FY98-99 Great Lakes Priorities and Funding Guidance

1998 GREAT LAKES PROJECT SUMMARIES

	Contents
	Exotic Species
	Habitat Protection/Restoration
	Monitoring
	Pollution Prevention
	Contaminated Sediments
	Other (including Emerging Issues and Information Management)
	List of 1988 Projects

This document contains project summaries for over 100 Great Lakes projects funded by the USEPA's Great Lakes National Program Office (as well as two Air Division projects resulting from the GLNPO funding process) in Federal Fiscal Year 1998, totaling $7.7 million. The summaries are brief descriptions of projects based on the proposals submitted to, and approved by, USEPA. Since the date awards were made, there may have been changes in projects and in project contacts. If you have any questions/comments about the summaries contact the listed project officer or, for general questions, Michael Russ at (312-886-4013).

GLNPO contacts for the principal areas described in this document are:

We may also be contacted via e-mail using the convention: lastname.firstname@epa.gov

Exotic Species  

Lake Michigan

This IAG shall maintain the data collection phase to add to a 37-year continuous database on bald eagles in Michigan and continue to develop the bald eagle as an indicator of Great Lakes water quality. Blood and feathers will be collected from unproductive sites. All nestlings in climbable trees will be examined, banded, and data on growth rates and sex rates will be determined. This data will be used to assist EPA in determining the utility of using the eagle as an ecosystem monitor of Great Lakes water quality.

This IAG supports development and design of an ANS dispersal barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. The round goby, a recently introduced species into the Great Lakes by way of ballast water of ocean-going vessels, is extending its range though this waterway. Work will consist of both laboratory and field trials. Laboratory trials will involve tank tests and will use a video camera for diurnal and nocturnal observations. Field trials will involve tagging, manual observations, and/or other means of mark and recapture to determine the efficacy of the electric field in deterring the passage of fish.

The work for this proposal will focus on the goby, but will examine other fish as well. The USCOE will deliver a series of reports on the behavioral response of gobies, ruffle and native fishes to electric fields. The reports will also cover response of gobies to jets of water and varying currents and chemical toxicant. The work will primarily be conducted in the laboratory, though small scale trials with electric array will be conducted outdoors.

Basin-wide or Multiple Basins

The project consists of a study of the transfer of PCBs from zebra mussels to higher trophic levels in each of three Great Lakes Areas of Concern. Trophic status of the round goby and smallmouth bass will be determined by a combination of stomach content and stable isotope analyses. Congener-specific PCB analysis will allow comparisons among sites, provide information on changes to PCBs as they are concentrated in different trophic levels, and allow elucidation of specific congeners that may be most toxic (e.g., endocrine disruptors) to other organisms, especially humans. It will involve the collections of round gobies, smallmouth bass, zebra mussels, benthic invertebrates, and macrophytes from the Calumet Harbor, St. Clair River, and Lake Erie. Because all three study sites are AOCs, they are excellent sites for assessing mobilization of toxic substances through food webs.

Ballast water is the leading vector of unintentional introductions of aquatic organisms into U.S. waters, including the Great Lakes. These exotic organisms can cause significant losses in biodiversity and profound disruption of economic activity. This project will support field tests of non-chemical secondary ballast-water treatment methods. The secondary treatment phase is aimed at removing bacteria and viruses which still remain in the water after primary filtration. Methods to be evaluated include ultraviolet radiation, heat and ultrasound.

Habitat Protection and Restoration 

Lake Erie

The project will seed 800 acres of native prairie grasses in Erie, Ottawa, and Sandusky Counties in Ohio. The plantings will be done on properties owned by approximately 50 individuals. The Chapter will provide the see, labor and equipment to do these planting. An evaluation of the plantings will be done in the fall of 1999 by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Ohio Division of Wildlife, and the Chapter to see that adequate stands of these grasses are established. Should these stands not be adequate, they will be re-seeded by the Chapter. This restoration project will reduce soil erosion, improve water quality, increase biodiversity, and improve wildlife habitat (particularly for declining grassland bird species).

One of the major agricultural enterprises within the Lake Erie drainage basin is dairying. Stream watering for livestock is an age old practice for area farmers. This direct access of the cows to the streams provides the opportunity for direct discharge of manure and soil erosion from the banks of the streams. This then can lead to the pollution of the waterway and the destruction of the ecosystem along the stream and tributaries leading to Presque Isle bay and Lake Erie. Moving cattle and livestock away from the streams will provide the opportunities to restore and protect the habitats along the riparian corridors within the Lake Erie basin. This project will Areestablish riparian corridors@ along rural waterways that currently are being negatively impacted by agriculture and livestock in the Lake Erie basin area of PA.

The project will provide support for development of fish and aquatic habitat in the Detroit River as part of a city and park redevelopment project in Trenton Michigan. Rather than limiting riverbank stabilization to conventional sheet piling, gravel and cobble habitat will be designed and installed to demonstrate the feasibility of creating fish habitat in conjunction with urban park development. This aquatic habitat demonstration project is an important aspect of the larger long range City of Trenton Linked Riverfront Parks Master Plan.

Lake Michigan

This multi-year project will systematically target and conduct biological inventories of Michigan's principal Great Lakes islands for the identification of significant natural features. Features will also be identified through plant, animal, and natural community surveys. Initial inventories will focus on the Garden Peninsula island group and the Beaver Island Archipelago. The inventories will be used to determine future conservation and restoration priorities. Conservation planning efforts will also be initiated through ongoing landowner contact and the formation of focus groups.

