into finished beverages.
At the same time, supplies water to Kiev's 2.4 million residents. This caused a major problem to the people as now; their drinking water is contaminated with radioactive materials. Other than that, the radioactivity in the seas, lakes and rivers became a threat to aquatic life. Thankfully, the groundwater was slightly affected because the radioactive material fortunately decayed before it could reach the groundwater supplies. Four kilometers of pine trees turned reddish-brown after the accident.
Polar bears are the apex predator in Arctic marine ecosystems and are exposed to high levels of pollutants that are magnified with each step higher in the food web. Most of the pollution in the Arctic is transported northward by the large rivers draining into the Arctic and on wind and ocean currents that bring pollutants from southern latitudes. The pollutants of most concern are organochlorines that are, or were, used in industry or as pesticides. A key characteristic of the pollutants is that they are persistent in the environment and resist degradation. Unfortunately, many of the organochlorine pollutants are lipophilic or "fat loving" and bond tightly to fat molecules.
Dead Zones There are numerous dead zones found around the world and the number is expected to double in the years to come. One of the largest dead zones is located in the Gulf of Mexico. Studies have shown that nitrates from fertilizers, which are used by the farmers, runoff into the Mississippi River then eventually makes its way to the Gulf creating the Dead Zones. In order to stop the ruination of the natural environment, actions need to be taken immediately if we are to protect and improve our waterways. Dead Zones occur when dissolved oxygen levels in the water get so depleted the water cannot support life.
The four countries under this treaty are the U.S.,Japan, Great Britain and Russia. Throughout the 1750’s and 1911, a single fur coat could bring in 1,125 dollars. Although most of the poaching of sea otters has subsided, other factors have come into play (Fernandez, James). Pollution of kelp forests and oil spills are extreme threats to sea otters. Since the sea otter spends most of its life in the water, thousands are killed by oil spills.