Background Facts
• Lake Ontario provides drinking water to 9 million people.
• More Canadians live in the Lake Ontario watershed than any other watershed in the country.
• Lake Ontario never completely freezes because it is so deep.
• Lake Ontario is one of the 5 Great Lakes, which comprise 20% of the world’s surface freshwater.
• Lake Ontario is the 14th largest lake in the world.
• Water from the Great Lakes flows through Lake Ontario, before flowing into the Atlantic Ocean
• Lake Ontario is the most threatened Great Lake.
• Iroquois and Huron First Nations lived on the shores of Lake Ontario for thousands of years before Europeans arrived.
• “Lake Ontario” means “lake of shining waters”.
• Commercial fishing in Lake Ontario peaked in the …show more content…
Three out of four Ontario citizens receive their water from the Great Lakes. If raw untreated sewage is continuously dumped into the lake, major problems will arise. Water borne illnesses will become more prevalent, citizens will be unable to use the lake for everyday activities and the highly polluted water will drive the price of water treatment above average, leading to increased water bills. This will not only affect the people living around the lake but the animals living in and around the lake will suffer as well. Fish and other aquatic animal populations have already begun to decrease due to high levels of chemical concentrations and sewage, which are contaminating food sources. Pollution within the lake has increased to such a level that 5 species of fish have become extinct. Many birds and plant species have also been affected by the high concentrations of chemicals in the lake, which have lead to genetic mutations and even death. With all of the plant, animal and human species depending on Lake Ontario for their survival, the consequences of pollution are potentially dire and must be taken
• Lake Ontario provides drinking water to 9 million people.
• More Canadians live in the Lake Ontario watershed than any other watershed in the country.
• Lake Ontario never completely freezes because it is so deep.
• Lake Ontario is one of the 5 Great Lakes, which comprise 20% of the world’s surface freshwater.
• Lake Ontario is the 14th largest lake in the world.
• Water from the Great Lakes flows through Lake Ontario, before flowing into the Atlantic Ocean
• Lake Ontario is the most threatened Great Lake.
• Iroquois and Huron First Nations lived on the shores of Lake Ontario for thousands of years before Europeans arrived.
• “Lake Ontario” means “lake of shining waters”.
• Commercial fishing in Lake Ontario peaked in the …show more content…
Three out of four Ontario citizens receive their water from the Great Lakes. If raw untreated sewage is continuously dumped into the lake, major problems will arise. Water borne illnesses will become more prevalent, citizens will be unable to use the lake for everyday activities and the highly polluted water will drive the price of water treatment above average, leading to increased water bills. This will not only affect the people living around the lake but the animals living in and around the lake will suffer as well. Fish and other aquatic animal populations have already begun to decrease due to high levels of chemical concentrations and sewage, which are contaminating food sources. Pollution within the lake has increased to such a level that 5 species of fish have become extinct. Many birds and plant species have also been affected by the high concentrations of chemicals in the lake, which have lead to genetic mutations and even death. With all of the plant, animal and human species depending on Lake Ontario for their survival, the consequences of pollution are potentially dire and must be taken