Lake Erie and Lake Michigan are ranked the third and fourth most polluted lakes in the United States, according to nature website AZ Animals.
Like so much of the environment, human activity has endangered both freshwater lakes due to, among others, agriculture and factories dumping chemicals into the waters that eventually flow into Erie and Michigan, such as the Detroit River. Though federal environmental regulations have eased the problem, they still pose a threat to the ecosystem, including the very water Detroiters drink.
The larger environmental impact is, according to scientists, the ongoing climate change will cause “freshwater migrations,” where population of people will flock to those places on earth that still have drinkable water. Part of climate change is the shrinking availability of fresh water, which humans need to live. The Great Lakes region, such as Michigan, will be one of those places where people are predicted to settle. As Michigan wants to attract people to the state, having access to fresh water will be a factor in people’s consideration.
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