katie, eliza, and david. history/ background 18th and 19th centuries: industries and individuals...
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The Great LakesKatie, Eliza, and David
History/ Background18th and 19th centuries: Industries and
individuals during the often used rivers and lakes as garbage cans
1920’s: The lakes had been invaded by 162 nonnative species (genetic pollution)
2006: on average more than 100 Olympic swimming pools of sewage each day was being released from surrounding cities
2007: estimated 460 lbs of pollutants in the Great Lakes
IssuesPollutants can take up to
100 years to be flushed out to the sea
About ½ the toxic compounds entering the lakes come from atmospheric deposition of pesticides and coal burning power plants and other toxins
Farmers use fertilizersBioaccumulation
Importance“Imagine 17,000 dump trucks pulling up to
your beach and tipping their toxic load straight into the drinking water of 40 million people,”
The Great Lakes contain 95% of the fresh water in the US and 1/5 of the worlds fresh water
At least 38 million people in the US and Canada obtain their drinking water from the Great Lakes
Future IssuesCost a lot of money to clean upDifficult to prevent because of nonpoint
source pollutionDisease
SolutionsCanada and the
United States established the International Joint Commission (IJC)
Educate the public on ways to prevent further pollution
Create stricter laws, to prevent pollution.