Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela

Lake Maracaibo, on the northwestern coast of Venezuela, is the largest lake in South America. It is 5,130 square miles and stretches about 130 miles inland from the Gulf of Venezuela. The lake lies in a very hot, humid area, and is almost entirely enclosed by mountains. The Maracaibo Basin is one of the major oil-producing areas of the world, making Venezuela a major oil exporter. Unfortunately, the lake itself has been heavily contaminated by decades of oil drilling and sewage from the city of Maracaibo. It is estimated that some one billion dollars would be needed to clean up the lake. Find the city of Maracaibo and Lake Maracaibo on a map of Venezuela.

 

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The article mentions how much it would cost to clean up the lake. Investigate what, if anything, is being done by the Venezuelan government or environmentalists to remedy this situation. Does it remind you of similar problems in the United States? Where?