The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River system comprise the largest surface fresh water system on Earth. It’s of huge importance to the US and Canada. But it may also be the most underrated of any natural resource.
Fully 10% of the US population rely on the Great Lakes for fresh water. The size of the Lakes is what astounds me most. In Duluth, Minnesota I walk along the bank of Lake Superior and stumble upon a sign. This is what it says: Lake Superior is 31,280 square miles, equal in area to Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, and New Hampshire – combined. It stretches 350 miles east to west and 160 miles north to south. It is the deepest of the Great Lakes; it is over one-quarter mile deep. It was filled with glacial meltwater 10,000 years ago. It holds three quadrillion gallons of water–and this is the part that stunned me–that’s enough water to flood all of North and South America with a foot of water. If it were emptied it would not be refilled by its natural flow until 2179. Over 200 rivers flow into Lake Superior. When you take into account all five Great Lakes, their size eclipses that of the United Kingdom.
Wow.
Sadly, I also find out about the pollution problem the Great Lakes are experiencing. I note that the latest fresh water act has failed to pass in Congress, meaning that besides a few minor tweaks, the water quality is subject to the same rules and regulations that were enforced in 1972 when the Clean Water Act was originally passed.
Fresh water is a sleeping giant of a story. It’s high time we all woke up to it. According to some estimates we need to increase our fresh water supply by some 20% by 2025 to meet the word’s needs. And last I checked, we can’t efficiently make it.
An underrated and under-reported problem indeed.
Also more reason to turn off the tap when you brush your teeth.
