HELP PLS

Lake Erie is one of the Great Lakes of the United States. It is also the shallowest and warmest of the five lakes. The drainage basin that

surrounds Lake Erle contains urban areas, as well as agricultural and industrial areas. Because of the amount of nutrients, primarily

phosphates, being transported into Lake Erie from surrounding areas, Lake Erle experienced cultural eutrophication. The surface of the lake developed large blooms of algae, which blocked out the sunlight to the depths of the lake and caused the lake to become anoxic.

In 1972, the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement was signed between the United States and Canada to reduce phosphate pollution. This was

the beginning of the recovery of Lake Erie. Phosphate-containing detergents have been eliminated from surrounding areas and native species have returned, but the lake is still subjected to pollution, including sewage, which results in beach closures, and invasive species, which drive out native species and change the biome.


1. Identify the source of pollution in Lake Erle. Was it a point source or non-point source of pollution? Explain your reasoning.


2. Describe two human activities that have impacted the health of Lake Erle.


3. Organophosphates are a common endocrine disruptor in many pesticides today and part of agricultural runoff. Describe the

effects an endocrine disruptor could have on human populations surrounding Lake Erle.


4. Explain the environmental effects the excessive use of detergents had on Lake Erle.


5. The Clean Water Act and subsequent legislation mandated that Industries stop dumping wastes directly into bodies of water by

building sewage treatment facilities to clean sewage water before it discharged into lakes and rivers. An average wastewater reclamation plant treats 55 million gallons a day. Calculate the amount of pollution-free water it could release into Lake Erle in a

year.