Download (final capstone)The Great Lakes have improved

Kati Beckeman
Aidan Scott
Hour 1
The Great Lakes Have Improved
The Great Lakes contain 18% of the world’s freshwater supply. There are five
lakes in all. The lakes are Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, Lake Michigan, Lake Erie and Lake
Superior. Together they are the Great Lakes or HOMES as some people call them. The
Great Lakes were created by glaciers 25,000 years ago. These large ice masses carved
out the basins which are now the Great Lakes. They have become the most important
inland waterway in North America. The Great Lakes transformed the United States and
Canada into an industrial area. The Great lakes ecosystem has improved since 1969
when they were in horrible condition.
Since 1969, many steps have been taken to protect the Great Lakes. They have
helped the Great Lakes ecosystem improve in many ways. One example is ballast water
being treated more carefully. Treating the ballast water has helped the prevention of
invasive species entering the Great Lakes through the ships. Also, stocking the Great
Lakes with species that will eat the invading species has helped the Great Lakes
ecosystem. Many species like salmon eat the invaders but don’t become invasive
species themselves. The Great Lakes are in better condition because the sale of live
Asian Carp has been banned. Also, a barrier has been built to keep non-native fish from
entering the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (1978) set a goal
for the progress on the Great Lakes and those goals have now been achieved. Together,
since 1969, the United States and Canada have worked to clean up the Great Lakes
ecosystem and return the lakes to their originally quality.
The Great Lakes ecosystem is in great danger. The Great Lakes are not getting
better; they are getting worse, in many ways. A big glop of algae two feet thick and a
few hundred square miles floats in the middle of Lake Erie during summer. Also, Lake
Erie is on the verge of becoming a dead sea. There are also many invasive species
infiltrating the Great Lakes causing even more problems. Asian carp, alewife, sea
lamprey, zebra mussels are the invasive species. Pollution is a horrible problem too and
it is a battle that is not easily won. There are more problems in the Great Lakes too. The
Great Lakes are in danger; there are facts and data proving it.
Since 1969, the Great Lakes ecosystem has been improving. New laws have been
made to limit harmful chemicals, making it so the Great Lakes will get better. More stuff
was done too. The environmental protection agency asked for $141.3 million dollars to
fight pollution. People are trying to get rid of the invasive species too. The invasive
species populations are going down. So the great lakes are getting better now. The
Great Lakes are the biggest freshwater system in the United States. Thankfully they are
getting better. In conclusion, the Great Lakes have improved since 1969.