Future Prospects

The current pollution of the lake, while certainly not a positive addition to the ecosystem, is not a huge problem. In comparison to Lake Managua, where mercury pollution has greatly contaminated the ecosystem, the pollution in Lake Nicaragua is not noticeable. However, if the agricultural production and industry continues to expand without changing the way sewage and contamination is dealt with, pollution of the lake is likely to worsen. Lake Nicaragua will become cleaner as the nation develops. Currently Nicaragua is the poorest country’s in the region, but small strides have been made toward improving the sewage infrastructure and will hopefully continue to be made in the future. One issue of concern in relation to wildlife in and around the lake is the possibility of harnessing the potential energy of the water flow from the lake to the San Juan River via hydroelectric technology. Proposed plans to construct a dam would reduce average flow rate by as much as 36%. The construction of a dam would undoubtedly affect wildlife and plants in the San Juan River-Lake Nicaragua basin as well as sediment composition.