Which pollutant has been introduced to the Kalamazoo watershed?

Mercury is a significant pollutant that has been introduced to the Kalamazoo watershed. This heavy metal can enter water bodies through various means, including industrial discharges, atmospheric deposition from mining, and the combustion of fossil fuels. Once in the watershed, mercury can accumulate in aquatic ecosystems, leading to harmful effects on fish and wildlife, as well as posing risks to human health when these species are consumed.

The concern with mercury specifically is its ability to bioaccumulate and biomagnify in food webs, meaning that as smaller fish eat contaminated organisms, the concentration of mercury increases, affecting larger predators, such as humans and birds of prey. This compounding effect raises alarms for environmental and public health agencies, necessitating monitoring and regulatory measures to mitigate mercury pollution in sensitive areas like the Kalamazoo watershed.

In contrast, while lead, nitrogen, and phosphorus can also impact water quality and ecosystems, they have different sources and effects. Lead is often associated with urban runoff and older infrastructure, nitrogen tends to come from agricultural runoff and can lead to eutrophication, and phosphorus is frequently linked to fertilizer runoff, but mercury's specific pathway and toxicological profile set it apart as a critical concern within this context.