The Niagara Escarpment is one of the largest and most significant geologic formations on the Earth's surface, comprising the Abackbone@ of the great Lakes. It emerges in Dodge County, Wisconsin, and winds sinusoidally north, east, south and east again through Lake Michigan and Huron, and Niagara Falls, disappearing at the eastern margin of Lake Ontario. It is characterized by ancient coral and associated fossils, and unique plant associations. Recognizing its unique and significant nature, UNESCO has established a Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve in the Canadian portion. The project will seek to link to the Reserve, conducting an inventory of the physical, biological, and historic resources of the Niagara Escarpment from tip of Door County to Dodge County, Wisconsin. It will examine habitats, geology, soils, flora and fauna on or adjacent to the escarpment. It will also look at historical and current land use patterns and practices to evaluate impacts upon those resources, working closely with state and local agencies and organizations.

The project will produce a written report detailing the resources of the escarpment using a reach-by-reach approach. Data collected will be entered into the Commission's GIS and distributed to participants. A GIS-based computer application will be developed to help evaluate land use impacts upon escarpment resources. Fostering of community involvement and education will be attempted through a series of public meetings, development of a brochure, newsletters, and an advisory committee.

The project addresses a monitoring gap in our knowledge of migration trends - although tens of thousands of migrating birds concentrate at the southern tip of Lake Michigan during migrations, there are no banding stations operating in this area, despite recent and continuing declines in numbers of the neotropical migrants. The applicant proposes to establish and operate a bird-banding station in the Miller Woods section of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore to document the extent of migrations and the fitness of migrants, survey the resident avian community and assess its health, and eventually analyze trends in these aspects of northwest Indiana's bird life. This funding will jump start a project which is intended to ascertain whether a fragment of natural habitat in a heavily polluted area is supporting a healthy bird community or serving as a population sink. The project may also ultimately verify the area as a critical migrant stopover point. The first year's work will not provide sufficient data to draw specific conclusions or determine any trends within the population. The stage II RAP for the Grand Calumet River/Indiana Harbor Canal AOC identifies several data gaps which could be filled through this project, including an inventory of avian species and an assessment of the overall health of species.

The project will provide support for a cooperative initiative among four county-wide Forest Preserve Districts to investigate the relationship between woodland ecological quality and amphibian and reptile diversity and abundance in the greater Chicago region. The results will be used by agencies and organizations responsible for protecting and restoring remnant natural areas throughout the region. Results may also be of use to managers in other areas and to scientists investigating declines in amphibian populations elsewhere.

The project will protect and enhance biodiversity in the Grand Calumet AOC in Northwest Indiana through an education and outreach campaign aimed at three audiences: local government officials, the general public, and school children. The campaign will inform audiences about the high-quality natural areas that exist in the AOC, the meaning of biodiversity, its values both globally and locally, and methods for protecting and enhancing it. The goals of the project are to inculcate respect for biodiversity as a personal value in audience members and to initiate discussions among the target groups on how to protect and restore biodiversity in the AOC.

The development, review, and adoption of a Chicago Wilderness Recovery Plan will be coordinated with funds from this grant. The plan development process instituted by the Recovery Plan Task Force will be used to coordinate Chicago Wilderness member reviews and public involvement meetings. The project will result in a Chicago Wilderness Biodiversity Recovery Plan which encompasses the natural areas in Southeastern Wisconsin, Northeastern Illinois, and Northwestern Indiana.

Lake Ontario

The project will organize and hold a workshop of local community leaders, governmental agencies, non-government organizations, including The Ontario Dunes Coalition and the public, to inform the community of the need and rationale for steps already underway, and to coordinate actions and explore new directions in preserving and restoring the eastern Lake Ontario coastal dunes ecosystem. The workshop will bring the many parties now working to preserve, protect, and restore the eastern Lake Ontario ecosystem together with community leaders, government officials, and local citizens. The participants will review progress, identify participant roles resources, and evaluate methods identify means to map out future steps toward their goal. The target beneficiaries of the results of this project will include not only the members of The Ontario Dunes Coalition, but will provide important education and outreach to local citizens and community leaders.

Lake Superior

This project will delineate a fifty kilometers squared demonstration area and three separate sixteen kilometers squared sub-demonstration areas, which are the largest blocks of boreal forest or second growth with boreal characteristics left on the reservation, as part of a long-term terrestrial monitoring program to be maintained by the Tribe. In addition to a long-term monitoring plan, the objectives of this project are to protect wolf den and rendezvous sites, to determine wolf movement patterns, to enhance coniferous vegetation in order to spread deer back out to a larger range in order to lessen the impacts on herbivory, and to maintain an educational/outreach program to communicate about the project.

The areas utilized by Coaster Brooktrout would be assessed and delineated with the use of known data, field resting, and a Global Positioning System. Areas of habitat will then be quantified to determine the extent of habitat in the Grand Portage area, then qualified as optimal or sub-optimal and mapped. Once areas used as habitat by Coaster Brooktrout are delineated they can be set aside, monitored and protected form possible degradation of other possible impacts such as commercial development, that would have negative implications on any restoration projects in the future.

Lake Superior is under much concern for it's water, flora, and fauna quality. The Red Cliff Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa's are devoted to protecting and rehabilitating Lake Superior for present and future generations. The loss of coaster brooktrout in Lake Superior has been and is of special concern to the Red Cliff Band and to many other governmental, private organizations, and the public. The proposed project will include the development of a larger Brood stock rearing facility to continue to provide for the needs of Lake Superior agencies involved with the restoration/rehabilitation of coaster brook trout. Construction of a Brood stock rearing facility will be initiated when funding is secured, and the basic facility will be completed by fall, before weather conditions prohibit work.

