Lake Erie Pollution

417 Words2 Pages

Lake Erie Hurry, Lake Erie needs your help! In 1960 there was severe pollution in Lake Erie and now, 3 years later, the pollution is back and has created an extensive amount of algae. In the 1960s Lake Erie was extremely polluted. “As a result of these pollutants, Lake Erie contained increased levels of phosphorus and nitrogen, which contributed to eutrophication - a process that encourages the development of algal blooms.” (Michael Rotman). The pollution was so bad that one of the rivers that feeds into Lake Erie caught fire in 1969, the fire was immense and it caused a lot more negative publicity. Since Lake Erie was polluted, people got together and tried to clean up the lake. “In 1972, Congress passed the Clean Water Act, a measure …show more content…

“Scientists and advocates alike are urging individuals to help diminish the demand by doing simple things like drinking local tap water instead of buying bottled water, using reusable containers instead of disposables, and buying microbead-free products.” (Erin Huber). People did this and it helped the lake a lot, but now the lake is polluted again. The lake is very polluted again now, and there is a great variety of pollutants. First of all, a current problem with Lake Erie is that people are using extensive amounts of fertilizer. Prior to, another current problem is that algal blooms contain cyanobacteria, which in some conditions can produce toxins that can contaminate drinking water and cause harm to the local ecosystem. Lastly, a current problem is that Lake Erie attracts millions of visitors for beaches and fishing and people are not going to those attractions. These problems play a huge impact on the community. The fertilizer impacts the community because it pollutes the water that we drink. Next, the toxins that pollute the water contaminate the water and it can kill people or harm people into severe conditions. Finally, attractions are dying because of the algal blooms and the people working there are making less money. After reading this you should want to help Lake Erie clean up its pollution and get it back in