Essay on Ecosystems: Water and Illinois River

Submitted By heavyarms33
Words: 757
Pages: 4
Open Document
A favorite natural ecosystem of mine in my local area is the Illinois River. The Illinois River is used for a lot of different things in the community. The Illinois River is a huge tourist attraction for river rafting, canoeing, and camping. I know this first hand because I drowned while river rafting this summer. The river also provides local farmers with rich moist soil. That is why the Tahlequah farmers market is thriving each season. Another very common use for the river is for septic systems. The main function of a river is to transport water from head waters to the ocean. The natural process is never ending the hydrologic cycle returns river run off to the sea. For surface water the cycle lasts 11 days (all surface water is replaced every 11 days). Rivers provide a source of fresh water that is replenish able within a short time frame. Rivers carry a different source of water though. The Illinois River carries liquid water but it also carries some solids. Suspended solids (sediments) are small solid particles which remain in suspension in water as a colloid. The other main solid the Illinois River carries are dissolved solids (mostly salts). This is repetitive but rivers carry these solids to the ocean it is any rivers main role. The Illinois River has a dissolved salt content ranging from as low as 50 parts per million (ppm) near the head waters to as much as 1000 ppm in the lower reaches. The amount changes every year depending on Oklahoma weather. In the summer it is normal for Oklahoma temperatures to range from 98 degrees to 105 degrees. This causes the Illinois River to produce a lot of salt this is because it is released from all the waste in the river. The Illinois River doesn't have horrible waste compared to a lot of rivers like the Mississippi River. But I have definitely witnessed people just pouring cans of beer in the river. In Oklahoma there is a lot of irrigation this produces salt. The crops evapotranspire a huge amount of water. The crops release good and not so good nutrients from the underlying soil and rock. The Illinois river has suffered a lot of damage from irrigation, heat, and tourists. Since Oklahoma is very protective of our natural ecosystems laws have been put in place to protect the Illinois River. The only changes that occur on the river are usually natural (like salinity levels, wild life, drought, or flooding) because the laws put in place prohibit people from even littering in the river. Also, a lot of people volunteer to clean the river up. The Illinois River is a pretty clean river in a lot of parts the water is not muggy at all you can see to the bottom. There is not a lot of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in the Illinois River. The total amount of
Show More

Related Documents: Essay on Ecosystems: Water and Illinois River

What is the current status of Asian carp Essay example

the current status of Asian carp (1) in the Chicago river and canal and (2) in Lake Michigan? Indicate this by summarizing data on the number of fish, actions taken, actions not taken, etc. (State your references.) Asian carp have been found in the Illinois River, which connects the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan. Due to their large size and rapid rate of reproduction, these fish could pose a significant risk to the Great Lakes ecosystem. over the past few years, removing more than 2.7 million…

Words 517 - Pages 3

The Jeopardy: The Clean Water Act

Chicago. I would like to write to you about my concerns with access to clean water and hopefully you will support the movement for Clean water. The problem we are facing is polluting industries have put our nation’s water in jeopardy by lobbying to weaken the Clean Water Act. These industries have succeed by spending millions of dollar, so they can carved loopholes. These loopholes have allow industries to pollute our water sources with harmful chemicals, which poses major environmental consequences…

Words 420 - Pages 2

The Mono Lake Case: California Water Law

power of the Public Trust Doctrine. The case shook the California Water Law system to the core and has been one of the most influential cases in regards to Environmental Law. Let us briefly review how this powerful doctrine became extremely important in California. In fear of losing Colorado water rights and fearing the expense of water from the planned State project, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power decided to divert water from the four main creeks flowing into Mono Lake. Since municipalities…

Words 1526 - Pages 7

The Death of a Great Lake Essay example

Brady Metz Dr. Jeffries HIS 122 April 3, 2013 The Death of a Great Lake Lake Erie, the smallest of the Great lakes, contained a vast ecosystem that was almost destroyed by pollution and man. Hundreds of years ago, the lake and the surrounding area provided a food source that included fishing and hunting for many people. Pollution destroyed the lake for a period of time until Congress passed legislation that protected Lake Erie. In the years since that legislation, the lake continues…

Words 1342 - Pages 6

Essay on Amazon Deforestation

world’s most beautiful creatures, both plants and animals, have vanished from the face of the earth due to deforestation. The wildlife of the Amazon Rainforest is important for multiple reasons, including the fact that animals help balance the ecosystem involving the food chain, maintaining the balance of life. Due to the increase of wildlife extinction, continuous efforts are being made by anxious animal lovers to protect the endangered species of wildlife as well as those on the verge of extinction…

Words 1689 - Pages 7

Ground Water Essay

Ground Water Sustainability: A White Paper Ground Water: A Critical Component of the Nation’s Water Resources Ground water is a critical component of the nation’s water resources. Globally, ground water resources dwarf surface Ground water water supplies. Approximately 25 percent of the earth’s total resources dwarf fresh water supply is stored as ground water, while less than surface water 1% is stored in surface water resources, such as rivers, lakes, supplies. and soil moisture. The rest of the…

Words 5276 - Pages 22

Essay on Outline: Spanish Colonization of the Americas and New World

& modeled Pueblo culture * Pueblos: irrigation systems to water corn * Villages, multi-storied, terraced buildings * North and East of the Pueblos, life was less developed (no dense concentration of population or nation-states) * Mound Builders of the Ohio River Valley & Mississippian culture of lower Midwest did sustain large cultures. * Mississippian Settlement of Cahokia (Illinois) was home to 40,000 people in 1100 AD * …But, by 1300, these two…

Words 1742 - Pages 7

Sarah E Essay

Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 420 Life Science II, 1125 Lincoln Drive, Carbondale, IL 62901-6509, United States Department of Biological Sciences, Box 1651, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL 62026-1651, United States a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 28 February 2011 Received in revised form 21 June 2011 Accepted 29 June 2011 Available online 12 August 2011 Keywords: Green roofs Heavy metals Urban environment Vegetated roofs Water quality a…

Words 9583 - Pages 39

Silent Spring - Rachel Carson Essay

Silent Spring Rachel Carson Online Information For the online version of BookRags' Silent Spring Premium Study Guide, including complete copyright information, please visit: http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-silentspring/ Copyright Information ©2000-2007 BookRags, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The following sections of this BookRags Premium Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography…

Words 30115 - Pages 121

Homework: Florida and State Essay

Major Cities of the State of Florida Atlantic * The population focus in Florida centers on the southern cities, with the notable exception of Jacksonville, nearer to the Georgia border. Jacksonville is a major port that lies on the St. John's River where the Timucua tribes once lived. It is Florida's No. 1 city by population. Located on or very near the Atlantic Ocean, Miami (2), Hialeah (6), Fort Lauderdale (8) and Port St. Lucie (9) are the next major cities by population rank. No. 10 is Pembroke…

Words 5529 - Pages 23