13
Protection of Great Lakes Soils
13.1 Introduction
Key environmental problems in the Great Lakes region are
(i) reductions of the water levels from withdrawals and
human-caused climate change; (ii) pollution from
point-source, nonpoint-source, and atmospheric sources;
(iii) the introduction of invasive species; and (iv) degradation of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (Smith et al. 2015).
13.2 Key Environmental Problems
in the Great Lakes Coastal Zone
The mean levels of Lakes Michigan and Huron have
declined by 1 m since the early 1990s (Environmental Protection Agency; Angel and Kunkel 2010), due primarily to
water diversion, consumptive use for energy production and
drinking water, and from increased evaporation from climate
warming. By increasing stream gradients, these activities
have the potential to increase shoreline erosion. Indeed,
shoreline erosion and bluff retreat are key environmental
issues on all of the Great Lakes. Figure 13.1 shows the
effects of sediments from the Grand River being deposited in
Lake Michigan. Figure 13.2 illustrates bluff retreat on Lake
Michigan in Racine County, WI.
The most common pollutants in the Great Lakes are
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury, asbestos, copper, DDT, dioxins, heavy metals, excessive nitrogen and
phosphorus, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
(Environmental Protection Agency 1995). The most common sources of these contaminants are improper municipal
sewage treatment and discharge; contamination from mining, steel production, pulp and paper making; combustion of
fossil fuels; and urban and agricultural runoff. While necessary to keep federal harbors open in the Great Lakes,
dredging brings up contaminated sediments that are often
landfilled nearby.
There are 185 aquatic species and 157 terrestrial species
that are exotic to the Great Lakes (Environmental Protection
Agency 1995). The sum of four shoreline taxa provides a
rapidly measured indicator of anthropogenic stress across the
Great Lakes, including Phragmites australis (common reed),
Typha sp. (cattail), Stuckenia pectinata (sago pondweed),
and the exotic species, Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife)
(Trebitz and Taylor 2007). These exotic and invasive plants
were more prevalent in wetlands in Lakes Erie and Ontario
than in Lakes Superior and Huron, with Lake Michigan
wetlands intermediate.
Coastal development has led to loss in riparian vegetation, dune degradation, and loss of coastal wetlands. There
has been extensive harvesting of dune sand along the Great
Lakes, especially Lake Michigan, for foundries and fracking
(Fig. 13.3). About 2.3 million metric tonnes of sand are
removed annually from Michigan alone (Lake Michigan
Federation 1999). Beach ridges occur at 138 sites in the
Lake Superior, Michigan, and Huron coastal zones (Baedke
et al. 2004) and are important bird and fish habitats. However, over two-thirds of the Great Lakes wetlands have been
lost, and many of those remaining have been threatened by
development or pollution (Environmental Protection Agency
1995; Albert 2003) (Fig. 13.4).
The Great Lakes are protected by the Great Lakes Water
Quality Agreement (GLWQA) of 1972, which was updated
in 2012. Signed by Canada and the USA, the primary goals
of this agreement are to identify areas of concern (AOC),
provide guidelines for lake-wide management, identify
chemicals and excessive nutrients of concern, prevent discharges from vessels, control aquatic invasive species, preserve habitat and species, protect groundwater, and minimize
climate change impacts.
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
J. G. Bockheim, Soils of the Laurentian Great Lakes, USA and Canada,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52425-8_13
145
Protection of Great Lakes Soils
13.1 Introduction
Key environmental problems in the Great Lakes region are
(i) reductions of the water levels from withdrawals and
human-caused climate change; (ii) pollution from
point-source, nonpoint-source, and atmospheric sources;
(iii) the introduction of invasive species; and (iv) degradation of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (Smith et al. 2015).
13.2 Key Environmental Problems
in the Great Lakes Coastal Zone
The mean levels of Lakes Michigan and Huron have
declined by 1 m since the early 1990s (Environmental Protection Agency; Angel and Kunkel 2010), due primarily to
water diversion, consumptive use for energy production and
drinking water, and from increased evaporation from climate
warming. By increasing stream gradients, these activities
have the potential to increase shoreline erosion. Indeed,
shoreline erosion and bluff retreat are key environmental
issues on all of the Great Lakes. Figure 13.1 shows the
effects of sediments from the Grand River being deposited in
Lake Michigan. Figure 13.2 illustrates bluff retreat on Lake
Michigan in Racine County, WI.
The most common pollutants in the Great Lakes are
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury, asbestos, copper, DDT, dioxins, heavy metals, excessive nitrogen and
phosphorus, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
(Environmental Protection Agency 1995). The most common sources of these contaminants are improper municipal
sewage treatment and discharge; contamination from mining, steel production, pulp and paper making; combustion of
fossil fuels; and urban and agricultural runoff. While necessary to keep federal harbors open in the Great Lakes,
dredging brings up contaminated sediments that are often
landfilled nearby.
There are 185 aquatic species and 157 terrestrial species
that are exotic to the Great Lakes (Environmental Protection
Agency 1995). The sum of four shoreline taxa provides a
rapidly measured indicator of anthropogenic stress across the
Great Lakes, including Phragmites australis (common reed),
Typha sp. (cattail), Stuckenia pectinata (sago pondweed),
and the exotic species, Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife)
(Trebitz and Taylor 2007). These exotic and invasive plants
were more prevalent in wetlands in Lakes Erie and Ontario
than in Lakes Superior and Huron, with Lake Michigan
wetlands intermediate.
Coastal development has led to loss in riparian vegetation, dune degradation, and loss of coastal wetlands. There
has been extensive harvesting of dune sand along the Great
Lakes, especially Lake Michigan, for foundries and fracking
(Fig. 13.3). About 2.3 million metric tonnes of sand are
removed annually from Michigan alone (Lake Michigan
Federation 1999). Beach ridges occur at 138 sites in the
Lake Superior, Michigan, and Huron coastal zones (Baedke
et al. 2004) and are important bird and fish habitats. However, over two-thirds of the Great Lakes wetlands have been
lost, and many of those remaining have been threatened by
development or pollution (Environmental Protection Agency
1995; Albert 2003) (Fig. 13.4).
The Great Lakes are protected by the Great Lakes Water
Quality Agreement (GLWQA) of 1972, which was updated
in 2012. Signed by Canada and the USA, the primary goals
of this agreement are to identify areas of concern (AOC),
provide guidelines for lake-wide management, identify
chemicals and excessive nutrients of concern, prevent discharges from vessels, control aquatic invasive species, preserve habitat and species, protect groundwater, and minimize
climate change impacts.
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
J. G. Bockheim, Soils of the Laurentian Great Lakes, USA and Canada,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52425-8_13
145