Can the great lakes become fishable, drinkable, and swimmable again. The great lakes form the largest surface freshwater system on earth. Since the 1990s, there has been amazing change in the great lakes. In latest book, author details ecological unraveling of the great lakes. The book is divided into 28 chapters covering almost all the aspect of water pollution including water resources and general properties of water. Only 1% of the water from the great lakes flows into the atlantic each year. Theres still time to order great lakes books for the children on your list. Canadian science writer wayne grady has written a great book about the great lakes. Over the past 50 years, pollution in the great lakes has been a rising concern.
Demise of coalburning power means toxic ash landfills. Muldoon is the author of four books and numerous articles. I do not read much science, but this book taught me a lot while giving me lots of joy. With the longest continuous coastline in the united states, they hold onefifth of the worlds freshwater supply. For his seventh book, dempsey makes a turn for the positive, narrowing in on the detroit river, its history and its environmental recovery. Lake michigan was the location of the first recorded big great lakes disaster, in which a steamer carrying 600 people collided with a schooner delivering timber to chicago. Lawrence river basin water resources compact is a historic agreement among the eight great lakes states to protect great lakes water. Prior to law school, she was the operations manager for floating doctors in bocas del toro, panama. New research tackles great lakes regional problems great. Canadian panel that monitors great lakes water quality, states the efforts to clean up the lakes over the past 25 years are a mix of achievements and challenges. List of books and articles about water pollution online. The great lakes, lake lakes and lake ontario essay introduction the great lakes, including lake superior, lake michigan, lake huron, lake erie and lake ontario, are the largest freshwater lakes in the world, accounts for about 18% of the world s fresh water resources.
Does this book explore only the great lakes that touch both canada and the united sates. In its biennial report on great lakes water quality, the international joint commission urged the governments of both nations to step up protection and. The water pollution problems of the great lakes are myriad and complex. The american west and its disappearing water, revised edition. The industrial pollution of the 1950s and 60s is just the. The everglades, chesapeake bay, great lakes, mississippi river delta, gulf of mexico, and other major water resource areaswhat we think of as the nations great watershave become degraded over the years by pollution, flow alterations, wetland destruction, and more. The late, great lakes is a powerful indictment of mans carelessness, ignorance, and apathy toward the great lakes. What gets thrown in the great lakes, stays in the great lakes we need to take control of the 10,000 tons of plastic entering the lakes each yearwhether we recycle, reuse, or just. The great lakes water authority is your source for water.
Egan, a reporter for the milwaukee journal sentinel, effectively calls attention to the inherent fragility of the great lakes in this thoughtprovoking investigation, providing a modern history of the lakeserie, huron, michigan, ontario, and superiorand the problems that have plagued them. He skims over pollution and focuses on the problem of invasive species. Garbage in the great lakes often washes ashore in new states or countries. This paper advances the notion that pollution in the great lakes presents a wicked problem to first nation users who must delicately balance a variety. Dan egan is a reporter at the milwaukee journal sentinel and a senior water policy fellow. A joint united statescanada report maps out the way to clean up the worlds largest freshwater ecosystem january 29. The great lakes of water essay 1187 words bartleby. Pollution of the great lakes uring the 1960s, pollution of the great lakes became a ma jor concem, considering the lakes importance for drinking water and fishing. They pledged to clean up and protect the great lakes ecosystem. The great lakes water quality agreement, under the boundary waters treaty of 1909, became a model to the world for environmental management across an international boundary.
A brief video on the water pollution in the great lakes as well as some nice pictures. Exploring the death, and life, of the great lakes mpr news. The glc applies its expert knowledge of water issues to facilitate teams, build consensus, develop tools, and share information that encourages collective action and advances. Our strategies include securing funds, advocating for policies, and. This book is based on recent views, ideas and contributionsof some of the worlds leading ecologists, with special reference to comprehensiveinformation on water pollution, regarding their source, effects and control. The great lakes water wars by peter annin goodreads. The great lakes are the largest group of freshwater lakes on earth by total area, and secondlargest by total volume, containing 21% of the worlds surface fresh water by volume. Info on geological history, explorers, tribes, locks, and modern issues the lakes face. There are a total of 43 areas of concern within the great lakes, 26 being in the united states, 17 in canada, with five shared by the two countries. One of them, superior, is the largest lake on earth. Water pollution is defined as a change in the chemical, physical and biological health of a waterway due to human activity 1. Turning great lakes water into a product especially the water of lake superior, the purest of the lakes fueled indignation on both sides of the.
