Great Lakes Waters are Overdue for Cleanup
Date: 13-Sep-07
Country: US
Author: Andrew Stern
Chicagoans are among the millions who flock each summer to
hundreds of beaches that line the shores of the five Great
Lakes, the vast inland seas that are collectively the world's
second-largest body of fresh water and provide drinking water
for 40 million Americans and Canadians.
The five interconnected Great Lakes have been abused by
polluters, invaded by unwanted species and are overdue for a
cleanup, environmentalists and many politicians say.
"A lot of advocates feel the Great Lakes have long been
neglected. Compare them to the (Florida) Everglades, which are
that region's iconic landmark and where there's a
multibillion-dollar federally funded restoration program.
That's what we need here," said Max Muller of the group
Environment Illinois.
The price tag for restoring the Great Lakes was recently
estimated at US$26 billion by a group of economists who projected
the economic benefits of a cleanup.
Completing the immense task -- rebuilding antiquated sewer
systems, restoring decimated wetlands, blocking invasive
species, and cleaning up contaminated lake sediments and
polluted tributaries -- would lift residential property values
that are within sight of the lakes by 10 percent, their report
concluded. The US$50 billion real estate gain would alone justify
the investment that the researchers said could revitalize the
surrounding region known as the Rust Belt.
Coveted lakeshore homes can fetch prices rivaling those on
US ocean coastlines, though the Great Lakes' natural beauty
featuring towering sand dunes, rocky fjords, and dense forests
is frequently interrupted by urban wasteland and factories.
Restoration of the lakes would also bring a healthier
fishery, fewer beach closings, and other benefits, the report
sponsored by the Brookings Institution said.
"To the extent you're going to make the Great Lakes a more
attractive place for people to live and work, you're going to
reduce (out)migration, and if anything you're going to be able
to attract people from other locations and reduce congestion on
the coasts and other parts of the country," said Brookings'
economist Robert Litan.
Protectors of the lakes toted up a recent victory when
British oil giant BP agreed to scuttle its permit to dump more
ammonia and other pollutants into Lake Michigan from a planned
Indiana refinery modernization.
The company backed down last month in the face of outraged
politicians, feverish petition drives and boycott threats. But
BP may abandon the project altogether, along with the promise
of jobs and gasoline supplies in a region in need of both.
VIRUS ALERT
Meanwhile, on dozens of hot days over the summer,
disappointed beach goers in Chicago and elsewhere have been met
by swimming bans.
A host of viruses that can sicken swimmers, dangerous
toxins such as mercury and asbestos, and other threats lurk in
or beside the lakes, scientists say. Episodes of people
sickened by contaminated drinking water may go unreported.
At beaches in larger communities, swimming areas are
routinely tested for the presence of E-coli, a bacteria that is
a marker for other pathogens. By midsummer, Chicago had ordered
34 swim bans.
The sources of the offending pollution are numerous, but
scientists working on the issue largely blame runoff after
rainstorms from overloaded sewer and septic systems, from
fouled urban streets, and from farm fields spread with
liquefied manure.
In recent years, the Great Lakes waters sometimes appeared
clearer, if not cleaner, to the naked eye, which scientists say
is actually a bad sign. Due to efficient lake water filtering
by the invasive zebra and quagga mussels, more sunlight reaches
deeper lake depths and, combined with nutrients from runoff,
promote algae growth. The plant detritus piles up along
shorelines and harbors viruses from runoff, they
