SKIP CONTENT SEARCH RESEARCH CATEGORIES EARTH ENVIRONMENT LITERATURE THE ARTS MEDICINE PEOPLE PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION PLANTS AND ANIMALS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SOCIAL SCIENCES THE LAW SPORTS EVERYDAY LIFE REFERENCES UNITED STATES AND CANADA PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY GREAT LAKES SELECT PRINT ARTICLE TOPIC CITE TOOLS COPYRIGHT THE GALE GROUP NORTH THE GREAT LAKES LAKES INTERCONNECTED NATURAL ARTIFICIAL LAKE LAKE HURON ANCIENT PERCENT SURFACE SUPPLY THE SURFACE FRESH WATER THE UNITED WATERBODY FEATURES SEEN GREAT LAKES WATERSHED NATIVE AMERICANS THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS ROLE NATIVE AMERICAN SOCIETIES BANDS NATIVE PEOPLES THIS REGION THE COURSE TRIBES REGION INSTRUMENTAL EUROPEAN EXPLORERS THE REGION THE EARLY PARTICULARLY DEVELOPMENT OF THE FUR THE NAMES COMES NATIVE TRIBE NAME WORDS AMERICANS POPULATION THE CANADIAN THE TWELVE LARGEST CITIES SHORES THE GREAT THE LAKES LARGEST INLAND WATER TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IN THE WORLD ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE UNITED STATES KILOMETERS COASTAL WATERS COLLECTIVELY INLAND SEAS THE FOURTH COAST LAKE MICHIGAN THE OTHER FOUR LAKES BORDER BORDERED PROVINCE OF ONTARIO THE EIGHT POINT NEW YORK LAWRENCE COVERING TOTAL SURFACE AREA SQUARE KILOMETERS SQUARE VOLUME CUBIC CUBIC MILES TREMENDOUS HARD SPREAD CONTIGUOUS 48 STATES WATERS AVERAGE METERS DRAIN PRIMARY OUTLET EASTERN SANDY BEACHES SUPERIOR HURON FRAMED CLIFFS COMPRISED OF SANDSTONE WETLANDS POINT PELEE NATIONAL PARK SHORELINE SYSTEMS SERVE PROTECT AREAS THE FORCE WIND WAVE ENERGY TRANSPORTATION AREA NATURAL RESOURCE IMPORTANCE FOCAL POINT AGRICULTURAL HEARTLAND STRONG MARINE TRANSPORTATION CHANNELS INTERCONNECT SHIPPING ARTERIES COMPLETION THE COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL IN FACT PORTS CLOSER MARKETS EXISTING EAST COAST GULF SAVING DISTANCE PORT CITY ADDITION SHIPS REACH MICHIGAN TODAY CANADIAN FLAG DOZENS INTERNATIONAL THE MOVEMENT CARGO JOBS ABILITY SHIP MATERIALS IRON LIMESTONE RISE STEEL AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRIES RECREATION BEGINNING THE NINETEENTH CENTURY THRIVING INDUSTRY CANALS ALREADY RAILROADS LOWER LAKES WILDERNESS PEOPLE HEALTH BENEFITS MIRACLE CURES MINERAL WATERS THE TWENTIETH CENTURY CANADIAN GOVERNMENTS ACQUIRED LANDS DEVELOP WILDERNESS AREAS CONSERVATION AREAS ORDER RESOURCES RECREATIONAL NEEDS THE NEED PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE NEARLY PRIVATELY HELD SHORE PRIVATELY OWNED NIAGARA FALLS TOURIST REMAINS POPULAR YEARS AGO GLACIERS EXPOSED THE NIAGARA THE WATERS LAKE ERIE FLOW THE FALLS ERODED AVERAGE RATE OF 1 METER HUMAN MODIFICATIONS