#OurLegacy: The near-death of Lake Erie and its uncertain future
This summer we’re digging into the archives to share the policies and programs that made Michigan an environmental leader. Why? Because it’s time for the Great Lakes region — once a national example of bold leadership in protecting the health of our citizens and natural resources — to reclaim its status and connect the dots between environmental protection and economic prosperity.
As we approach the election we’re gearing up to fight hard to elect environmental champions in 2018 who recognize what makes the Great Lakes state so great — our land, air and water!
Michiganders love our Lakes
The five Great Lakes hold immense historical and geographical significance. Lake Erie, in particular, has played an important role in the growth and story of Great Lakes region, supporting the shipping and manufacturing industry, and even in the War of 1812.
Today, Lake Erie is also known for its sport fishing, particularly for walleye and perch. Lake Erie Metropark, with about three miles of Great Lake shoreline, is home to coastal marshes and wetlands that allow for notable wildlife viewing of muskrat, turtles, waterfowl and migrating birds.
Unfortunately, Lake Erie has not always been in great shape. By the late 1960s, people were declaring that “Lake Erie is dead.”
The lake was heavily polluted with factory pollutants and sewer waste. Heavy industry lined its shores in Cleveland and other cities, and factories dumped pollutants into the lake and the waterways that flowed into it (like the Cuyahoga River which caught on fire, multiple times) without much government oversight.
As pollutants increased in the water, so did phosphorus and nitrogen levels, which led to the development of algal blooms. These blooms decreased levels of oxygen in the water, and in turn, killed larger lifeforms like fish.
It wasn’t long before dead fish began to line the shores of Lake Erie.
Bringing Lake Erie back to life
In 1972, Congress passed the Clean Water Act, which tightened regulations on industrial dumping which led to eutrophication (aka, lots of nutrients in the water that lead to the growth of plant life and death of animal life). Ultimately, this would bring the destruction of all life forms on the Great Lakes.
Additionally, the United States and Canada signed the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) to lower the amount of pollutants entering the Great Lakes. The GLWQA is a commitment between the United States and Canada to restore and protect the waters of the Great Lakes. It provides a guide for identifying and then acting on, improvements which for water quality.
As the standards set by this agreement came to fruition, water quality in the lakes began to improve and desirable fish like walleye and perch returned. By 1980, Lake Erie once again played a significant economic and recreational role.
Unfortunately, we could be headed there again, unless we turn things around
Flash forward to now: invasive species like zebra and quagga mussels are destroying the food chain, and Asian carp are a dangerous, growing concern. Additionally, legacy pollutants from 50 years ago still persist in the lake, traveling up the food chain and contaminating our sport fish. At the same time, bacteria from outdated water facilities can make it dangerous for swimmers to touch the water on public beaches. Algae blooms in our lakes are made worse by our warming planet; algae grows best in temperatures higher than 68 degrees.
