The Great Lakes are magnificent bodies of water that surround the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. They consist of Lake Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior. These can be remembered by the acronym HOMES. Being from Michigan the lakes hold a special place in my heart. It is where I would spend my summers with my family and friends exploring all they had to offer. We would climb the sand dunes and swim in the water, admiring the beauty. I have always loved the lakes and they are more complex then we think. Which is why I wanted to write this paper on them. In this essay, I am going to talk about the current state of the lakes, the danger they are in, what we currently do to protect the lakes, and what we can do to protect them in the future. My research question is, How is the Great Lakes ecosystem in danger and how can we prevent it from getting worse.
To start we can examine the current state of the Great Lakes. According to the State of the Great Lakes 2017 Highlights Report which was released by the US Environmental Protection Agency and Canada, Lake Erie’s ecosystem is in poor condition. Like we learned in class there are excess nutrients in the lake resulting in harmful algae blooms. This is impacting the water supply, it also is resulting in habitat loss, and degradation along with beach fouling. Yet, there are some positive trends with Lake Erie’s ecosystem. There has been an increase in the walleye population and in the aquatic habitat. In addition of the walleye the invasive species, phragmites, have been treated and there has been a decreases in them. Along with the fish species, the treated drinking water for all of the Great Lakes is good and unchanging. The beaches for Lakes Superior, Huron, Michigan, and Ontario are slowly deteriorating since the last report was published. When it comes to the invasive species in the Great Lakes, they already have sea lamprey, zebra mussels, and purple loosestrife which cost the US economy $100 million dollars. Next, when we look at the watershed and climate trends they show they are improving as the human population increases. Even though the conditions are improving the climate in some areas is still classified as poor.
The Great Lakes are extremely important because they contain one-fifth of the worlds fresh water supply and are also extremely diverse. They provide drinking water to tens of millions of Americans and Canadians, along with being extremely important to the economies of Canada and The United States. The lakes support manufacturing, transportation, farming, tourism, clean energy production, along with recreation use. They also have a very diverse ecosystem unlike anything else in the world. They do not only benefit the United States, but also benefit Canada. Almost 75 percent of Canadas manufacturing along with 80 percent of Ontarios power generation and 95 perfect of Ontario’s agricultural lands depend on the Great lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin.
After looking at the current state of the lakes, we can see they are in danger. A big concern is the lakes climate change. With an increased amount of human activity, it is leading to higher evaporation rates that are contributing to lower water levels. Even though a huge part of our world is covered in water, it is not all freshwater which creates an even larger problem. Along with the increased human activity there is a lot of non-point pollution. This occurs when runoff from streets, lawns, farms and other areas carries toxins, chemicals, and eroded soil into the lakes. Other threats include the development of roads and buildings, and the increase in demand for freshwater.
Currently, there are a few agreements and organizations in place to protect the lakes. The first one is the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWAQ). This is between the United States and Canada to protect and restore the Great Lakes. It was first signed in 1972 but later was amended in 1983 and 1987. Then in 2012 it was updated to ensure the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the lakes. The agreement takes action on threats to the lakes water quality and includes strengthened measures to prevent ecological harm. They continue to work on existing threats such as the harmful algae and toxic chemicals. The next organization that protects the Great Lakes is The Great Lakes Commission. They were established in 1955 with the intention of “promoting the orderly, integrated and comprehensive development, use and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes basin.” Both of these organizations are based in the United States, but we can not forget about Ontario. They recently passed the Great Lakes Protection Act in 2015. Just like the other acts it will ensure monitoring and reporting programs, commit to at least one target to reduce algae levels, all the minister of nature resources and forestry to establish targets to prevent the loss of wetlands, improve consultation and engagement requirements and require the consideration of traditional ecological knowledge, and also require comprehensive progress reports to be tabled in the legislature every three years. Along with this they would require that Ontario’s Great Lakes Strategy be reviewed every six years. This way we can try and solve the problems that have arisen in a timely fashion. Something we have to do it set targets to solving problems. Otherwise the issues will not get any better.
There are some actions that we can take to help protect the Great Lakes from even more danger. We can reduce the amount of water we use each day, like taking a shorter shower or even turning of the faucet when brushing out teeth. We can also dispose of our waste correctly, instead of littering. Lastly, we can help raise awareness for the current problems. These are all such small things, but over time they will help reduce the danger the lakes are in.