Sprawling development degrades water quality, first and foremost, through inadequate wastewater treatment, run-off, erosion, habitat destruction and drinking water contamination. Communities along Lake Superior exemplify the cyclic dynamics of sprawl. Lake Superior's fierce beauty draws people to the North Shore, but more people produce more wastewater, which failing septic systems and outdated wastewater plants can't manage. To accommodate wastewater needs, growing areas plan new wastewater projects with extra capacity. Once completed, improved wastewater facilities take the lid off potential development.
Property owners sell small lots, new businesses move in, resorts expand, and sprawl takes over.
More people need housing, which creates erosion from new building sites and runoff from impervious surfaces, such as parking lots, driveways and roofs. These surfaces reduce land available to absorb rainfall and snowmelt. Increased runoff contributes to potential flooding and rising stream and lake-water temperatures, which threaten aquatic species. Threatened species and habitats adversely affect recreational use and tourism on the North Shore. That is, if communities can afford expanded wastewater treatment plants.