Illinois residents.
More than 6 ½ million Illinois residents get their drinking water from Lake Michigan. As northeastern Illinois’ supply of groundwater shrinks, more municipalities are considering joining that number.
Is Lake Michigan drinkable water?
Lake Michigan, by volume, is the second largest Great Lake and the only one located totally within the United States. It serves as a source of drinking water, as a place for swimming and fishing, and as a scenic wonderland. Water from Lake Michigan enters the intake crib at depths of 20 to 30 feet.
Who gets drinking water from the Great Lakes?
Throughout the Great Lakes Basin – which includes all of Michigan and parts of Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin as well as the province of Ontario in Canada – more than 35 million people rely on the Great Lakes for their drinking water supply.
Does Chicago get drinking water from Lake Michigan?
While we may think our region enjoys an unlimited amount of freshwater, that is not true. One of Chicago’s water cribs, where water is pumped from Lake Michigan to supply parts of our region with drinking water.
Can you drink water directly from Great Lakes?
The Great Lakes are an abundant source of fresh drinking water; with proper treatment, that water is safe to enjoy. At Efilters.net, our experts provide high-quality water filtration systems for your home or business.
How polluted is Lake Michigan?
Despite this, Lake Michigan is the most polluted of the Great Lakes, according to estimates by the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Last year, nearly 22 million pounds of plastic were dumped into the Great Lakes — over half of which were dumped into Lake Michigan — according to estimates by RIT.
Can you filter water from Lake Michigan?
Theoretically, a filter that meets the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) P231 standards will be sufficient to make Lake Michigan drinkable (see Making Sense of Water Filter Certification, PS August 2016).
What is the cleanest Great Lake?
Lake Superior
Watershed’s surface: 209,000 square kms. Lake Superior is the largest, cleanest, and wildest of all the Great Lakes.
Which Great Lake is the most polluted?
Lake Erie
The most polluted Great Lake is Lake Erie.
How deep is Lake Michigan?
Approximately 118 miles wide and 307 miles long, Lake Michigan has more than 1,600 miles of shoreline. Averaging 279 feet in depth, the lake reaches 925 feet at its deepest point.
What city has the best tap water in the United States?
Emporia, Kansas is known for having clean, great-tasting water as it won the Best Tap Water prize at the 23rd annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting. Missouri: Missouri has some of the best drinking water not just in the U.S., but in the world.
How many people rely on Lake Michigan for drinking water?
However, despite its small size, the Illinois portion of the Lake Michigan watershed is home to half of the total population of Illinois and the lake itself is the largest public drinking water supply in the state, serving nearly 6.6 million people (of a total of over 10 million lake-wide).
What is the biggest water treatment plant in the world?
The James W. Jardine Plant in Chicago is the largest water treatment plant in the world.
What is the least polluted Great Lake?
To find out which Great Lake is the cleanest, just find the largest one surrounded by the fewest cities. Yup, you guessed it — Lake Superior. In fact, this western-most Great Lake is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area, and it contains 10% of the world’s freshwater.
Is Lake Michigan water clean?
Lake Michigan has become dramatically clearer in last 20 years — but at a steep cost. Decades ago, Lake Michigan teemed with nutrients and green algae, casting a brownish-green hue that resembled the mouth of an inland river rather than a vast, open-water lake.
Can you get sick from Lake Michigan?
What are the health risks? Swimming in contaminated water can make you sick. However, because symptoms may not appear until several days after contact, it is often difficult to determine the source. Such symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, headaches and fevers.
Is it safe to swim in Lake Michigan?
However, dangerous currents may exist at any time near piers, breakwalls, and river outlets. Always use caution and never swim alone. A Moderate Swim Risk implies that breaking waves and currents are expected at the beach. Stay away from dangerous areas like piers, breakwalls, and river outlets at these times.
Why is the water so blue in Lake Michigan?
The blue in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron is sediment brought to the surface when strong winds churned the lakes. The green in Lake Erie and in Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay is algae, which builds on the surface when winds are calm.
Which Great Lake has no fish?
Lake Michigan
Nearly two decades later, the same progression is happening in Lake Michigan. “There’s an old Chinese saying, ‘When there is crystal-clear water, there is no fish,’ ” said Yu-Chun Kao, a postdoctoral scientist at Michigan State University.
Can you boil lake water and drink it?
If you don’t have safe bottled water, you should boil your water to make it safe to drink. Boiling is the surest method to kill disease-causing germs, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites.
Can you boil river water and drink it?
Boiling or disinfecting the water may not make the water safe if it is contaminated with harmful chemicals, including natural metals such as arsenic or lead. The only way to reduce the health risk associated with harmful elements and chemicals is to limit your consumption to smaller quantities or occasional use only.