The Lake Superior Highlands, located along the Lake Superior Shoreline of northeastern Minnesota, is a region with remaining rare old-growth forests and rockshore communities beneficial to the water quality of Lake Superior. Within the Lake Superior Highlands are approximately 320 disjunct plants and animals and 38 disjunct natural communities; many of these species are state threatened or endangered because of their disjunct status. The integrity of the area is also demonstrated by the presence of gray wolf and lynx, species dependent upon large tracts of wild, undisturbed land. At least 54 local watersheds in the area drain into Lake Superior. The greatest threat to the Lake Superior Highlands is habitat degradation. The project consists of (a) a biological inventory of the Lake Superior Highlands through the Minnesota Department of Natural Heritage & Nongame Research Program; (b) a portion of time for a Project Director to be located in the Lake Superior Highlands to coordinate science and research activities, and provide community outreach to partner organizations, individuals, and land owners; and (c) a portion of time for a staff Conservation and Science Expert to participate in site design meeting for the Great Lakes conservation portfolio and to provide orientation and technical assistance for Conservancy and Heritage staff through the biological inventory and site design process.

The study objectives are to evaluate and demonstrate the potential for augmenting existing natural sturgeon reproduction in the Lake Superior. The project would use both the Bad River spawning grounds and cooperating Native American subsistence fishermen as sources of 150,000 sturgeon eggs to be hatched in Tribal hatcheries at Bad River and Red Cliff. Fry would be reared and returned to the River at fry, fingerling and advanced fingerling stages. Fingerlings and advanced fingerlings would be tagged or fin-clipped. Extra fry beyond the target of 150,000 would be available for other restoration sites. Returning fish would be censussed to determine the project success rate. This project will be conducted in close cooperation with, and support of, the Red Cliff and Bad River Tribes, and will utilize their two hatchery facilities and personnel. The USFWS will fund the tribal assistance under this Agreement. Total cost for the work is estimated to be $99,000; of this, $55,000 will be funded by USEPA through this action and the balance will be provided by the recipient and the Bad River and Red Cliff Tribes. This will cover construction of sturgeon hatchery facilities at the Red Cliff and Bad River hatcheries, funding of USFWS, and Tribal personnel, equipment, and supplies. The project will take place during the fall and winter of 1998 and the winter, spring and fall of 1999, with monitoring for the following two spring and summer periods. Data collected will be analyzed and submitted in the final report by the end of December, 2001.

Basin-wide or Multiple Basins

The project provides funds to the Water Resources Division of USGS to obtain and analyze the applied research information needed to support protection and restoration of fresh water mussels. The study area is located in northeastern Indiana in the St. Joseph River, tributary to the Maumee River and Lake Erie. The study area includes some of the richest habitat and populations of fresh water mussels in the Great Lakes Basin. Mussels populations in the Basin have suffered rapid declines in abundance and diversity, yet relatively little is known about their habitat requirements. This project provides the opportunity to fill an important gap in information needed to support restoration of this endangered component in the biodiversity of the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem.

The project will develop a computer software program to inform and educate students and the general public regarding the importance of biodiversity in the Great Lakes ecosystem, as well as threats to critical species, and biotic communities. It will incorporate modules to teach about aquatic and terrestrial plant and animal diversity in and around the Great Lakes. The program will help users to understand their personal roles and the roles of private and governmental institutions in protecting biodiversity losses resulting from water, air and land pollution, habitat destruction, and other damaging practices, and in finding ways of restoring biodiversity in the Great Lakes basin.

This Agreement provided funds to the USFWS to assess the rate of use of the Detroit River by lake sturgeon as spawning habitat, and to assess the quality and character of that habitat. Evidence has grown in recent years that increased incidental catch of lake Sturgeon in western Lake Erie is likely to have been originating from natural spawning activity in the Detroit River. The cooperator will evaluate the Detroit river habitat for suitability for lake sturgeon spawning, and will sample for adult and juvenile sturgeon at suspected spawning, nursery and feeding sites. Collected eggs and genetic samples will provide ancillary data on populations and contaminant levels. This project will be conducted in close cooperation with the MDNR.

The Forest Bank proposes to use market incentives to conserve forest by providing landowners with liquidity for their forest assets in exchange for permanent control over how the forest is managed and harvested. The concept of Forest Banking was designed by the Center for Compatible Economic Development (CCED) to demonstrate the feasibility of a new, self-funded institution that could be effective at a scale relevant to the conservation of great Lakes ecosystems. It would sustainably harvest Great Lakes forest, while conserving ecological function, and providing a service to local forest owners and the economies of nearby communities. The one year grant for which the CCED requests $150,000, will fund year two of a 2 year project intended to bring 2-4 pilot sites in the US side of the Great Lakes basin to the point of implementation for site-based Forest Banking.

This project is Phase II of a three-part project to address the threats to aquatic ecosystems in the United States. In Phase I, a national aquatic community classification system was developed and a preliminary set of priority sites for conservation identified in the Great Lakes basin. In Phase II, tools for accurate assessment of the condition of aquatic sites and the threats to them will be developed and the biological content of predetermined sites will be assessed. Phase III will begin the design and implementation of conservation actions to protect priority aquatic sites.

