Case Studies

Onondaga Lake, New York, United States

http://blog.syracuse.com/video/2008/03/032608_lake.jpg

Onondaga Lake, in New York, is one of the most polluted lakes in the United States. Once a sanctuary for the likes of Atlantic salmon and Onondaga Lake Whitefish, Onondaga Lake become so polluted during the late 1940s people were no longer able to swim in the lake, and in the 1970s there was no more fishing. However, there have been attempts to restore the lake to its former prominence. A 15-year program is underway to try and create a cleaner lake and cause less pollution to flow into it, and further steps can be taken after this.

http://www.upstatefreshwater.org/html/onondaga_lake.html

Great Lakes –

http://www.instablogsimages.com/images/2007/07/31/polution-in-lake-michigan_5106.jpg

Lake Erie, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, and Lake Superior are considered the Great Lakes in North America. The Great Lakes contain 20% of the fresh water in the world, and are very important to millions of people. However, pollution has been a recurring problem in these lakes. Although, point-source pollution may be more negative than non-point source pollution, it is easier to control than non-point, making non-point more of a problem for the Great Lakes. Another problem facing the Great Lakes is eutrophication, when the lake is over-filled with nutrients and there is uncontrolled plant growth, which is unhealthy for the environment. Lake Erie is the most polluted of the Great Lakes, while it is also the smallest, it fell to eutrophication in the 1960s. The Great Lakes almost went beyond repair in the 1960s and 1970s, however with the care and help of many people they are working towards being as clean as they once were.

http://www.great-lakes.net/teach/pollution/water/water1.html

Pesticides in Indian Bottled Water –

In the early 2000s, Indian scientists in New Delhi found that Indian drinking water is filled with pesticides used on Indian crops. There is no law in Indian to say that the factories that create the bottled waters need to be in clean areas. The plants in India have not been using the more effective, yet more expensive treatment of water that uses a membrane to extract the water, they use a less effective, yet cheaper charcoal absorption process. Other treatments that they use are reverse osmosis, and granular activated charcoal methods. However, if they were using this treatments correctly there would not be as many pesticides in the water. The Indians need to clean their water up.

http://www.baddevelopers.green.net.au/Pics/BEND/dec04/pollution5.jpg

http://www.environmentandpeople.org/WaterPollutionCasestudy.html