How Do Power Plant Emissions Impact
the Environment?
SO2 and NOx emissions react in the atmosphere to form acidic
compounds that harm lakes and streams. When the acidic
compounds that are formed as a result of SO2 and NOx emissions
are deposited to the earth’s surface, they can acidify lakes and
streams. Acidification (low pH) and the chemical changes that
result, including higher aluminum levels, make it difficult for some
fish and other aquatic species to survive, grow, and reproduce.
In the 1980s, acid rain was found to be the dominant cause of
acidification in 75% of acidic lakes and 50% of acidic streams.
Areas especially sensitive to acidification include portions of the
Northeast (particularly the Adirondack and Catskill Mountains,
portions of New England, and streams in the mid-Appalachian
highlands) and Southeastern streams. Today in the Adirondack
Mountains, Appalachian plateau, and upper Midwest regions, there
are 25-30% fewer chronically acidic lakes and streams than in the
early 1990s, although these waterbodies remain sensitive to acid
rain. Lakes and streams in New England and the Southeast showed
little decrease in acidification throughout the 1990s.