Lake superior, lake michigan 2, lake huron 3, lake erie 4, and lake ontario 5. Minnesota, wisconson, illinois, indiana, michigan, ohio, pennsylvania, new york and ontario. The natural history of a changing region, by wayne grady, 2007. The combined area of the great lakes some 94,250 square milesrepresents the largest surface of fresh water in the world, covering an.
The high quality cartography was recognized by the british cartographical. Council of great lakes region with up to 40 million basin residents drawing their drinking water from the great lakes, protecting the quality of these vast water bodies is not optional. Great lakes water quality international joint commission. Its home to more than 76,000 miles of rivers and streams and has jurisdiction over about 40 percent of its bordering great lakes. In the oceanic depths of the great lakes, life and death swirl like coffee and cream. The history of water pollution in lake michigan mr. The death and life of the great lakes is prizewinning reporter dan egans compulsively readable portrait of an ecological catastrophe happening right before our eyes, blending the epic story of the lakes with an examination of the perils they face and the ways we can restore and preserve them for generations to come. As egan explains in his new book, the death and life of the great lakes, the clean water act took steps in battling industrial pollution.
Chemicals released by smokestacks chimneys can enter the atmosphere and then fall back to earth as rain, entering seas, rivers, and lakes and causing water pollution. There are a total of 43 areas of concern within the great lakes, 26 being in the united states, 17 in canada, with five shared by the two countries the great lakes, the largest system of fresh water lakes in the world, are shared by the united states and canada. The future of those lakesmichigan, superior, huron, erie and ontariois sparking a new environmental battle. The alliance for the great lakes empowers and enables tens of thousands of volunteers to have a direct impact on reducing the levels of pollution in and around the great lakes, not purely through beach clean ups, but through numerous campaigns that include keeping invasive species out of the great lakes, and tackling the latest environmental. Great lakes plastic pollution alliance for the great lakes. The great lakes lake huron, ontario, michigan, erie and superior span 750 miles from west to east, and are situated across 9 stateterritory borders.
The essay explains that there is a problem going on in the great lakes with people who live around the great lakes area in that what they are throwing into the lakes. May 14, 2019 hes already written six books about the region, covering a range of topics from sturgeon to the consequences of exporting great lakes water. The lake provided our drinking water and a place to cool off in the summer. Aspects of the great lakes hydrology, population demands, water and land uses, and degradation indicators are presented for discussion purposes. Great lakes water pollution essay environmental management. Clean water is fundamental to the health of the great lakes. But it failed to deal with biological pollution, which. Pollution of the great lakes uring the 1960s, poll. With the longest continuous coastline in the united states the late, great lakes. Sources include leaky septic tanks and waste from livestock and pets. Margaret beattie bogue began researching history of great lakes fisheries about when i did and, without mishap, published fishing the great lakes.
The original agreement established a framework for research, cleanup, and pollution control based on goals. One example of pollution on the lake michigan shore is the indiana dunes, which is located on 45 miles of shoreline of lake michigan. Lake superior contains 3 quadrillion gallons of water. As someone who grew up on the shores of lake erie, although quite polluted. Title i of the great lakes critical programs act of 1990, for example, put into place parts of the great lakes water quality agreement of 1978, signed by the u.