Specifically, the goal of Phase II is to designate conclusively priority sites for aquatic conservation in the Great Lakes basin. Two components of the project will achieve this goal. The first component, funded by GLNPO, has three objectives: Establish standard methods for ranking the quality of aquatic sites; refine methods for assessing land use and land cover data to determine site quality; and gather the best available information on threats to aquatic sites. This work, in combination with a second component to be funded by the Great Lakes Protection Fund, will lead to taking conservation action to protect priority aquatic sites throughout the Great Lakes basin.

The Great Lakes Tribes, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife commission, federal and state agencies, and universities will be invited to participate in a meeting to share cultural and scientific information on wild rice. The goals of the project are to discuss recent wild rice research, review successes of wild rice restoration projects, set up a network for information exchange, coordinate future research, and increase Tribal and non-Tribal understanding of the cultural significance of wild rice. Proceedings of the meeting will be published and distributed.

The product of this project will be a poster about Great Lakes alvars which raises public awareness about this community type and about alvar conservation issues. It is a result of the binational Great Lakes Alvar Conservation Initiative, a three-year effort by over 30 experts to identify, characterize, classify, and initiate conservation efforts on alvar communities found throughout the Niagara Escarpment.

The October 6-10, 1998, Natural Areas Association Conference on Mackinaw Island, Michigan is aimed at natural areas professionals and will facilitate discussions about protection and restoration in natural areas. Field trips to local natural areas will generate discussions about Great Lakes ecosystems. This grant will enable NAA to hire a conference planner to finalize arrangements up to and during the conference, and wrap up post conference.

TNC, through the Michigan Natural Features Inventory (MNFI), will work with three local conservation groups in the conservation of their region's biodiversity and high priority ecosystems. Using information from TNC's ecoregional planning and statewide conservation planning efforts; MNFI's presettlement vegetation study, landscape ecosystem classification of Michigan, and natural heritage database; and MNFI's expertise in conservation planning, landowner contact and education, and experience working with a variety of conservation programs, agencies, and organizations, MNFI will help these organizations become more effective in the conservation of their region's biodiversity. By utilizing natural features information, skills, and conservation tools, these groups will be more effective leaders and have a long-term impact on local policy and development of a conservation ethic in their area.

Monitoring

Lake Erie

This project will investigate if remedial activities and reductions in point source loadings at several of the Lake Erie harbors and/or river systems have been successful. Components of the project include: 1) Completion of a retrospective analysis of existing data for Lake Erie relating to contaminant sources, types, concentrations and affected biological resources; 2) Re-evaluation of biological health indicators at areas where historic collections and analyses previously showed adverse impacts to fish and invertebrate populations; 3) Transfer of information generated to appropriate RAPs and the Lake Erie LaMP; 4) Establishment of a long-term, electronic database for indicators of fish and invertebrate communities, tissue and sediment contaminant concentrations, and fish health; and 5) Integration of an ecological risk assessment with the retrospective analysis of sources and effects of stressors in Lake Erie Areas of Concern.

This project joins other aspects of a larger study that has leveraged an additional $114,000 from USGS and $27,500 from non-federal sources. With this project, GLNPO joins a group of other federal and non-federal agencies to test the application of chemical and biological indicators in Lake Erie AOCs where significant remedial actions are known or thought to have occurred.

USEPA/GLNPO conducts an annual series of surveys of the central basin of Lake Erie to track depletion of oxygen in the hypolimnion, the cold water at the bottom of the Lake. Normally, the EPA Research Vessel Lake Guardian is employed to carry out the surveys at 3-week intervals throughout the summer months. On occasion, especially in late August, the EPA vessel is occupied in other work or is otherwise unavailable. This Agreement makes the USGS Research Vessel Musky II available for conducting these surveys during those occasions.

Lake Michigan

This agreement will provide funds for the reporting of additional non-LMMB toxics, PAHs and trace metals other than Hg(As, Cd, etc.), that were not required to be reported under an existing cooperative agreement with Indiana University for reporting under LMMB. The funds ensure that the data will be summarized and reported to the public and environmental managers in a useful manner.

University of Illinois will conduct atmospheric sampling, analysis and data submittal for the LMMB Study under Assistance Agreement GL995483. This agreement will provide funding for data analysis and reporting for the LMMB Study.

GLNPO provided funding under Assistance Agreements GL985727 and GL985427 to the State University of New York at Buffalo to conduct atmospheric loadings analyses for the LMMB Study. This agreement will provides funding for the completion and final submittal of these results by Dr. Hornbuckle, who has moved from SUN Y Buffalo to the University of Iowa.

This agreement will allow Clarkson University to conduct a project to determine sources of atmospheric loadings of PCBs in the Chicago/Gary area.

This agreement will enable MDEQ continue to investigate the source of elevated levels of DDT and metabolites of DDT found through atmospheric sampling conducted by the LMMB and the IADN.

A major focus of the Lake Michigan Mass Balance (LMMB) project is directed at evaluating Hg dynamics in the lake. As a portion of the larger study, the tributary monitoring group collected samples for total Hg for the duration of the project (1994-1995). In 1994, we also sampled and analyzed a limited subset of tributaries (four Tributaries, less intensive sampling) for methyl Hg (MeHg), the bioaccumulative for of Hg. The results were encouraging and indicated that differing land/use land cover patterns strongly influenced the loading and partitioning of MeHg to the lake. Based on these results, we decided to obtain a full set of samples from the 1995 tributary sampling efforts, in hopes of later obtaining funding to analyze the samples. This one-year proposal is directed at analysis of these archived samples. It is clearly evident that to truly evaluate trophic transfer of Hg through the food chain in the lake, one must consider MeHg. The results of these analyses will aid in determining whether the bioaccumulative form of Hg is dominated by external inputs to Lake Michigan.

