Hydrosphere
Pollution In the Great Lakes
The Solution to Pollution is Dilution ... Is it?
The Great Lakes has always been an area of settlement for the people. By the early 1800s there was approximately 300 000 people living in what we now call the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). With the constant increase in population came a lot of pollution and distribution of excess not only to the land but also in the water. In the past people were encouraged to throw their waste away in the lakes and oceans because they believed that their garbage would just sink to the bottom and go away. By doing this they were just creating toxic waste dumps in the citys drinking water. Many people are still very unaware of what they are doing to our fresh water supply and that needs to change.
Current State: Plastic pollution not just a problem in oceans, but in Great Lakes by Great Lakes Echo
So What?
The Great Lakes take up about 84% of North Americas surface fresh water and 21% of the worlds fresh water supply. The great lakes are a source not only for people living within the GTA but also for the people whom are living in the surround areas; these people get their water from aquifers and wells that are all connected to the great lakes. Polluting these great lakes could lead to intoxication of these water wells and aquifers which could be extremely detrimental to the people. Due to the pollution in the great lakes there have been many circumstances of water wells and aquifers being contaminated causing some people to get sick and in the worse case, die. The great lakes are also used for many commercial purposes which is where most of the pollution in the great lakes come from.
The REAL Solutions
A lot of damage has been inflicted on the great lakes due to pollution however that does not necessarily mean that the great lakes can not be saved. Since more and more people are becoming aware of this major issue they have been more cautious with what they do with water. There are many solutions to help stop the pollution of the great lakes or any body of polluted water. Here are a few solutions:
- Conservation of water like turning off the tap when water is not needed and to also reduce the amount of treatment cycles the water has to go through in order to be clean
- Be cautious of what you throw down the drains
- Use more environmentally friendly household products so there is less toxic materials being combined with water
- Do not over use pesticides and fertilisers to prevent toxic run off into sewage systems
- Do not toss litter into any body of body (lakes, oceans, ponds etc.)
- Help clean up all visible litter
- Setting limits on factories to prevent them from further contaminating the lakes with their excess waste
Great Lakes Cleanup