The Caro Garden Club annually sponsors the Hazel J. Spalding High School Essay Contest on environmental issues. Our local winner’s essay is forwarded through our District VI to a Michigan Garden Club competition and can potentially go on to compete regionally and then for National Garden Club awards.
This year’s first place essay was written by Olivia Walker, a Caro High School student, awarding her a prize of $200. Her essay will now go on to compete in the District VI contest. Her essay, ‘Our Precious Natural Resource: WATER’, follows.
Glaciers carved Michigan’s rivers and formed our ever so unique Great Lakes. Since these lakes combined provide one fifth of the world’s freshwater, and ninety percent of the United States surface freshwater supply, they are ineffably important to our entire world. Looking deeper than statistics however, beauty as well as beneficial utilities can be found within these bodies of water in our great state. Unfortunately, a rise in issues specifically associated with our freshwater has threatened one of our most important natural resources. Water pollution and invasive species are some of the most predominant problems Michigan’s freshwater is facing, but thankfully there are actions being taken to combat these issues. Michigan’s water is drastically important and we must take the necessary steps to fight back against these issues.
Through my research, I was able to identify local issues pertaining to our freshwater. The most drastic being the high levels of arsenic within the well water of the Thumb of Michigan. Reports by Michigan Thumb Well Water shows the areas with arsenic detected, and the levels of concentration of the identified areas. This kind of water can become carcinogenic if it is consumed. Long-term effects can take place when the water is used in cooking or drinking for an extended period of time. According to the EPA, arsenic water can be linked to many types of cancer, partial paralysis and blindness. Efforts to reduce this problem can be seen in testing specific wells for arsenic. Those wells found with levels of arsenic can have a reverse osmosis pump installed, which is the most effective treatment currently for inorganic arsenic.
Invasive species as well as water pollution is a problem. It is not just local to me, but everywhere in Michigan! Eurasian Phragmites, Zebra and Quagga mussels, Japanese Knotweed, and Eurasian Watermilfoil are some of the most prominent invasive species in Michigan. Each of these species has traveled to the United States from another country and are now overtaking our ecosystems here. Invasive species are especially easy to spread in water, which is why Eurasian Phragmites, Zebra and Quagga mussels are the most common invasive species. Our state government keeps an updated list as well as a watch list for invasive species posted online for everyone to have access to. Various organizations and the state have programs in place during which certain times of the year they focus on the invasive species that is most easily destroyed and do everything they can to get rid of them. Arsenic levels in water and invasive species pose a threat to our water, which is why there are several efforts to combat them.
During my research I not only learned about the problems we face as a state which are threatening our water, but I learned how important our government's role is within the protection of our environments. Not only is our state government able to help, but so is the federal government. Laws and agreements have and can be made in an effort to protect the water, and there are several enacted already. For example, our Michigan legislature has banned the diversion of Michigan’s Great Lakes water out of the Great Lakes basin. There are also state and federal permits required to build “shoreline structures,” such as docks and seawalls.
Damage to our rivers is now being prevented by Michigan legislation through usage of a permitting program. Rivers have been damaged through poorly constructed structures that degrade the water quality for wildlife and fish in which dislodged sentiments of soil can disrupt the fish breeding habitat. However, permits are now required by the state for anyone who wishes to fill, divert water and or construct in a river and lake. Our state and federal government’s policies contribute to the protection of our water here in Michigan.
With this new information I have obtained through my research, I have developed a greater sense of awareness and fondness for our state's water. Living beside a river my whole life created a certain appreciation for freshwater, and now I can move forward with information on how it’s protected, what harmful species can lie within it, and the possibility for it or nearby water to be contaminated. Our dear water of the Great Lakes state is so marvelous!
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