According to the Associated Press, under a budget proposal submitted by President Barack Obama, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative would receive another $300 million for tackling environmental problem in the Great Lakes system. If approved, the funding would go to individual projects and partnerships the federal government has with state, local and tribal agencies that specifically seek to help alleviate ecological concerns.
Initially Obama sought $5 billion for Great Lakes restoration projects over a 10-year period, but economic issues have caused budget slashing and $300 million became the new annual amount. With this announcement, here are some facts about the Great Lakes and the environmental problems impacting the waters and surrounding areas:
* The Environmental Protection Agency noted the Great Lakes are the largest system of fresh surface water in the world and cover about 94,000 square miles of area.
* The Great Lakes are especially sensitive to environmental pollutants, most notably pesticide and other chemical runoff from agricultural operations, waste disposal from nearby cities and industrial site discharges.
* The lakes provide drinking water and jobs for more than 35 million people in the U.S. and Canada and every day the U.S. uses more than 40 billion gallons of water from the Great Lakes, according to the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute.
* Aside from about 10 percent of the U.S. population living within the Great Lakes basin, the region is also home to more than 3,500 plant and animal species.
* Time reported one of the biggest concerns impacting the waters is the possibility of an outbreak of Asian carp, an invasive and highly-detrimental species that have already inflicted the Mississippi River.
* If Asian carp enter the Great Lakes, they would likely begin rapidly breeding and disturbing existing ecosystems by out-competing native species that rely on the same food or space.
* Sewage discharge is also a large issue and a study from 2010 concluded that five cities collectively dumped 41 billion gallons of untreated waste and storm water into the lakes in 2009, noted Buffalo News.
* Alliance for the Great Lakes reported that sewage and storm water overflow can pose human health risks by introducing high numbers of viruses and bacteria in the water, prompting beach closings along the lakes.
* Often times sewage enters the waters through faulty or damaged pipes and sewage systems that are especially vulnerable to overflow during heavy rainstorms.
* Pesticide and fertilizer runoff in the Great Lakes have negatively impacted ecosystems by accumulating in the food chain and DDT is the most prevalent pollutant in the lakes system, added a report from the University of Michigan.
Rachel Bogart provides an in-depth look at current environmental issues and local Chicago news stories. As a college student from the Chicago suburbs pursuing two science degrees, she applies her knowledge and passion to both topics to garner further public awareness.
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