FOR RELEASE FRIDAY May 30, 2008 at Noon Central
Great Lakes Partners Make Strides on Beach Health
RACINE,
WI (May 30, 2008) -- Local, state and federal government partners came together
today to announce the launch of measures to better address Great Lakes beach
health. Racine City Council President David Maack and Great Lakes and St.
Lawrence Cities Initiative Executive Director David Ullrich were joined by U.S.
EPA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water Benjamin Grumbles, U.S. EPA
Region 5 Acting Deputy Regional Administrator Walter Kovalik, and Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources Water Division Administrator Todd Ambs at
Racine’s North Beach for the event. North Beach is considered a prime
example of how local action along with alternative beach management methods can
result in healthy beaches.
The announcements made at North Beach included the launch of EPA’s standardized
beach sanitary survey forms. Sanitary surveys assist beach managers with
a consistent approach to identify pollution sources, share information, and
plan remediation efforts. Standardized survey forms were called for in
the Coastal Health chapter of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration
Strategy to Restore and Protect the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes
Regional Collaboration (GLRC) was authorized by an Executive Order in 2004 as a
regional endeavor to develop a restoration strategy for the Great Lakes.
More than 1,500 people participated in the effort including local, tribal,
state, and federal stakeholders. The Strategy is comprised of eight focus
areas, of which Coastal Health is one.
“The identity of communities along the Great Lakes is so closely tied to these
waters,” said Mayor Gary Becker of Racine, Chairman of the Great Lakes and St.
Lawrence Cities Initiative. “Healthy and vibrant beaches mean a healthier
nearshore ecosystem for the Lakes. Coming together as a region, as we are
doing with the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration, is critical to addressing
contamination at our beaches and within the Lakes on a larger scale. For
the sake of the Lakes, this regional effort needs to succeed.”
Based on GLRC Strategy recommendations, and in response to data collected from
the Great Lakes states which found that 90 percent of their beach advisories
and closings were from unknown sources, U.S. EPA and federal, state and local
beach program partners developed standardized beach sanitary survey forms in
2007. The forms were successfully piloted by 61 Great Lakes beaches
during the 2007 beach season through EPA funding. Many beach managers
that participated in the pilot program have already recommended remediation
actions to help achieve clean and safe beach water quality.
The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, along with GLRC partners,
is working to encourage the broad use of the standard sanitary survey forms
around the region through the GLRC Clean Beaches Initiative. Over the
last month, the Clean Beaches Initiative conducted targeted outreach to beach
managers, local governments, and tribal governments to encourage use of the
forms. Response so far has been very positive with indications that the
forms will be used throughout the Great Lakes region, at beaches spanning from
Chicago to the Towns of Ajax and Goderich in Ontario.
The success of a combination of efforts like the use of sanitary surveys,
source remediation, and beach grooming is apparent in the example of Racine’s
North Beach. In 2000, the frequency of beach advisories at North Beach
was as high as 66 percent. Through the use of these various beach
management methods, Racine has reduced the frequency of beach advisories to at
or below 5 percent in the last three beach seasons.
Learn more about the standard beach sanitary survey forms and Great Lakes beach
management at www.glrc.us/initiatives/beaches/CleanBeachesInitiative.html
and www.epa.gov/waterscience/beaches/.
Founded in 2003 by Mayor Richard M. Daley, and joined by Mayor David
Miller, the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence
Cities Initiative is a binational coalition of mayors and other local
officials that works actively with federal, state, provincial, tribal and first
nation governments to advance the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes
and the St. Lawrence River. The Cities Initiative has grown to include more
than 50 member cities from across the Basin.
Press Contacts:
David Ullrich, Executive Director
Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative
Cell: 312.480.6501
Office: 312.201.4516
Melissa Soline, Program Manager
Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative
Cell: 773.456.0948
Office: 312.201.4517
Melissa
A. Soline
Program
Manager
Great
Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative
177
North State Street, Suite 500
Chicago,
Illinois 60601
Phone
312.201.4517
Fax
312.553.4355