Water Pollution in the Great Lakes .....

http://www.great-lakes.net/teach/pollution/water/water1.html


Introduction

Why so polluted?
Effects of water pollution
Dilution is NOT the solution!
Lake Erie: "We have met the enemy and he is us"
Further resources and references

The pollution of our waterways became a national issue in June of 1969, the day that the Cuyahoga River, flowing through Cleveland, Ohio, on its way to Lake Erie, caught on fire because it was so polluted. Although this was not the first time that the Cuyahoga River had been in flames, the 1969 fire caught the attention of the nation and the fight began for increased water pollution controls, which eventually led to the Great Lakes Water Quality Act and Clean Water Act in the 1970s.

*snip*

5 Lake Erie: "We have met the enemy and he is us"*

In the 1960s, Lake Erie was declared "dead," though, ironically, it was full of life -- just not the right kind.

Eutrophication had claimed Lake Erie and excessive algae became the dominant plant species, covering beaches in slimy moss and killing off native aquatic species by soaking up all of the oxygen.

The demise of Lake Erie even made it into a Dr. Seuss book, The Lorax.