A Few Problems Of Our Cayuga Lake Watershed
Ellie Pell, South Seneca Middle School
The Cayuga Lake Watershed has provided agricultural activity throughout
history. One third of the watershed is farmland or orchards. There
are many crops harvested in this region. Agriculture has a significant
economic and environmental impact on our watershed. Agriculture
provides us with many benefits, but also creates some concern for
the quality of our watershed.
In the watershed many different kinds of crops are harvested. Wheat
is one of these. In every acre of wheat, sixty-five bushels are
produced. This is used in flour and in some cereals. You can’t
live without it. Corn is another crop planted in the watershed.
Most animals love when corn is cut because they get the leftovers
without being a problem for the farmers. A White-tailed Deer’s
favorite food is probably corn and soybeans. Many tons of corn are
produced each year. Corn comes in two different kinds. Sweet corn
is the corn we eat; everyone loves a good corn-on-the-cob on a hot
summer evening. Field corn is the corn we feed to animals and what
get packaged and shipped to make corn seed for next year. Soybeans
are grown in the watershed often. Soybeans are big leafy plants
that actually get smaller as they mature. They make soymilk and
soyburgers for vegetarians. Many crops are planted in the watershed
and each has a purpose.
Agriculture has some positive and some negative affects on the quality
of our water. Farmers put fertilizers and pesticides on their crops.
This is a problem because the chemicals soak into the soil, which
create run-off into the lake. Even the soil is considered polluted
if it gets contaminated with all the junk we put on plants. The
fish that live in the lake are affected too because they eat the
plants that drink the water. This problem can affect us too because
we eat the fish! Fertilizers and pesticides can be good for the
watershed because they make crops grow fuller and taste better.
Plants with pesticides and fertilizers can be good for farmers but
not so good for the environment.
Agriculture can be economically good for the watershed. The crops
raised here go all over the nation feeding people and animals. The
watershed’s trees make homes and its flowers make beautiful
landscapes. On average, $176,423,000.000 worth of general crops
and beef are produced each year. Agriculture also isn’t that
good for the watershed. Cutting down trees can cut down on our oxygen
supply. Big corporations are taking our water and bottling if for
profit. Each year the water level in the watershed drops. This means
the fish don’t get enough water and neither do our homes.
Making a profit out of our watershed will eventually mean no water
or animals. Economy can be good for the watershed but it creates
some alarm for the safety of our water.
Our Cayuga Lake Watershed is the center of our water supply. Many
crops can be harvested because of it. That makes it economically
and environmentally good for the great people who live here. There
are many problems but also many benefits of our watershed.
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