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Executive Summary
From
the Chesapeake Bay to the Puget Sound to the Great Lakes to the San
Francisco Bay, Americans throughout the country depend on our waters
for fishing, recreation and clean drinking water. These waters are
the home to some of our most cherished wildlife, like orcas, blue
crabs and bald eagles. American families from coast to coast travel
to our great waters every summer to relax and enjoy some of nature’s
wonders. And year round our great waters are host to some of
America’s great cities, including San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago,
Baltimore and New Orleans. Our waters are integral to the economies
of these cities and their surrounding areas. With robust tourism
industries and longstanding fishing trades dependent on clean water,
protecting our great waterways is necessary for both our environment
and our economy.
Unfortunately,
our waters continue to be plagued by high levels of pollution. A few
miles from the nation’s capitol, mega-chicken producers generate 1
million tons of manure waste, much of which ends up in the Chesapeake
Bay. Across the country in just one year, industrial facilities
dumped 232 million pounds of toxic chemicals into our waters. And
twenty-four billion gallons of sewage are dumped annually into the
Great Lakes alone.
Excess
nutrient pollution coming from mega-agricultural productions and
runoff from developed areas is causing massive algae blooms in a
number of our great waters. These algae blooms consume the oxygen in
the water, resulting in dead zones where no aquatic life can survive.
During the summer, enormous dead zones can be found in Long Island
Sound, Chesapeake Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, the Great Lakes, and the
Puget Sound. The dead zone in Lake Erie has grown to be larger than
the state of Connecticut.
Dead
zones, toxic chemicals, and the destruction of wetlands around our
great waters are significantly damaging to the health of the
ecosystems, wildlife, and people who depend on them. Salmon
populations in the Columbia River and Puget Sound have dropped
dramatically over the last century. And in the Chesapeake Bay, oyster
populations are at 1 percent of their historic numbers. Depleted fish
and aquatic life can have devastating effects on the fishermen that
make their living off these waters and the recreational sport fishing
that contributes to local economies.
The
environmental significance of these waters is unparalleled and the
enjoyment that they add to our lives is unquestionable. The
contribution our waters make to our local, regional, and national
economies spans many sectors, and it will take a comprehensive effort
to protect them. One of the largest economic engines that our great
waters fuel is the tourism industry. People travel across the country
and world to visit them. For example, every year, the revenue
generated from the recreation, tourism and fishing industries in
the Long Island Sound exceeds $5.5 billion. These environmental
treasures and the economic benefits they provide can only continue to
exist if the beauty and health of these waters are maintained.
To
restore and protect our great waters, Environment America is calling
on Congress to pass legislation this summer that will reduce
pollution, increase investments in restoration efforts, and protect
our most treasured places for generations to come. This report
highlights the following eight waters across the country that are in
the most need of increased protections and immediate restoration
efforts: Long Island Sound, Chesapeake Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, Lake
Tahoe, the Puget Sound, the Columbia River, the San Francisco Bay and
the Great Lakes.
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