The Survival of Lake Erie
Tony Bolton
Brendan Carson
Introduction
• Late 50s and 60s
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•
almost lost Lake Erie
Government Action
saved the lake
Recently pollution has
increased
Euthtrophication
• Natural Process
• Humans accelerate
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•
process
Runoff
phosphorous,
nitrogen, and carbon
Yard chemicals
Origins of the Pollution
• Detroit and Maumee
http://continuouswave.com/boats/winter-95/images/127.jpg
http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/circ1203/images/leri_fig003.gif
•
rivers  11 million
solid pollutants from
steel mills
Poorly treated water
 human waste but
mostly detergents
Pollution lead to Algae
• Algae increased 
•
http://www.uc.edu/info-services/algea.jpg
takes oxygen out of
water  fish died and
beaches were ruined
Resort areas
abandoned, property
values and taxes
dropped
Treatment of Algae
• US and Canadian
•
http://www.ecolo.com/waterplant.jpg
•
•
Water Plants opened
phosphate lower in
detergents
Enforcement of laws
Approx. cost: $10
Billion
The Dead Zone
• Mound of zebra
•
mussels, quagga
mussels and others
that occurs every year
and draws oxygen
from the lake
1/4th of the central
basin
Stratification
• Divide a lake into 3 parts:
•
•
Epilimnion, Metalimnion,
and Hypolimnion
Top 15 meters heats up,
while bottom stays cold
Eastern and Western
basins are not affected
Botulism
• Over 50,000 birds and
countless fish have died
• Decaying matter  bacteria 
zebra muscles  goby fish 
birds (red-breasted
mergansers, seagulls,
cormorants, and loons)
• Gobies and muscles not native
to lake
https://www.denix.osd.mil/denix/Public/News/Earthday/SecDef99/Army-Awards99/Hawaii_nrc/hawaii_goby_fish.jpg
• Quagga Mussels are out
•
•
•
competing Zebra Mussels
Quaggas filter less
phosphorus
This exacerbates the
problem
Only solution is even
more human cooperation
http://ag.ansc.purdue.edu/EXOTICSP/images/zm-eatm4.jpg
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/mussel/images/quagga.jpg
• 1952 Cuyahoga River
•
•
Fire
1972 Nixon signed
Great Lakes Water
Quality Act
Success led to lax
enforcement
http://www.oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/pollution/media/pol02d_240.jpg
• In 2001, E. Coli levels
•
•
•
found to be above safe
levels 70% of the time
10/10 streams had
various pesticides, with
30 chemicals total in
1998
Endocrine inhibitors
These findings have led
to new regulations, but
enforcement is always a
problem
http://www.fuga.ru/tok/2003/11/e-coli-small.jpg
• Increased Phosphorus
•
•
leads to bigger dead
zone
human phosphorus
input has gone down,
and problem was
solved for a while
But now the dead
zone is back: Why?
•
•
•
•
Quagga Mussels?
Relaxed Regulations?
Unknown Factors?
To answer questions,
NOAA is conducting 2
years of experiments,
lasting this summer
www.ru.ac.za
• The health of Lake Erie is
•
important for the
economic and physical
health of people living
around it
Information about lake
rehabilitation can one day
be used to help the lakes
people depend on
throughout the world
www.geocites.com/saquatchr/erie-monster.jpg
Works Cited
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Burns, Noel M. Erie: The Lake That Survived. Totowa, New Jersey: Rowman & Allanheld, 1985.
CBC Archives. 22 Feb. 2006. http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-75-1390-8682/science_technology/great_lakes_pollution/clip6
Field Hearing before the Committee on Environment and Public Works, United States Senate: Second Session on Anoxia in the Central
Basin of Lake Erie. Aug. 5, 2002. US Gov Printing Office, Washington, DC: 2004.
Francy et al. “E Coli at Ohio Bathing Beaches—Distribution, Sources, Wastewater
Indicators, and Predictive Modeling.” US Geological Survey, Columbus, Ohio: 2003
Frey, Jeffrey. “Occurrence, Distribution, and Loads of Selected Pesticides in
Streams in the Lake Erie-Lake St. Clair Basin, 1996-98.” US Geological Survey,
Indianapolis, Ind: 2001.
Great-Lakes.net 8 March. 2006. <http://www.great-lakes.net/gis/maps/6a_small.gif>
Last Chance for a Great Lake. Toledo, Ohio: WSPD-TV, 1967.
Makarewicz, Joseph C. “Evidence for the Restoration of the Lake Erie Ecosystem.” BioScience 41 (1991): 216-223.
NOAA Website: http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases2005/apr05/noaa05-r508.html
Stewart, Walter. “A Great Lake?” Canadian Geographic 123 (2003): 36.
Wikipedia. 22 Feb. 2006. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Erie>.