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Threats To Bear Pond
Unfortunately, there are many threats to Bear Pond. Among the threats are acid rain, dam failure, mercury contamination, and surface use conflicts. However, the most imminent threats are
Algae blooms that result from phosphorus pollution. Phosphorus is naturally found in soil, but is also present in high concentrations in fertilizer, oil, soaps, and septic effluent. As the watershed is developed with homes, drivways and other hard surfaces, the amount of rainwater runoff into the lake increases. This runoff carries large amounts of phosphorus into the lake, which can trigger algae to grow out of control, resulting in an algae bloom.
Invasive species of plants that can overtake a lake, especially a shallow lake like Little Bear. Eurasian Milfoil and Hydrilla are the most feared invasive plants, but there are many others. Many of these plants were introduced into the country for use in small ornamental ponds and aquariums, but they escaped into the wild where they have no natural predators or controls.
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