$4.

50 JULIA HARDY

CHEMISTRY DAILY
DECEMBER 20TH 2010

Nutrition levels
in Lake Winnipeg
rising
Lake Winnipeg has a surface area of
23,750 km2. Its used for large
commercial fishery, subsistence
fishery, recreation, lakeshore
communities (e.g. Gimli, First Nation
communities), and Manitoba’s
hydroelectric system. Over the years
the lakes nutrition levels have been
rising, and causing algae blooms.
There are natural factors of this, but
also, human factors for the
contamination. The factors consist of
pesticides, pharmaceuticals, hospital
waste disposal, endocrine disrupters,
Blue-green algae blooms on the South Basin of Lake Winnipeg.
invasive species, and climate change.
When it rains and then precipitation surrounds each material, causing them to dissolve. (Diagram at bottom of
flows over the land as runoff, it page)
carries all of the harmful
contaminants into the lake. Some of THE ECONOMY AND THE LAKE
the materials that are carried into the The fishing industry has been effected by the nutrition levels be because when
lake are not contaminants and are the algae blooms, it takes all of the oxygen in the water, and at first the fish are
important to biological process within not affected by it because they have even more food, but soon the fish will die
the lake. As the phosphorus and off from lack of oxygen. When the fish start dying the fishing industry will
nitrogen enter the lake, water have to be closed to prevent extinction. It has also effected the tourism,
surounds each molecule and breaks because with less people wanting to swim in the lake, then there is less people
up the molecules, then H2O wanting to visit the lakeside communities, because the lake is one of the main

The solvent before the solute is added The solute is added but not yet dissolved. The solute is now dissolved, the solvent has
surrounded each molecule, and it is now a
solution.
attractions. Real estate in the
community has been going down,
because not many people are wanting
to move beside a dying lake.
The green algae blooms make the lake
THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE a thick green color.

NUTRITION LEVELS
Nutrition levels have effected the
environment in almost the same way
they effect the economy. When high
concentrations of phosphate enter
the water system, the higher
concentration will increase the
growth of plants and algae. The algae
will grow quicker because of the high
nutrient availability. Algae does not
live very long and the result is a high
concentration of dead organic matter,
that will start to decay. As the algae
begins the decay process, it consumes
dissolved oxygen in water, resulting
in hypoxic conditions. Fish and plant
life will die off because of the lack of
oxygen in the water, and the algae HUMAN HEALTH AND NUTRITION are also associated with Alzheimer’s
will continue to grow. The lake has LEVELS and senile dementia.
been at record high to E coli bacteria The nutrition levels have effected our Cattle and dogs are dying from
count. At Gimli, the count was at health in different ways. Some of drinking the lake water. Humans
1,364 E. coli bacteria per 100 them being people getting sick from have not because they have the
milliliters of water. The allowable swimming in the lake. It is said that if common sense not to drink the water.
limit under national water recreation the water is swallowed by humans, The algae blooms most common
guidelines for safe swimming is 200. the toxins that are produced by the toxins are microcystin-LR and
plants can harm the liver, nervous anatoxin-a. If anatoxin-a is ingested it
system, and cause upset stomachs, can result in death.
diarrhea, and skin irritations. Some
research has shown that the toxins

SPECIAL INTEREST

What is concentration? What are the units of Why is it necessary to know

Concentration is the
measure of how much of a
substance is mixed with
another substance. In this
case it would be phosphate
and water.
concentration? the concentration of a
substance?
Concentration is measured
in molarity (in units of mol/ It’s necessary to know the
L, molar, or M) concentration of a substance
because you do not want to
exceed the volume of saturation.
SOLUTIONS TO FIXING THE
LAKE

In order to restore the health of

Lake Winnipeg a number of things
will have to be done. The nutrient
levels must be maintained and
controlled, but with Lake
Winnipeg's large watershed you
need cooperation from every
source that runs into Lake
Winnipeg.

To control the nutrient levels you

have to address the issues that
are contaminating our lake.
Controlling the amount of hog INTERESTING FACTS
farms, and fertilizers used in the
surrounding area, using
Characteristics of So
household products that do not lutions

contain phosphorus, and using Soluble- Ability of a su

bstance to dissolve in
another substance.
more environmentally friendly
Insoluble- Inability of
a substance to dissol
pesticides. ve in another substan
ce
Miscible- Ability of a
liquid to form a soluti
proportions. on with another liquid
in all

Immiscible- Inability
of a liquid to form a sol
in all proportions. ution with another liq
uid

Did you know? “It should be a concern right

across the country,” Brandon said.
Two non-polars are miscible “The lake’s watershed stretches
Two polars are miscible from the Rocky Mountains to Lake
But a polar and a non-polars are Superior and from Alberta to
immiscible. Ontario and Quebec”




Bibliography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solution

http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/sci/A0861175.html

http://www.gov.mb.ca/waterstewardship/water_quality/lake_winnipeg/action_plan.html

http://www.lakewinnipegfoundation.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Winnipeg

http://myuminfo.umanitoba.ca/index.asp?too=100&eve=8&sec=7&npa=24229

http://terryduguid.liberal.ca/news/interlake-spectator-on-lake-winnipeg/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algal_bloom