Biden Announces $1 Billion In Funding to Restore The Great Lakes
The Great Lakes support over 1.3 million jobs, which generate $82 billion in wages every year. However, climate change is putting those jobs in jeopardy. But the Biden administration is providing $1 billion in funding to help restore the lakes.
In total, the funding will be used to restore 22 sites that the EPA deemed as a concern. They are across seven states including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, and Wisconsin and the restoration will be completed by 2030.
Three additional sites will also be partially restored. This is the largest amount of funding ever permitted to maintain and restore the Great Lakes.
What Problems Are these Lakes Facing?
The great lakes are one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States, but not every part of them is safe to visit.
Many areas of the great lakes have been heavily polluted for years. Sewage runoff has made its way into the lakes, which has significantly impacted the quality of the water. And that’s a problem considering the lakes provide drinking water to approximately 40 million people.
As I’m sure you can imagine, families are not lining up to swim in sewage runoff.
However, this is just one problem. Another huge concern is invasive species. These are species that are not native to the region. Many even come from overseas. In fact, you’ve probably seen videos of one of the most invasive, the Asian Carp.
These species are threatening the local wildlife and altering the ecosystem drastically.
Yet another problem the great lakes face is cyanobacteria blooms. These are commonly referred to as toxic algae because they are toxic to both wildlife and humans who are exposed to them.
They are directly tied to agricultural runoff that makes its way into the Great Lakes.
And of course, we can’t forget about the 800-pound elephant in the room, climate change. Climate change is directly impacting the water cycles of the Great Lakes. The highs are getting higher, while the lows are getting lower.
These are just a few of the problems these bodies of water face.
The bottom line is that the Great Lakes have been neglected for decades, and they are severely in need of help.
As Water Becomes More Scarce, Lakes Become More Valuable
If you have been impacted by the drought plaguing the western US, I don’t need to explain that water is a finite resource.
It can and will dry up, especially as the world continues to get warmer each year. This is making large bodies of freshwater far more valuable than before.
Many estimates say that water will become more valuable than oil in the future.
It’s also important to highlight that as they become less attractive sites, tourism will dry up, thus impacting thousands of jobs. As a result, not only does it positively impact the environment to keep our lakes safe and healthy, it is a smart move economically.
The restoration may be one of the most important infrastructure decisions in recent times.
Robert has been following and writing about environmental stories for years at GreenGeeks. He believes that highlighting environmentally friendly practices can help promote change in every household.