Oct 01, 2015 the chemicals in some everyday soaps threaten great lakes water quality popular antimicrobial personal products are washing down the drains of our sinks and bathtubs into the great lakes. Today, that water is under threat from chemical pollution. Courtesy of circle of blue high quality water is more than the dream of the conservationists, more than a political slogan. The panel also blamed urban sprawl for pollution including sewage overflows, storm water runoff and motor vehicle emissions. Great lakes an environmental atlas and resource book epa nepis. My proposed book would have had much more discussion of limnology and fish population dynamics than hers did. Environmental crisis in the late 1960s exhibit give. A landmark work of science, history and reporting on the past, present and imperiled future of the great lakes.
The aspects of chemical pollution in the great lakes ecosystem are also. Shannon is a university of michigan law school student and graduate of wesleyan university. A terrific book on great lakes water conflicts gets a timely, thorough. An environmental history great lakes books series ashworth, william on. Some of thecommon methods used for wastewater treatment, including sewage treatment anddrinking water purification, have also been discussed in this book. Water quality in the great lakes the great lakes us epa. A recent report from the international joint commission, a u. More than 22 million pounds of plastic pollution end up in the great lakes every year, according to the rochester institute of technology. Over the years, many other laws have changed parts of the clean water act. This is a chart to show the publishing history of editions. Water quality concerns are not new to the great lakes. Try searching on jstor for other items related to this book. The following guest post is by great lakes environmental law center student fellow shannon nelson.
Oct 29, 2007 a brief video on the water pollution in the great lakes as well as some nice pictures. The death and life of the great lakes by dan egan goodreads. We are dedicated to efficiently delivering the nations best water and wastewater services to southeast michigan. The study could potentially help with future cleanup and pollution prevention efforts by. Can the great lakes become fishable, drinkable, and. Making laws to reduce pollution in 1972, the united states and canada created the first great lakes water quality agreement. Great lakes an environmental atlas and resource book. A twopage map of the great lakes basin, the books frontispiece, reveals that. When people pollute the great lakes, the pollution can last for a long time. With the longest continuous coastline in the united states.
Its no secret that the great lakes are suffering tremendous ecological strain lake erie was even pronounced dead for a time during the 1960s because of an overload of phosphorus from municipal waste. Were used to troubling news about the great lakes basin asian carp, zebra mussels, habitat degradation, fluctuating water levels, algal blooms, chronic wasting disease, leadpoisoned drinking water, endangered species and other problems. History of the great lakes water quality agreement the ijc reported on pollution issues in the great lakes and their connecting channels several times from 1918 to the late 1960s as part of its responsibilities under the boundary waters treaty. Mar 24, 2019 sometimes the causes of water pollution are quite surprising.
Protecting the great lakes national wildlife federation. The five great lakes, huron, ontario, michigan, erie and superior have a total coastline of almost 11,000 miles. Water and air pollution have altered the course of the earths history. The water of the lakes and the many resources of the great lakes basin have played a major role in the history and development of the united states and canada. Water quality the great lakes commission glc leads and participates in projects that seek to improve water quality in urban and rural settings, and across watersheds. The great lakes water quality agreement of 1978 amended and strengthened the international great lakes water quality agreement between canada and the united states, which was signed in 1972. Industrial pollution in the united states industry is the greatest source of pollution, accounting for more than half the volume of all water pollution.
The death and life of the great lakes offers compelling. Industrial pollution in the united states industry is the greatest source of pollution, accounting for more than half the volume of all water pollution and for the most deadly pollutants. The death and life of the great lakes and millions of other books are. Michigans great lakes are good, but water concerns. Four of the great lakes are on the border between canada and the united states of america.
An aquatic biography looks to the polluted past and a murky future. Water pollution problems of the great lakes area united states. To ensure water quality and availability, research conducted on the great lakes provides indicators exit that help to develop sustainable solutions to the great lakes water resource problems. Even among those who live in the great lakes state, there is a lot of. The other, lake michigan, is completely inside the united states. Along with the santa barbara oil spill, the cuyahoga fire and the pollution of lake erie and other great lakes helped galvanize environmental consciousness, shift public attitudes, and create the climate for federal laws such as the national environmental policy act of 1969 and the clean water act of 1972. Even if you think you know the environmental narrative of the great lakes i thought i did egans book will give you much to consider. This was due to cleanup work done on both sides of the u.
