“You’re glumping the pond, where the humming-fish hummed,
No more can they hum, because their gills are all gummed.
So I’m sending them off, oh their future is dreary,
They’ll walk on their fins, and get woefully weary,
In search of some water, that isn’t so smeary.
And I hear things are just as bad, up in Lake Erie.”
From The Lorax,
By Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss wrote this tale
Way back in the year 1971
And many quickly criticized him
Proclaiming Lake Erie wasn’t done
So I recently took a journey back there
To this once grand fishing lake of mine
And, lo and behold, would you believe it
Today, old Lake Erie is riddled with slime
The once crowded lake shores are forlorn
Swimming its waters will make you scratch
I sadly didn’t even bother attempting to fish
Knowing its waters now have very little to catch
The culprit in this once grand old Great Lake
Are the huge algae blooms, creating Dead Zones
Where no life can exist below, deprived of oxygen
Where those Dr. Seuss humming-fish no longer roam
Farming runoff, lawn fertilizers, and man-made sewage
Have turned Lake Erie into a very sad place, these days
Yet, millions of people rely on her for their drinking water
Dr. Seuss was a most prophetic sage, in so very many ways
Lake Erie is the shallowest, and the warmest, of the five once Great Lakes; and its basin is now riddled with modern day agriculture, urban sprawl, enormous industrial complexes, and sewage treatment plants.
For decades now, man-made pollution has been filling Lake Erie with more nutrients than it can handle, with phosphorous and nitrogen being the main culprits. Both are contained in fertilizers and sewage runoff, and they induce both plant growth and algae bloom; and they are the reason for the ever increasing Dead Zones in our oceans, in our Gulf Coast, and in many of our freshwater lakes today.
Spurred on by these nutrients, aquatic plants and algae explode in a period of summer growth; then they die off and decompose, creating anoxia (severe deficiency of oxygen) at the bottom of the lake or ocean, and they leave the water surface a very putrid green.
And the resulting lack of oxygen below kills both fish and other aquatic creatures, and both its putrid smell and its slimy green color now repel anglers, swimmers, tourists, and anyone living around the shore.
Although many people aren't likely to scoop up a big glassful and drink it, many also probably don’t realize that they’re already drinking small amounts of the toxins this algae produces in their water supply.
Microcystis, the form of algae that is occurring in our lakes these days, generates toxins called microcystins, which can be harmful to both humans and animals. When consumed or in contact with the skin, the potent toxins in this algae can cause health problems such as nausea, liver damage, and in extreme cases, even death.
And it’s getting harder and harder for me to now find lakes and ponds that my dogs and I feel comfortable swimming in. Many dogs have already died from swimming in today's toxic ponds.
Because of these health concerns, the World Health Organization has set safe drinking levels for this toxin, and the EPA has added it to its drinking water contaminant list.
Although many criticized Dr. Seuss for including that line about Lake Erie in his ‘make believe children’s book,’ and it was actually later removed from the book, these toxic algae blooms have been growing larger, and with more frequency, every year now in our ponds and lakes, including Lake Erie.
Could global warming, which many today still stubbornly insist doesn’t even exist, be making this problem even worse today? Does our government’s extremely callous refusal to curb our massive water pollution today matter?
And how many today, in the U.S. A., even care?
“UNLESS someone like you,
Cares a whole awful lot,
NOTHING is going to get better.
It's just simply not.”
Dr. Seuss
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Regis
it looks just like the green vegetable GOOP I drink to be healthy!
thank you for the info, as well as the terrific pen! tk
AM
Newfie hugs, Rose
Be always safe,
Karen
(((HUGS))) and love, Karla.
I grew up 30 miles south of Lake Erie. :(
The Man was visionary.
The end of the book plainly states,
It's up to me and you.
This sent shivers down me old spine, Mate.
I gotta admire a writer who does his research, then finds relevancy for his readers. This is Hall of Fame stuff Ed.
Walt
Peace, love, and light,
Amber "V"
Heartbreaking call for action; love the music!
(((HUGS))) and much love, your friend in Tx., Karen Lynn. :(
Fee
A thoughtful write, Ed!!!
Sandie Angel :o)
I just ask...
Georg Edvard
Dr. Seuss was indeed a wise and special man, teaching children, but being aware of his environment, even he was before his time. This is such a sad tale but true, not just in Lake Erie, I used to swim in the Chesapeake Bay as a child, but they put up a sign "Not safe to swim in.
Mary