Great Lakes Areas of Concern rivers, and oceans causing pollution and buildup of sediment. Nonpoint source pollution is said to be the most problematic and hardest to reverse of the types of pollution because it is so hard to regulate and pinpoint where it originates. Many experts agree that nonpoint source pollution is the biggest concern facing the Great Lakes. With the increase of urbanization, a toll has been taken on the lakes in these areas. Lakes that once had stable ecosystems with the appropriate amount of plant life are now full of massive amounts of plants and algae that have been fed by excess
Great Lakes Patrol liquor smuggling from Canada across the rivers and lakes, a difficult task. The USS "Michigan" led the patrol, mostly singlehandedly, from its beginning on October 1, 1844 until the ship was retired in 1912. "Michigan" was the only American gunboat to patrol the vast Great Lakes. She was the navy's first steam-powered, iron-hulled warship. The "Michigan" was built to defend the lakes due to the construction of two British steamers during the Canadian rebellions in 1837. Based in Erie, Pennsylvania throughout her career, the gunboat was commissioned on September 29, 1844 under Commander William Inman. Because the Great Lakes are