Why Upstream Matters
My ancestors first settled in Geauga County in the early 1800s, making me the sixth generation born and raised here. I have witnessed the rural character of Geauga County diminish with each passing year. I have observed the expanding population drive the demand for increased residential housing, commercial buildings, roads and parking lots.
The City of Chardon, which used to be a nice, small village, has recently added a Starbucks to the urban sprawl that includes Walmart, Home Depot, a plethora of fast-food joints and multiple dollar stores.
Furthermore, I am aware of at least three new developments that have been approved. The Thistle development is slated to have 31 homes, the Maple Trace Subdivision 96 units and the Redwood residential development 91 units.
Additional developments have also been approved throughout the county, resulting in further habitat degradation.
Clean, fresh water is paramount to life for many species, and humans are no exception. Living near Lake Erie, it is easy to forget that fresh water is a finite resource impacted by human activities.
Earth is home to millions of species that are intricately interconnected and sustained by the same limited resources the planet provides. However, it is becoming increasingly evident how disconnected we have become to the way our actions negatively impact the planet. All living beings have basic requirements to sustain life as well as inalienable rights to exist and share this earth. Increasing human population and consumption places unsustainable pressures on our shared ecosystems with detrimental effects on water, land and biodiversity, while fueling the climate crisis. If we are to preserve our freshwater ecosystems, we need to stem exploitation and pollution.
Building new residential and commercial developments, and their obligatory roads, increases impervious surface area. This intensifies run-off from storms, carrying a plethora of pollutants downstream while also destroying habitats that are home to many species. The Chagrin, Cuyahoga and Grand rivers, which flow through Geauga County, are part of the Lake Erie Drainage Basin. Everything that enters these waters can eventually make its way into Lake Erie, which provides drinking water to approximately 11 million residents.
Increasing population generates a greater amount of waste, proliferating the contamination of the waterways. Approximately 10,000 tons of plastic are discharged into the Great Lakes annually. Eventually this plastic breaks down into smaller and smaller fragments, resulting in microplastic concentrations that are commensurate with those found in the oceans. Not only are microplastics consumed by aquatic organisms, but they have the ability to transport organic pollutants and pharmaceuticals, resulting in increased toxicity as they accumulate moving through the food web.
Ninety-eight (98) percent of residents in Geauga County get their water from groundwater. Added pressure from relentless growth may risk water scarcity, as the water table is pumped not only for drinking water, but for agriculture, industry and non-essential purposes such as for recreation, watering lawns and golf courses. Access to continuous clean drinking water may also be compromised by fertilizers, pesticides, road salt or other chemicals from runoff that leach into groundwater.
Furthermore, untreated septage pumped from homes and biosolids from city sewer systems can be disposed of by application to land such as agricultural fields, forested land and reclamation sites as allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency. This sewage may contain pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pathogens and various chemicals that can either leach into groundwater or enter streams as run-off. These problems are exacerbated by the loss of wetlands, which provide critical ecosystem services such as acting as filtration systems and capturing stormwater runoff.
Moreover, overuse and pollution by humans deplete the available fresh water critical for sustenance and habitats that other species also require.
Because of the phenomenon of shifting baseline syndrome, which is when a new generation considers the environment that they grow up in as normal due to lack of historical perspective, the loss of natural areas or the decline of plant and nonhuman animal species will not be noticed. Each generation becomes further removed from wild nature as we favor materialism and the annihilation of nonhuman species over a healthy and biodiverse planet. Although systemic change to address societal pressures on the environment is essential, there are many individual actions that can reduce impact on the environment, such as:
- Properly dispose of trash, including cigarette butts and cigar tips.
- Do not flush pharmaceuticals. They can be properly disposed of at the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office and participating pharmacies.
- Abide by the five Rs: refuse (especially single-use plastics), reduce, reuse, recycle, rot (compost).
- Consider having smaller families.
- Avoid using chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
- Consider planting species native to Geauga County.
- Eat more plant-based meals.
If we do not reimagine our current “business as usual” lifestyle — endless consumption, rampant destruction of natural areas and disregard for most nonhuman species — we are sacrificing future generations’ chance to live healthy and meaningful lives. We must do better to foster our connection to nature and understand that every choice we make has an effect that ripples through the web of life.