REDUCED RATE GOAT ISLAND SPLITS RAPIDS THE AMERICAN FEET HIGH FISHERIES SUPPORT DIVERSE FISH PRIMARY SOURCE FOOD LAKE TROUT WHITEFISH BIRCHBARK CANOES NETS WILLOW BARK USED TO HARVEST FISH TRIBAL FISHERMEN ICE FISHING SPEARING ICE FISHING COMMERCIAL FISHING ANNUAL TECHNOLOGIES SPECIES HARVESTS METRIC TONS GOLDEN DAYS COMMERCIAL FISHERY WERE OVER THAT TIME FISHERY INCREASINGLY SMALLER MOREOVER INTRODUCED SPECIES NUMBER OF SPECIES MAINSTAY COMMON SMALLMOUTH BASS BROWN TROUT THE 100 PEAK OVERFISHING STREAM HABITAT DESTRUCTION THE ACCIDENTAL DELIBERATE INVASIVE THE SEA LAMPREY ZEBRA MUSSEL THE DECLINE POCKETS THE ONCE CONTAMINANTS STABILIZE COMMERCIAL SPORT VALUE BILLION AS OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION WESTWARD EXPANSION OF THE NORTH AMERICAN DECLINE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS FORESTRY SILTATION WATER LOSS HABITAT POLLUTANTS POPULATION GROWTH MISTAKEN BELIEF VOLUMES HUMAN HEALTH DIRECT DOMESTIC WASTES CITIES TYPHOID CHOLERA EPIDEMICS CONTAMINATED MUNICIPAL FLESH LONGER SAFE TO EAT CANADA COOPERATIVELY BOUNDARY WATERS TREATY TREATY THE INTERNATIONAL JOINT COMMISSION PERMANENT BINATIONAL BODY ADDRESSING BOUNDARY QUALITY REGULATION FLOWS TWO COUNTRIES BOARD SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD BODIES COMMISSIONERS ARBITRATORS GREAT LAKES WATER QUALITY CONCERN TWELVE DECLINING CONDITION AGREEMENT BEYOND SETTING NARROW WATER TOXIC CONTAMINATION ECOSYSTEM DRIVER THE ECOSYSTEM APPROACH WATER MANAGEMENT AMENDMENTS CLEAN WATER ACT SITUATION PROVISIONS MONITORING THE STORY OF REPORTS 1950S DEATH HUMAN IMPACT ON THE CUYAHOGA RIVER EMPTIES CAUGHT FIRE POLLUTION PROBLEMS ORGANIC INORGANIC NUTRIENTS WETLAND FLOATING RAW SEWAGE ALGAL TOXIC METALS SEDIMENTS CAUSED BEACH OXYGEN FEARED FOLLOW SIMILAR CONCERTED MANAGEMENT 1970S MORE THAN TWO DECADES GOOD NEWS IMPROVING SHOWING SIGNS ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS SCIENTISTS ATTRIBUTE COMPLEX CAUSES THE LATEST BIRD DEAD ZONE THE OHIO THE THREAT INVASION NONNATIVE SPECIES ASIAN CARP QUAGGA MUSSEL OVER WATER MEASUREMENTS CONTINUOUS HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL REFERENCE GAGE START SPORADIC GOING CHANGE SEASONALLY DRAMATICALLY CHANGES ARE TO THE RANGE SEASONAL TO 18 WINTER LOWS SUMMER HARDER PERIODS THE LAST EXTREME APPARENTLY RECOVER DECLINES PROBABLY EVAPORATION TEMPERATURES EXPERIENCED MILD SNOWPACK THE LAKE SUPERIOR VARIETY PROPERTY GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE PROPOSALS HYDROLOGIC PROVEN ORGANIZATIONS CONCERNED INTEGRITY BULK EXPORT GREAT LAKES BASIN INCREASING COMPRISING INVOLVE WELLAND CANAL OPERATIONAL OHIO CITY OF CITY OF DETROIT PERMIT PERRIER BOTTLE WATER AQUIFER PLAN MILLIONS LITERS GROUNDWATER WATERSHED DIVERT