The project involves the development of the relationship between trace metal yield (loads) and watershed characteristics. The project also attempts to allocate the proportion of the load due to non-point watershed sources, and that from localized urban input. These load estimation developments are critical to the accurate calculation of river loads for the LMMB Study, and will aid Agency efforts at watershed level analysis of pollutant sources.

The project objective is to determine toxaphene concentrations in the Lake Michigan pelagic foodweb and use these data to help understand the bioaccumulation dynamics of toxaphene. The work addresses a newly emerging issue in Lake Superior and Lake Michigan, and advances the LMMB Study through analysis of a contaminant of concern not an original part of the study. This is the second year of funding for this project.

This agreement provides funds to the USACE to develop and integrate sediment transport and water circulation models. These models and their documentation and integration into the modeling framework are critical for the LMMB. This portion of the modeling effort deals with particle transport utilizing a modified Princeton Ocean Model (POM). This amendment provides the funds to finish all tasks.

This agreement provides funds to the USGS to develop load estimates for enhanced monitoring contaminants (pesticides and heavy metals) along with the Lake Michigan Mass Balance (LMMB) contaminants (Hg, trans nonachlor, PCBs, and Atrazine). In addition, the USGS will be involved with the writing, editing and publishing reports on the data and the load estimates. These load estimates are essential to LMMB model development, and have also been requested by the states of Michigan and Wisconsin.

This agreement will provide funds to SUNY Buffalo for monitoring of toxics in conjunction with the EEGLE Study research effort. The EEGLE Study is being funded by the National Science Foundation to study nutrient transport in a plume that occurs in Lake Michigan annually. This effort would enable the study of toxics in this plume. This information would also be in support of the LMMB Study by providing insight into the air/water exchange of PCBs and polychlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The grantee will also provide information necessary to determine the spatial and temporal variation of loadings across the Lake. This project is a pilot for future air/water toxics sampling projects.

This agreement will provide an opportunity in June, 1998 for state and local governments in the Great Lakes to become familiar with the data on how urban areas impact the Great Lakes. The data is intended to guide future toxics reduction scenarios at the state, federal and local levels.

This agreement will allow the University of Michigan to estimate atmospheric loadings of total Hg in support of the LMMB study. The grantee will also provide meteorological information necessary to determine the spatial and temporal variation of loadings across the lake.

Basin-wide or Multiple Basins

This agreement will provide funds for the operation and maintenance of the IADN. The IADN is a binational network made up of 5 sites, one per Great Lake. Twice a month atmospheric samples of rain, vapor, and particles are taken and analyzed for pesticides and other organics. The results are used to calculated loadings of these substances to the Great Lakes.

The agreement will provide analytical chemistry support and scientific input on the Great Lakes Fish Contaminant Monitoring Program (GLFMP). USGS will analyze whole fish composites of lake trout and walleye samples collected in 1994 to 1997 for percent lipid and selected organic contaminants such as PCBs, toxaphene, and selected organochlorine pesticides. The project is directed toward the impacts of water contaminants on the fishery and the potential human exposure to contaminants through consumption of popular sport species. The project will complement trend analysis performed in previous years in the Great Lakes Fish Contaminant Monitoring Program.

Pollution Prevention

Lake Erie

This assistance agreement will fund the conduct of household hazardous waste collection events on the reservations of the Seneca, Tonawanda, and Tuscarora Bands in Western New York and establishment of a regular household hazardous waste collection programs on these reservations; as well as education, outreach, consultation, and coordination related with this project.

Lake Michigan

Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the University of Illinois at Chicago will conduct a study of the ritual use of Hg in the City of Chicago under the established HHE Program. Chicago Department of Health has agreed to recruit approximately 100 individuals to participate in the study. Participants will be recruited from local clinics in the Hispanic communities. The objectives of the study are to: 1)identify ritual uses of Hg in the Chicago area; 2) determine Hg levels in air as a result of these ritual Hg uses; 3) determine which uses of Hg result in the greatest exposures, and ; 4) determine if the ritual use of Hg is a public health hazard.

The work to be funded by the assistance would continue a project with the goal of reducing the amount of Hg released into the environment. The Great Lakes area would be reached by encouraging hospitals and other health care facilities in the Chicago metropolitan area to adopt comprehensive pollution prevention programs, with a particular emphasis on Hg-containing devices, products and waste.

Lake Superior

The Marquette Area Wastewater Treatment Facility will target Hg reduction in the Lake Superior basin. Project activities include working with the medical and dental community, area businesses and community residents in the Marquette, Michigan area to reduce Hg consumption. They will also work in partnership with the local hospital and power plant. They are building upon existing information and project results will be shared with other communities.

The Bad River Reservation is a water-rich environment which provides the ground water for its drinking water supply. In addition, the surface and ground waters of the reservation provide nourishment and a support environment for the tribal fish and game resources as well as the vast wild rice beds of the reservation. Unfortunately, the reservation has a large number of illegal dump sites.

This project will support the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency in its efforts to ascertain whether there may be or may have been local sources of toxaphene to the St. Louis River. Toxaphene is a trigger for fish consumption advisories on Lake Superior. This project supports virtual elimination of toxaphene and the Lake Superior LaMP. It will involve sampling sediments to determine the history toxaphene levels in the St. Louis River above and below the former discharge point of a pulp mill in Cloquet, Minnesota.

