A new life for waste from Michigan's lumbering era The Environment Report (3/19) Tons of waste from Michigan's lumbering boom have been pulled from the bottom of Muskegon Lake as part of on-going restoration efforts, now the question is what to do with it?
Muskegon and White lakes reach cleanup milestones Great Lakes Echo (3/12) Cleanup efforts at two Michigan Areas of Concern, Muskegon Lake and White Lake, have reached important milestones, according to the Michigan Office of the Great Lakes.
Presque Isle Bay removed from Area of Concern List (2/19) Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that Presque Isle Bay, on the Pennsylvania shore of Lake Erie, has been removed from the list of heavily contaminated Great Lakes sites targeted for cleanup by the U.S.-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
Presque Isle Bay no longer Area of Concern Erie Times-News (2/14) A healthier Presque Isle Bay has been removed from the Great Lakes Areas of Concern list due to environmental improvements.
Grand Calumet River delivers toxic load to Lake Michigan Great Lakes Echo (1/24) The Grand Calumet has long been known as one of the nation’s most polluted rivers-it carries materials from overflowing sewers during heavy rains, contaminated sediment pulled from the river bottom, industrial run-off and contaminated groundwater into Lake Michigan.
Overview
Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs) are severely degraded geographic areas within the Great Lakes Basin. They are defined by the U.S.-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (Annex 2 of the 1987 Protocol) as "geographic areas that fail to meet the general or specific objectives of the agreement where such failure has caused or is likely to cause impairment of beneficial use of the area's ability to support aquatic life." The U.S. and Canadian governments have identified 43 such areas; 26 in U.S. waters, 17 in Canadian water (five are shared between U.S. and Canada on connecting river systems). Collingwood Harbour, in Ontario, is the first of these 43 sites to be delisted.
The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, as amended via the 1987 protocol, directs the two federal governments to cooperate with state and provincial governments to develop and implement Remedial Action Plans for each Area of Concern.
Areas of Concern Map International Joint Commission (IJC) A clickable map of all the Great Lakes' AOCs and their information tables.
Great Lakes Areas of Concern U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) Information on U.S. AOCs including current RAP status, scheduled meetings, progress and achievements, beneficial use impairments, research, publications, community involvement and funding partners.
Resources on the Areas of Concern Great Lakes Commission This web site provides a "virtual library" of information on the Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOC) program and associated Remedial Action Plans (RAP). The site includes links to RAP documents and AOC web pages; contacts for each AOC; resources on delisting the U.S. AOCs, including existing delisting targets and documentation for AOCs that have been delisted; workshop proceedings; funding sources; and other AOC resources.
U.S. Areas of Concern Program Annual Meeting The annual Areas of Concern (AOC) conference will convene participants from the 30 U.S. AOCs. The conference is intended for all parties involved in efforts to restore the U.S. Great Lakes Areas of Concern, including members of local AOC groups, state and federal agency staff, LaMP participants, academic partners, consultants, and others interested in the AOC program.
TEACH Great Lakes: Water Pollution Water pollution is defined as a change in the chemical, physical and biological health of a waterway due to a human activity: sewage disposal, toxic contamination through heavy metals and pesticides, overdevelopment of the water's edge, and more...
Areas of Concern Special Report International Joint Commission (IJC) This April 2003 report was produced under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1978 to the Governments of the United States and Canada and the State and Provincial Governments of the Great Lakes Basin.
Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, 1978 Expresses the commitment of each country to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem.