Lake Huron Pollution

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Lake Huron is one of the Great Lakes and a major part of our fresh water system, which contains many wildlife and species. The lake however, is in a real danger, adversely effecting habitats, fish, wildlife, and human lives. Lake Huron has become a dumping ground for many companies, dumping waste that contains many pollutants. Bacteria levels have increased in the lake which can cause serious illness. These pollutants have reduced water quality, contaminated soils, and damaged the Lake’s ecosystems. Pollution in wildlife has caused fish consumption to decrease, the spread of disease and viruses to increase, loss of fish and other wildlife stock. The closing of beaches and other recreational activities have been another direct result of the…show more content…
Beach closures have also been more frequent being something many families, and residents have once enjoyed. These toxic chemicals have been found in fish and wildlife, which have been deposited into the lake by manufacturing sites and other industrial companies. (Glutting, 2003)Runoff pollution, pollution that comes from a single location has also added to the lake’s devastation. Storm water, irrigation runoffs, sediments, fertilizers, and fecal matter deposits, are some of the discharges contributed by sewage treatment plants. These runoffs have contributed to the beach closures, and the unsustainable condition of biological life in the lake. Human health is at great risk due to the untreated waste that is dumped in Lake Huron each year. The untreated sewage contains many viruses, two being Giardia (an intestinal parasite), cryptosporidium, which causes intestinal illnesses and even death. E. coli a more familiar virus has elevated its concentrations in Lake Huron, found in either animal or human feces, which causes diarrhea, nausea, and stomach cramps. ("Testing the waters,"…show more content…
Companies have deposited their waste in the lake, which has caused the lake to be shut down because humans are getting sick and even dying from the polluted waters. Viruses, pathogens, chemicals and toxins are all part of this pollution, which affects recreation, jobs, and habitats of animals. Fishermen have not spent money fishing for sport due to the drastic reduction of the salmon population at Lake Huron. Recreational hours at the lake have also seen a drastic decrease. This devastation affects a majority of the U.S. being one of our largest sources of fresh water, and will only continue to deplete, as companies carelessly dump their waste into the lake. Consumption of fish from this lake will soon be obsolete if immediate action is not taken. These are all things that need to be considered by industrial businesses, families, merchants, fishermen, and environmentalists. As long as the waters are polluted the economy will experience great loss, and may even see jobs created by the Great Lake, eventually

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