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I live in Iowa and our lakes and rivers stink, literally. The run off from farming has ruined them. I wouldn't advise swimming or eating fish you catch in them. What are some states that still have clean rivers and lakes?
The Great Lakes for the most part are pretty damn clean. Sometimes there are some issues near Chicago, but for being freshwater and housing to major cities (Chicago and Milwaukee) I am always surprised as to how clean Lake Michigan is.
I live in Iowa and our lakes and rivers stink, literally. The run off from farming has ruined them. I wouldn't advise swimming or eating fish you catch in them. What are some states that still have clean rivers and lakes?
I know what you mean, I used to think that Rural = clean but now I realize that is not always the case when there is a lot of chemical fertilization. Suburban is not a bargain either with all the lawn chemicals and of course cities can have a lot of polluted runoff.
The best waters seem to be in the lightly populated rural areas that are not being heavily farmed, for example the forest lands of the Upper Midwest, Northeast and the Appalachian South.
Here is a national MAP of nitrates in the water which you might useful. Nitrates occur naturally but much of what you see on the map is the risk of too much nitrates coming from agricultural and chemical fertilizers. Red and orange areas are bad for nitrates (too much) while green is best (very few). Compare Iowa, which has a pretty bad risk for nitrates, to Maine, New Hampshire and West Virginia. Most of Montana, Wyoming and Oregon look pretty good too.
Btw, the above does not mean that every stream/river in Iowa is heavy with nitrates and every stream/river in Maine and West Virginia (West Virginia streams might have other problems like runoff from old coal mines) is perfect, it is just a overall guide.
Our PA water is highly polluted from mine runoff, industrial waste, and fracking.
The Great Lakes aren't that clean either. They are basically the dumping ground for the cities surrounding them and river runoffs. It's why Lake Erie has issues with algae blooms.
"The best waters seem to be in the lightly populated rural areas that are not being heavily farmed" or have been mined in the past or did not experience Industrial production. That is where you will find the highest quality of water.
Our PA water is highly polluted from mine runoff, industrial waste, and fracking.
The Great Lakes aren't that clean either. They are basically the dumping ground for the cities surrounding them and river runoffs. It's why Lake Erie has issues with algae blooms.
"The best waters seem to be in the lightly populated rural areas that are not being heavily farmed" or have been mined in the past or did not experience Industrial production. That is where you will find the highest quality of water.
There's still a fair amount of land, and water, between the mines and industrial pollution. Way out there, there are still springs, streams, and ponds which are very clean. There are plenty of them, but you have to know where they are. Look for the source. By the time surface water gets to a major river or large lake, something will have happened to it.
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