The grantee will work directly with General Purchasing Organizations and health care facilities to help identify and purchase alternative products which will help to minimize the discharge of PBTs in the health care waste stream. Hg emissions, especially through the incineration of medical wastes, is of particular concern. A Preferred Purchasing Policy targeting PBTs will be developed and implemented. In addition, the grantee will produce instructional materials to educate health care staff about the complete life cycle, and the inherent environmental and health costs of the products they use.

Basin-wide or Multiple Basins

The grantee will use grant funds to replace Hg manometer gauges used in dairy farms with non-Hg gauges to reduce the potential for spilling Hg into the environment. Since economic conditions for the dairy farmer are poor, and since gauge substitution offers no immediate direct benefit to the farmer, the plan is to provide a substitute gauge at no cost to the farmer. Hg manometer gauges will also be collected from inactive dairy farms. All manometer gauges collected will be delivered to a contractor who will extract the Hg from the gauges and use the element for an acceptable purpose.

The Hg-cell chlor-alkali (MCCA) industry in the U.S. requires about 160 tons of replacement Hg per year. Nobody currently knows the environmental fate of the Hg. If most of the missing Hg is lost in the atmosphere, the MCCA would become the leading source of Hg in the country and the Great Lakes basin. The objectives of this proposal are to ascertain how and where Hg is lost from MCCA plants and the forms and fate of mercury from this industrial sector.

Emissions of Hg from coal-fired power plants and other sources accumulate in the aquatic food chain and are associated with health effects in both humans and wildlife. Most of the Hg contamination found in our nations waters comes not form point sources of Hg but from nonpoint source emissions. The Center for Clean Air Policy proposes to develop a voluntary Hg emissions bank to achieve early reductions in Hg emissions from coal-fired power plants and other sources in the Great Lakes and surrounding states.

The intent of this program is to provide for the disposal of pesticides at the eleven permanent Clean Sweep storage facilities that have been supported by EPA and GLNPO in years prior to FY'98. These funds will allow participants to bring unusable pesticides to a regional storage facility at the time they discover the pesticides or determine they are no longer usable. This program will continue to utilize the eleven permanent clean sweep facilities, previous Clean Sweep expertise and training , existing publicity an public and private sector support, while improving the effectiveness of previous EPA and GLNPO funded clean sweep sites.

This assistance agreement will fund an innovative pilot project to collect and recycle automotive Hg switches from the hoods and trunks of automobiles. The project will prevent an estimated 500 pounds of Hg from entering the Great Lakes Basin. Erie County, Monroe County, Niagara County, Niagara Frontier Automobile Dealers Association and Hg Refining Company have all committed to participate in various facets of the project. Letters of Intent have been received from all the collaborators. The municipalities have also provided detailed task descriptions which are reflected in the proposal. Letters of support for the project have been received from the Niagara River Remedial Advisory Committee and from the Rochester Embayment RAP Committee. If successful, this project could be expanded to other locations in the Basin and elsewhere.

This BNS award shall enable the WDNR to expand its participation in planning and implementation activities related to the Great Lakes BNS. Under this grant the WDNR shall: 1)Participate in team and subgroup meetings for BNS planning; 2)Participate in stakeholder meetings and conference calls with industry, environmental groups, tribes, etc. in an effort to begin reduction actions under the BNS; 3)Serve as liaison to the rest of the WDNR on actions relating to the BNS; and 4)Promote BNS goals and strategies as part of state pollution prevention outreach efforts.

This pollution prevention project shall enable CGLI to work with the GLNPO to implement provisions of the Great Lakes BNS. The CGLI will outreach to industry, bring affected industry to the table to discuss the BNS, help implement programs leading to actual reductions and elimination of targeted substances and help staff to lead the chemical-specific work groups.

This pollution prevention project shall enable NWF to work with the GLNPO to implement provisions of the Great Lakes BNS. Specifically, NWF will work with other environmental groups to help lead efforts on toxic reduction, especially of Hg. They will also work closely with the health care sector to reduce both Hg and dioxins. They will work in the Lake Superior basin to develop community-based pollution prevention projects.

Contaminated Sediments 

Lake Erie

This project will complete an initial sediment screening assessment for Sandusky Bay of Lake Erie along with a sediment characterization of sediments in Duck and Otter Creek Watersheds in the Maumee AOC. Approximately 80 to 100 sediment samples will be collected in Sandusky Bay to increase the sediment quality database for the site and to determine the location and quality of sediment deposits at this site. The sampling in Duck and Otter Creek Watersheds will provide information on the extent of contamination, baseline environmental conditions, and the need for remedial actions as part of the Maumee RAP. All sediment samples will be analyzed for a wide array of chemical constituents and physical properties.

This project will support a pilot scale study for treatment and reuse of contaminated sediments in the Trenton Channel of the Detroit River. Using 1,000 to 5,000 cubic yards of sediment from the planned remediation of the Black Lagoon site in the Trenton Channel, treatment technology vendors will decontaminate the sediments to meet particular reuse characteristics and deliver products made from the sediments for reuse. A successful pilot demonstration will demonstrate the technological feasibility of using treatment and reuse on a larger scale at contaminated sediment sites.

Lake Michigan

This project is an initial assessment of the nature and extent of sediment contamination in Manistee Lake, which is directly connected to Lake Michigan by a navigation channel. The project will provide data to further delineate source areas. Sediment samples will be analyzed for heavy metals, semivolatile organics, other compounds, and toxicity.

This project will complete an on-the-ground clean-up of contaminated sediments and flood plain sediments in the Hayton area of the South Branch of the Manitowoc River in Calumet County, Wisconsin. Sediments in the source area are contaminated with PCBs at levels in excess of 2,000 ppm. The project is a cooperative venture with includes local partners, state agencies, and the voluntary cooperation of a potentially responsible party. This project will provide accelerated clean-up of the source area with project completion scheduled for September 1999.

