While perusing one of my favorite “green” blogs-TreeHugger- this evening I came across an interesting article concerning my hometown of Cleveland, OH. In summary, the article explains how Lake Erie has become such a clear-blue body of water and why it might not be as good as people think. Once called “the mistake by the lake” because of it’s polluted water, Cleveland spent decades cleaning up it’s act to make lake Erie and its surrounding rivers (The Cuyahoga) inhabitable. However, as TreeHugger puts it, a blue lake isn’t necessarily good lake.
Apparently Lake Erie’s waters are so clean and clear because of Zebra Mussels, an invasive species that has been taking over the lake for decades. Though Zebra Mussels make the water clean and clear, they also feed off of organic matter and plankton, which are vital to the lakes overall health. Furthermore, the Zebra Mussels’ sharp outer shells make areas of the lake’s floor unsafe to walk on. The worst part is that Zebra Mussels aren’t stopping in Lake Erie and are spreading to surrounding Great Lakes and rivers. Down with Zebra Mussels. Go Cleveland!
Filed under: Random
