Many Watersheds Drain Into Basin
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Tuesday,December 10, 2013 |Erie Times-News |GoErie.com | 9D Reconnect with your environment SP23485 Learn about environmental issues, their affect on your community and actions for your involvement. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS Here are major watersheds for western Lake Erie basin. Many watersheds drain into basin By ANNA McCARTNEY cludes the Maumee water- Contributed writer shed. Michigan drainage basin: The Lake Erie basin 5,808 square miles, 15,040 includes rivers and wet- square kilomers.: includes UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO lands that extend miles the Belle, Black, Clinton, inland, draining large ar- Detroit, Huron, Maumee The Ottawa River,which drains into North Maumee Bay at the western end of Lake Erie, is just one example of why eas in Michigan, Indiana, and Raisin watersheds. fixing pollution problems is much more difficult and expensive than preventing them. It should be aconstant reminder Ohio, Pennsylvania and Ohio drainage basin: that keeping human, agricultural and industrial waste out of our waterways is the only sound solution to ensure future New York in the U.S. and 11,700 square miles, 30,400 generations don’t have to pay for avoidable problems. the Canadian province of square kilometers.: Ottawa- Ontario. The total Lake Stoney,Maumee, Cedar- Erie drainage basin area is Portage, Sandusky,Huron- 30,140 square miles; 78,000 Vermilion, Black-Rocky, square kilometers. Cuyahoga, Ashtabula-Cha- Waters entering Lake grin, Grand, Blanchard and Cautionarytale Erie via tributaries in these Chautauqua-Conneaut wa- watersheds originate as tersheds. ground water and surface Sources: Great Lakes water runoff, which may Information Network, Ta btoclean up polluted carry many natural (e.g., Wikipedia, and Lake Erie sediment) and man-made Public Access Guidebook, (e.g., organic pollutants) Rivers Edition. Ottawa River: millions compounds. The western Lake Erie By ANNA McCARTNEY government organizations watershed drainage areas ANNA McCARTNEY,a Contributing writer have worked hard to im- in Indiana, Michigan and communications and prove the river’squality. Ohio are listed below. education specialist for Many Lake Erie water During the last decade, Indiana drainage basin: Pennsylvania Sea Grant, quality problems could progress has been made. 1,300 square miles, 3,300 can be reached by e-mail at have been and still can be In 2010, one of the largest square kilometers: In- [email protected]. averted if human, agricul- cleanups in Great Lakes tural and industrial waste history removed nearly is kept from running into 300,000 tons of contami- the tributaries that empty nated sediment in Ohio’s into the lake. hottest spot for industrial There is plenty of evi- pollutants at acost of $47 dence that in the past, million. little thought was given to In 2012, another resto- LAKE SCIENTIST protecting the tributaries ration effort that began in that feed Lake Erie. 2005 was also completed In 2010, one of the largest cleanups in Great Lakes history The Ottawa River,which when the University of To- removed nearly 300,000 tons of contaminated sediment in drainsinto NorthMaumee ledo finished afinal phase the Ottawa River at acost of $47 million. Bay at the western end of of the university’sOttawa Lake Erie, is just one ex- River project on the main ample of how fixing these campus. problems is much more Finally in May 2012, the difficult and expensive state of Ohio lifted some, than preventing them. though not all, of the river’s The millions of dollars “do not eat fish” advisories spent to cap the most no- that had been in place for torious landfills along its 21 years. banks or to remove toxic In 2011, some advisories CONTRIBUTED PHOTO sediment do not begin to against making skin con- account for the true envi- tact with river water were North East Middle School teacher Ian Williams and his ronmental and economic also lifted for the first time students learn about the environment at TREC. costs of what has long been in 20 years. Yetinsome considered Ohio’smost areas both advisories still polluted waterway. remain in effect. Fish stories impress Much of the pollution To be sure, the Ottawa occurred before environ- River has along way to go mental laws were passed before claims can be made North East students in the 1970s. that it is free of pollution. FWS Decades of manufactur- The river’sstory should, By ANNA McCARTNEY together.” —Rylan Quiros, ing activity and improper however,beaconstant Industrial pollutants contributed to deformed pike in the Contributed writer 6th grade waste disposal practices reminder of the expense Ottawa River. “Steelhead and brook and sewage overflows and difficulty that come North East Middle trout are very sensitive to resulted in the release from dealing with prob- School students, who had a certain types of bacteria.” of hazardous substances lems left by past genera- meaningful watershed ex- —Ethan Dimperio 7th grade into the Ottawa River wa- tions and why prevention perience at theTom Ridge “Sturgeon can live up tershed. is the only sound solution EnvironmentalCenter to 150 years old and they This pollution, which for protecting the water throughthe PA Sea Grant/ don’t start laying egg until migrated from landfills, that feeds Lake Erie, the NOAA BWET watershed they are 25 years old.”— industrial facilities and source of drinking water service-learning project, Alexis Burkhart, 8th grade wastewater treatment for millions. shared what they learned. “A nice-sized female plants along the river- Keeping human, agricul- “Weget most of the fish trout can lay up to 1,500 banks and in the water- tural and industrial waste we eat through Aquapon- eggs.” —Tanner Smiley,8th shed, contaminated the out of our waterways en- ics.” —Meghan Grantham grade water,fish and wildlife sures that future genera- 6th grade “Some fish are adapted in the river and adjacent tions can swim and fish “Aquaponics recycles to cold water and others to North Maumee Bay.Even and benefit from the great- the water from the fish warm water.” —Courtney after the federal land- est source of freshwater in tanks to the plants. The Alexander,7th grade mark Clean Water Act the world. nutrients are used by the was passed in 1972 to curb plants and then the water industrial discharges, the ANNA McCARTNEY,a UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO returns to the fish tanks.” ANNA McCARTNEY,a river was written off as a communications and —Skyler Sanders, 8th grade Pennsylvania Sea Grant sewer. education specialist for In May 2012, this warning sign is being taken down after “It was really cool communications specialist, However,many con- Pennsylvania Sea Grant, the state of Ohio lifted a21-year long advisoryatthis site. learning about how fish can be reached by e-mail at cerned citizens, commu- can be reached by e-mail at Advisories still remain in effect in some sections of the and plants live and work [email protected]. nity groups, business and [email protected]. Ottawa River. This page brought to you by: Fishing plays ahuge role in bringing millions of dollars to the Erie region. However,many citizens and lawmakers do no seem to make the connection between Check out these websites ahealthy environment and healthy to learn more: economy.Examine the editorials and letters to the editor and use them as a www.great-lakes.net/lakes/erie. model to write your own letter alerting the html public about the importance of protecting www.epa.gov/greatlakes/erie. Lake Erie and its html tributaries. Send it to www.lakeerieimprovement.org/ [email protected] for tributaries/ possible publication. www.paseagrant.org.