This project will support assessment of the nature and extent of sediment and fish contamination in Ruck Pond, Cedarburg, Wisconsin. This project is a follow up to remediation work conducted in 1994, in which 7,500 cubic yards of sediment was removed. Sediment and fish samples will be analyzed for PCB congeners and total organic carbon.

Lake Superior

This project will conduct a large-scale demonstration of the use of dredged materials as a soil amendment for reclaiming taconite tailings basins by creating wetlands. The project will construct approximately 10-acres of wetlands at a former taconite tailings basin in order to demonstrate the potential for beneficially reusing dredged materials. Uncontaminated, fine-grained, organic, materials will be excavated from the Erie Pier Confined Disposal Facility (CDF), transported to the tailings basin, and used to enhance vegetation in the tailings basin. Contaminant levels in the dredged materials and resulting vegetation will be monitored. This study will provide information that may extend the life of the existing CDF and potential liberate space in the facility for receipt of more contaminated materials during remediation of Duluth/Superior Harbor.

This project will complete detailed sediment sampling to determine the vertical and horizontal extent of sediment contamination in Minnesota Slip, Duluth Harbor, MN. Previous sampling indicates that sediments are contaminated with moderately high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PCBs, and Hg. This contamination is of concern due to the bioaccumulative nature of the contaminants and the close proximity of Minnesota Slip to the Duluth entry into Lake Superior. Sediment data will be used to further the development of remedial options for the site. The final report will compare contaminant concentrations to newly developed sediment quality guidelines for the St. Louis AOC and develop a short-list of remedial options for this orphan site.

Basin-wide or Multiple Basins

This project will support a scientific study to assess sediment erosion rates as a function of depth and shear stress, and then relate these rates to acoustic measurements. The goal of this study is to provide a rapid and accurate method to determine erosion rates by means of acoustic procedures. The project will be performed on several sites in the Grand River, Michigan; but if successful it will have applicability throughout the Great Lakes basin.

This project will support a USEPA project in the Grand River, Michigan examining the acoustic properties of sediments and their erosion rates. The study proposes using a ARoxAnn seabed-classification system for acoustic mapping of bottom-sediment types on the Grand River. Acoustic mapping with a RoxAnn will be used to collect surface sediment patterns and will be used to supplement the 3-D moe detailed data being collected by Caulfield Engineering. The long term objective is to be able to predict the erosion rates of contaminated sediments and to determine the potential for resuspension and export of contaminants.

The purpose of this project is to use a variety of existing Sediment Quality Guidelines (SQGs) to predict toxicity in sediments of the Great Lakes using independent datasets. The proposed project will assist communities in and around the Great Lakes AOCs in prioritizing sediments for potential remediation actions. Results of this project could be used to better map contaminants at a site and to refine risk assessments of contaminated sediments. Specifically, SQGs will be evaluated relative to their potential to: 1) correctly classify toxic samples as toxic; 2) correctly classify non-toxic samples as not toxic; 3) incorrectly classify non-toxic samples as toxic; and 4) incorrectly classify toxic samples as not toxic.

This project will complete three tasks aimed at increasing technical knowledge regarding the management and beneficial use of contaminated sediments: (1) Design, development, and demonstration of a intermediate-scale, trailer mounted hydrocyclone array capable of performing particle size separation on dredge material. Demonstration will lead to recovery of usable materials from Great Lakes confined disposal facilities. (2) Development, testing, and marketability study investigating the feasibility of composting dredged material with mixed waste streams (i.e. wood pulp, bio-solids, etc.). Results will aid in finding cost-effective, beneficial uses for lightly contaminated dredged materials. (3) Coordination of Sediment Transport Modeling study that the USACE is developing under the authority of Section 516(e) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 for studying Great Lakes tributaries. Funding for this task will augment the Corps of Engineers financing and allow for further coordination on this project between state, federal, and local agencies. Results of the modeling study will aid efforts to improve water quality in the Great Lakes Region. USEPA Headquarters provided $10,000 to fund work item #3.

OTHER  

Lake Michigan

This project will investigate in detail the decline in Diporeia abundance in southern Lake Michigan. At many sites in this area, Diporeia abundances declined from 5,000 to 10,000 per square meter to less than 100 per square meter. Diporeia is the dominant benthic macroinvertebrate in Lake Michigan and is considered to be a keystone species in the Lake's trophic structure. The specific objectives of this study are to: (i) provide an historical perspective to changes in Diporeia densities in southern Lake Michigan; (ii) define more closely the area of minimum or no Diporeia; and (iii) examine trends in other benthic macroinvertebrate groups.

Contact Project Officer for information.

The RDMQ system is being developed for use by various air quality measurement networks and all of LMMB chemistry data. The use of RDMQ by the US-GLNPO would foster easy exchange of quality-assured data collected for the Great Lakes Basin. Funding provides for the development of a RDMQ software package for use in GLNPO. Environment Canada will be modifying RDMQ for GLNPO applications such as the LMMB Study. The software will facilitate data verification and flagging for the LMMB study.

Lake Superior

The project is the first phase of a test program to apply a novel, state-of-the-art dual-tracer technique to trace the movement of aerosol from an isolated coal-fired power plant located 100 kilometers from the shore of Lake Superior. The project addresses some of the limitations that currently exist in mercury transport models, specifically the processes that control the removal of mercury from the atmosphere. The information obtained through this grant will further the understanding of the fate of anthropogenic mercury in the Lake Superior region and help develop methods to predict how changes in atmospheric loading will affect mercury cycling in Lake Superior. The project resulted from modifications to a project originally proposed for GLNPO funding.

