Transcript #10 Water Withdrawals - Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative

Can you name the
Top 10 Threats
to the
Great Lakes?
#10 Water Withdrawals
Great Lakes water may be exported via pipe to arid southwestern states,
or shipped to Asia or the Middle East, or bottled and shipped out of the
region. The 8 states and one Canadian province have not established
guidelines for export. (Lower Peninsula billboard)
#9 Polluted Beaches
Combined sewer overflows bring
human and animal wastes that cause closed beaches.
#8 Air Pollution Deposition
The atmospheric pathway allows toxic
substances to remain in the environment
long after they have been produced or
used. Since these pollutants do not
break down easily, they can travel long
distances in the air before depositing
onto land or water.
#7 Pollution Hot Spots
Superfund Sites & Areas of Concern
This dredge is scooping up decades worth of
industrial pollution near Muskegon, MI.
There are 43 total hot spots in US and Canada.
#6 Loss of Native Species
(Clockwise: Coaster Brook Trout,
Diporia, Piping Plover, etc.)
#5 Point Source Pollution
Point source pollution comes directly from a discharge pipe, i.e.
sewage from wastewater treatment plants, factories, chemical spills, etc.
#4 Cargo Ship Channels
Dredging, channel modifications, invasive species, etc.
#3 Shoreline Development
& Loss of Coastal Wetlands
Wetlands are often called the kidneys of the Earth….filtering out contaminants.
#2 Nonpoint Source Pollution
Runoff from rain and snowmelt carries contaminants from urban
and agricultural sources. A well vegetated shoreline can filter out
contaminants and prevent them from reaching the stream or lake.
#2 Nonpoint Source Pollution Examples
New construction
causes erosion….
Motor oil, gasoline, etc.
Motor oil and
gasoline run off…
Trash…
“Dirty” snow melts and runs off…
Melting dirty snow and runoff….
Contaminants on the ground
are carried into storm drains...
#1 Invasive Species
There are more than 160 aquatic species that
have invaded the Great Lakes and changed
them, almost always for the worse.
Sea Lamprey have been very destructive:
• Sea lampreys attach to fish with a sucking disk
and sharp teeth.
• Feed on body fluids, often scarring and killing
host fish.
• Each sea lamprey can kill 40+ pounds fish.
• Prey on all species of large Great Lakes fish:
lake trout, salmon, steelhead, whitefish, chubs,
burbot, walleye, catfish, sturgeon.
2007 State of the Lakes Ecosystem (SOLEC)
Highlights Report
The good news is:
• Over the past 30 years there has been a marked reduction in the levels
of toxic chemicals in the air, water, flora, fauna and sediment.
• Great Lakes continue to be a good source for treated drinking water.
• In 2005, 74% of monitored Great Lakes beaches in the U.S. and
Canada were open more than 95% of the swimming season.
• Air quality is improving, although there still regions that continue to have
ozone and smog problems.
• Significant natural reproduction of lake trout is occurring in lakes Huron
and Superior.
2007 State of the Lakes Ecosystem (SOLEC)
Highlights Report
The bad news is:
•
New chemicals of concern, such as pharmaceutical and personal care
products are being detected in rivers and lakes more frequently.
•
Still need sport fish consumption advisories for mercury, PCBs, etc.
•
Non-native species (quagga mussels, spiny water fleas, etc. ) continue to
invade the Great Lakes and impair the food web.
•
Declines in the duration and extent of ice cover on the Great Lakes and
declining lake levels due to evaporation during the winter are expected to
continue.
•
Aquatic habitats on the coasts continue to deteriorate due to development,
shoreline hardening and non-native species, resulting in habitat loss for
fish, birds, and amphibians, and reduced water quality.
See State of the Great Lakes 2007 Highlights Report:
www.epa.gov/glnpo/solec.
What Can We Do?
• Inventory stream and lake shorelines.
• Take actions to protect Great Lakes’
watersheds and the streams & rivers that
feed them.
• Make personal choices that protect the
Great Lakes.
• Support measures to restore the Great
Lakes---research, funding, laws, etc.