William ashworth describes the formation of the lakes, the impact of european settlement, and their current state of pollution. Causes, effects and control is a book providing comprehensive information on the fundamentals and latest developments in the field of water pollution. No one of the lakes is larger than lake baikal or lake tanganyika east africa. Evolution of the great lakes water quality agreement on jstor. Along with amazing technological advances, the industrial revolution of the mid19th century introduced new sources of air. Evolution of the great lakes water quality agreement recounts this historic binational relationship, an agreement intended to protect the fragile great lakes. Great lakes simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
More than 30 million people live in the great lakes basin, and the impact of their daily activities, from the water consumed to the waste returned, directly affects the great lakes environment. Pollution decades of industrial use degraded much of the great lakes shoreline and waters. Many people have tried to save the dunes in the last century. As plastic pollution breaks down in the great lakes, microscopic pieces of plastic are found in the lakes and even treated drinking water. By 1972, it was supplemented by a great lakes water quality. Even while the great lakes are in the middle of a multiyear federal restoration program, water quality remains an issue, according to a new report on how the health of the worlds largest. The present generation holds the lakes in trust, with an obligation to posterity to pass along this magnificent resource in the best possible condition. There is enough water in lake superior to submerge all of north and south america in 1 foot of water 6. The great lakes may responsible for providing water for over 30 million north americans, yet this is only one reason why reducing pollution is so critical. The laurentian great lakes, also known as the great lakes of north america encompass five connected inland bodies of water lake superior, lake michigan, lake huron, lake erie and lake ontario. In recent years, stricter regulation and ambitious cleanup campaigns have reversed that neglect, but agricultural runoff remains a serious problem. Great lakes, chain of deep freshwater lakes in eastcentral north america comprising lakes superior, michigan, huron, erie, and ontario. Even if the amount of pollution entering the lakes were drastically reduced, it would still take time for the existing pollutants to flow out of the lakes. Great lakes water authority michigans source for water.
All together, by volume, they are the largest group of fresh water lakes in the world. The north american great lakes huron, ontario, michigan, erie, and superior are so big that they border 8 states and contain 23 quadrillion liters of water. Great lakes located in northcentral north america 1, the great lakes are five large fresh water lakes interconnected by natural and artificial waterways. Id recommend it to anyone planning to spend some time in or around the great lakes. Great lakes water quality improved, but there are still.
Dan egans deeply researched and sharply written the death and life of the great lakes nimbly splices together history, science, reporting and personal experiences into a taut and cautiously hopeful narrativeegans book is bursting with life and yes, death. Indeed, pleasant prairie now stands as the largest permitted water diversion in wisconsin history, as the. How that water is used by, or diverted from, those people is the story of the great. The great lakes regions powerful economy includes jobs in a wide variety of sectors. Great lakes areas of concern are designated geographic areas within the great lakes basin that show severe environmental degradation.
For the early european explorers and settlers, the lakes and their tributaries were the avenues for penetrating the continent, extracting valued resources and carrying local products abroad. Another threat to the lakes comes from microbial pathogens that can cause gastrointestinal illnesses, the report said. If fresh water is to be treasured, the great lakes are the mother lode. This compact natural history of the great lakes region is really a passion ate plea for an awakening to the crises faced by the lakes and surrounding land. The death and life of the great lakes by dan egan, paperback. The compact, which came into force on december 8, 2008, protects wildlife and habitat from water diversions from the great lakes basin and promotes sound water management within the basin. The chemicals in some everyday soaps threaten great lakes. The great lakes environmental assessment and mapping project a group of about 20 american and canadian researchers and environmentalists produced the data for this map, which illustrates the cumulative impacts of human activity across the great lakes. Evolution of the great lakes water quality agreement dave. Environmental management, ecology great lakes water pollution. History of the great lakes water quality agreement. Water pollution has many different causes and this is one of the reasons why. First, it directly affects our health because the great lakes and the rivers connected to them are the drinking water source for many, many people.
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