Causes and Effects of Water Pollution in Lake Huron - Essay Example

Its drainage region is large in comparison to other Great Lakes since it covers parts of Ontario and Michigan lakes. Its waters are useful to several people who bound it especially the farmers. However, the Lake has been facing some water pollution challenges that make its waters disastrous. The ultimate aim of this context is to examine the sources that lead to pollution of Lake Huron and the Great lakes. It then looks at the effects of this pollution and winds up by providing recommendations on what can be done to save Lake Huron (Buchsbaum, 2009).

Causes of Water Pollution on Lake Huron Several pollutants caused by human activities around the region have affected Lake Huron. Some of the most common pollutants are as mentioned below. Chemical Contamination Lake Huron is fed by contaminants, which initiate from several sources among them being spills, municipal discharges, industrial discharges, landfills, agricultural runoff and storm sewers (Krantz & Kifferstein, 2010). These contaminants get into Lake Huron through several trails including atmospheric deposition, direct liberation and river discharge.

In comparison to Lakes Ontario, Michigan and Erie, pollutant concentrations are comparatively low in Lake Huron. However, public health consultative exists concerning utilization of trout and all Areas of Concern (AOCs). Atmospheric Deposition Besides, its massive surface area, like the other Great Lakes, has made it susceptible to atmospheric deposition of pollutants. It has a large surface area and comparatively few regional pollutant point sources (Mahler, Metre & Callender, 2006). Loading to Lake Huron from water basis are stumpy of all the Great Lakes, but air basis are highest.

Bio-accumulative Substances From the late 1970s to around 1990s, the concentrations of bio-accumulative matters like DDT, PCBs, dioxins, dieldrin, and furans turned down considerably in Lake Huron lake trout. Nevertheless, whereas the concentrations of DDT have persistently deteriorated, PCB concentrations have not fallen off considerably since the mid-1980s. DDE inclinations in Lake Huron herring gull eggs display a marked reduction in concentration since 1970s. According to other inclinations, concentrations decreased considerably in the late 1970s but continued to be comparatively stable (Mahler, Metre & Callender, 2006).

Continuing basis of pollutants is mainly from sediments polluted by historic liberation, airborne deposition industrial and municipal librations and land runoff. Initially, there were six main Great Lakes regions of considerable environmental pollution or Areas of Concern (AOCs) on Lake Huron. The St. Mary River is named as an Area of Concern since it contains pollutants from municipal discharges and non point source contamination sources (Buchsbaum, 2009). Management of industrial point sources is developing, and pollution consignments are being minimized. The St. Clair River is named as an AOC because of the contamination difficulties on the eastern side of the river.

Severn Sound and Spanish are the two other Canadian Areas of Concern that are reacting positively to the remedial activities and displaying recovery (Mahler, Metre & Callender, 2006). The only Area of Concern exclusively in Michigan, Saginaw Bay or river, is modeled as an AOC mainly because of polluted deposits and non point contamination sou