Issues - Healing Our Waters Coalition

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The Great Lakes provide drinking water for 30 million people. We must continue our efforts to clean up toxic pollution, restore habitat, fight invasive species, and reduce polluted runoff. Although we have made progress the lakes still face serious threats. We can’t afford to stop now. Projects to clean up our lakes will only get harder and more expensive the longer we wait.

PROTECTING DRINKING WATER

The Great Lakes provide drinking water for more than 30 million people in the region, yet the pipes and other infrastructure delivering and treating our water is in dire need of repair.

RESTORING HABITAT

The Great Lakes provide a home for fish, wildlife, migratory birds, and the people of the region. Over the years, development degraded or displaced key habitat for fish and wildlife.

FIGHTING INVASIVE SPECIES

Invasive species have fundamentally altered the Great Lakes ecosystem. Millions of dollars are spent each year to control the invasive species that have already made it into the lakes.

CLEANING UP TOXIC POLLUTION

More than 40 sites around the Great Lakes have been identified as toxic hot spots. And new pollutants are being discovered even while legacy pollution is still being cleaned up.

REDUCING RUNOFF POLLUTION

Each year, polluted runoff from farms flows into the Great Lakes feeding toxic algae outbreaks, which poison drinking water, close beaches, and hurt tourism through the region.