Sierra Club: The Great Lakes are "a toilet"

[Double J]

It's believed that 93 billion litres of untreated sewage flows into the Great Lakes every year. That's a pretty shocking number.

Canadian Press story

Even though municipalities in the Great Lakes region have spent vast sums of money in recent decades upgrading their waste-water plants, the situation remains appalling, says the report by the Sierra Legal Defence Fund.

"The problem of inadequate sewage treatment is particularly disturbing because sewage is not simply what gets flushed down our sinks and toilets," the report states.

"In fact, typical municipal sewage is a foul cocktail of human waste, micro-organisms, disease-causing pathogens and hundreds of highly toxic chemicals."

I already wasn't planning on going swimming in Lake Huron anytime soon, since December is almost upon us, but I'll remember this story come next summer.

The Sierra Club's report comes with a list of 20 Canadian and American municipalities which are graded on how they're working to protect the lakes. Green Bay is atop the list with a B+ and Detroit is on the bottom with a D. My hometown wasn't graded and I'll take that as a positive sign.

 

[Smallpotatoes]

So things really haven't changed since Bill Murray did this ad for Swill Mineral Water over a quarter-century ago:

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/253357/swill_mineral_water/

 

[Ace]

So is that dirty Canadian sewage or pristine American sewage? Makes a difference, you know.

 

[busuncle]

It was a lot more fun swimming in Lake Erie when they didn't have the bacteria level posted everywhere. Some things are better left unknown.

 

[slappy4428]

It wouldn't be summer in southeast Michigan if Metro Beach didn't close because of too much e-coli in Lake St. Clair

 

[SoSueMe]

Wow. Of the 20 cities that were graded, nine are American and 11 are Canadian. And seven Canadian cities are in the BOTTOM HALF of the grading. Lovely.

 

[dixiehack]

The Sierra Club's report comes with a list of 20 Canadian and American municipalities which are graded on how they're working to protect the lakes. Green Bay is atop the list with a B+ and Detroit is on the bottom with a D.

Damn Matt Millen.

 

[stevenash]

hah

 

[micropolitan guy]

a foul cocktail of human waste, micro-organisms, disease-causing pathogens and hundreds of highly toxic chemicals."

Sounds like the recipe for a Notre Dame press box hot dog.

How does Syracuse get its municipal waste all the way up to Lake Ontario?

 

[Football_Bat]

Keep the Dave Matthews Band outta Chicago and the Great Lakes wouldn't be a toilet.