Report Identifies Five U.S. Lakes Facing Shrinking Levels and Pollution

U.S. lakes that have experienced reduced water levels or increased pollution in recent years. The article states that climate change, agricultural demand, and urban runoff have contributed to lower inflows and higher concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus.

Newsweek reported that the Great Salt Lake has lost roughly 73 percent of its water and 60 percent of its surface area since 1850. The loss has raised salinity and exposed lake-bed dust containing heavy metals. Lake Erie has recorded recurring harmful algal blooms driven by phosphorus from fertilizer runoff, according to the same report.

The blooms have periodically forced beach closures and drinking-water advisories.

Okeechobee has seen large cyanobacteria blooms after heavy rainfall events, Florida Atlantic University research cited in the article found. Brian Lapointe, a research professor at the university, stated that big blooms appeared in the lake and estuaries following extreme rain events.

Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the two largest reservoirs on the Colorado River, have faced reduced inflows during drought periods. The Colorado River Basin Forecast Center projected inflows at 13 percent of the 30-year average between April and July this year.

The article lists five measures to address the pressures: reducing agricultural water use, updating water-management policies, limiting fertilizer runoff, restoring wetlands, and lowering greenhouse-gas emissions.