Explore the causes and effects of water contamination, including microplastics, chemicals, and stormwater runoff. Learn how to protect lakes, rivers, and freshwater resources.
Plastic is the predominant type of manmade debris found in rivers and oceans today. Between 60 and 80% of all marine debris is comprised of petroleum based plastics. Despite the fact that plastic pollution is a relatively recent phenomena, the problem has reached the far corners of the global oceans. Most of the obvious plastic
Researchers who work in wetlands in Michigan are taking a new approach to invasive plants. They’re harvesting them for fertilizer and fuel. When you’re in the middle of the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge, you don’t realize how massive it is. It’s 10,000 acres of marshes and bogs, forest and farmland. To put the size in
David Tyler, publisher of the Cazenovia Republican in Cazenovia New York appreciates and applauds the efforts of the Cazenovia Lake Association and the Lake Watershed Council in their efforts to maintain the health of the lake. With that said, he questions the effect of herbicide treatments on the size and number of fishing being caught.
Lake Isabella has experienced a significant “fish kill” due to low oxygen levels following treatment of an extremely high blue-green algae presence. When the heavy bloom was noted a recommendation was made to close the lake to swimming and boaters and a company was hired to treat the lake with a chemical called SeClear. The
Oceans are filled with millions of tons of plastic. A 2021 study estimated that 80% of it was carried there by rivers. While many ocean-cleaning efforts have focused on trash that’s already made it to the high seas, river cleanups offer a way to intervene sooner. When a plastic bag is swept down a storm
The City of Cape Canaveral, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and Stetson University, along with city and county partners are working on a solution to help stop flooding and improve water quality in Cape Canaveral. Researchers say plans include designing and building special channels called bioswales that to redirect stormwater that would cause flooding. Native, water-friendly plants
Marine debris is a global problem that threatens the health and safety of oceans and coastal waterways. Marine debris can damage sensitive habitat that supports fisheries and can harm protected species. Marine debris also has economic impacts. These impacts are felt by those whose livelihoods are linked to the sea, yet in many cases the
A new study from researchers at the Rochester Institute of Technology says that nearly 22 million pounds of plastic debris are entering the Great Lakes from the U.S. and Canada each year. Half of that plastic is going into Lake Michigan, followed by Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Lake Huron and Lake Superior. The amount of
The “pristine” Charleston estuary waters in South Carolina, are in worse shape than most people think. At least 7- ½ tons worse. That’s how much plastic is estimated to be breaking down in the tide and waves of Charlestown Harbor, its tidal rivers and creeks. The total comes from a study by a research team
Around the world, people dump about 20 million tons of plastic into the ocean every year, much of it in the form of flyaway plastic bags. This waste doesn’t get magically swallowed by the ocean–it lingers indefinitely, posing a threat to marine life and to human health. Picking up garbage in the ocean is an