Basin-wide or Multiple Basins

This project will determine the residue levels of nonylphenol, octylphenol and their carboxylates in fish tissues along with assessing selected endocrine disruptors endpoints in the same fish. The study is intended both to survey fish from suspected contaminated sites in order to determine relative amounts of these chemicals in indigenous fish and secondly to examine the possibility that there may be a link between elevated levels of these fish and disruption of sexual development. Results of this study should indicate whether accumulations of these chemicals are occurring in areas of industrial contamination.

MDEQ's Office of the Great Lakes will continue to work with GLNPO staff to gather information regarding progress being made to protect and restore the Great Lakes Ecosystem, including efforts to reduce toxics, protect human and wildlife health, and protect and restore vital Great Lakes habitats. Acting in close concert with GLNPO, MDEQ staff will solicit information from the wide community of public and private Great Lakes agencies, gather it in a usable form, and work with GLNPO staff to help produce reports to fulfill GLNPO's information dissemination requirements to the public, the International Joint Commission, Congress, and others.

With support form the Great Lakes Protection Fund, TNC's Great Lakes Program launched the Great Lakes Alvar Conservation Initiative in 1995 to model an approach for effective collaboration across the international border to conserve Great Lakes biodiversity. GLNPO funding will assist in the final critical stage of this initiative by providing for a workshop and the completion of the reports for the technical and non-technical audiences.

The Natural Resource Programs of the USDA offer landowners financial, technical, and educational assistance to implement conservation practices on privately owned land. Using this help, farmers and ranchers apply practices that reduce soil erosion, improve water quality, and enhance forest land, wetlands, grazing lands, and wildlife habitat. Certain programs give the Great Lakes Basin a high priority when ranking requests for funding for grants. The Liaison will connect the programs and missions of the USDA in relation to the Great Lakes and GLNPO.

The FWS is actively involved in addressing the protection, restoration, and enhancement of fish and wildlife resources throughout the Great Lakes Basin. This Liaison will work with GLNPO on programs and issues such as the National Wetlands Inventory-Great Lakes Status and Trends Study, Costal Wetlands, and Endangered and Threatened Species.

This agreement between the USEPA and the USDOI provides for the services of a USGS hydrologist who will function as a liaison resource person. The individual will serve as the lead for the four USGS Divisions (Water, Geology, Mapping, and Biology) and the assignment will include many specific duties.

Funding will continue support for the Great Lakes Information Network and its projects, including GIS products and web pages for the Beaches Environmental Assessment, Closure, and Health Program and for Areas of Concern. Funding also supports the Baltic Fellows Program which affords participants the opportunity to learn about enhanced monitoring and information networks, remediation of contaminated sediments, habitat protection and enhancement, brownfield development, and bilateral coordination under the GLWQA.

The project will provide support for the development of a background paper and recommendations for the identification of aquatic biodiversity investment areas throughout the Great Lakes. Investment areas are areas of unusual ecological importance that need special focus for analysis and action. The concept was developed for terrestrial near shore areas and endorsed by the 1996 SOLEC conference. This grant will support identification and documentation of analogous areas in the aquatic portions of the Lakes to be considered during SOLEC >98. This project builds upon the 1994 SOLEC paper on aquatic community health authored by Dr.Joseph Koonce, the binational HabCARES conference and various other initiatives related to identifying important habitat areas in the Lakes and their potential for protection and restoration. In addition to providing the information needed for SOLEC >98, the project will provide a basis for continuing work with and by the groups developing LaMPs. The information from this project can be incorporated into LaMPs and contribute to SOLEC 2000.

The Great Lakes Commission will undertake nine separate sub-tasks which address a variety of Great Lakes issues. Each sub-task will have a technical lead from GLNPO, with a single overall project officer. The sub-tasks to be completed are:

As an important visual component of communication, maps and data assist decision makers and the general public in making better informed decisions that help reduce toxic pollution, protect and restore habitats and support intergovernmental and public/private sector partnerships. Timely access to spatial data is the key to accurate and cost-effective decision-making on most Great Lakes environmental protection priorities. The Great Lakes GIS Online project builds upon the Internet mapping application, enhances the spatial data library of consistent spatial data layers covering the Great Lakes Basin and expands previously established partnerships. The Great Lakes GIS Online project will ensure quick and efficient access to accurate Great Lakes spatial data for the widest possible group of interested parties. In addition to enhancing products previously developed by the Great Lakes Commission, proposed activities include, a workshop to bring the GIS community together, build relationships, and showcase products. For project guidance, an existing advisory board will be maintained and strengthened with the addition of other Great Lakes states and Canadian provincial representatives.

The Great Lakes Panel on ANS proposes to advance prevention and control efforts by heightening the regional and national profile of the issue, documenting economic and ecological impacts, and emphasizing the role and responsibilities of relevant levels of government, the private sector, user groups and the interested public. Toward this end, the Information Television Network (ITV) will produce, air and distribute a 30 minute documentary to be prepared in consultation with --- and subject to approval of C The Great Lakes Panel on ANS. This production will reach more than 50 million households.

The updated AOC information currently available via the USEPA GLNPO web site at http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/aoc/ is visited by a wide array of government personnel, private sector interests, citizen group representatives and others with a role or interest in AOC clean up and associated RAPs. Additionally, the AOC web page feature is one of the most popular sites on the Great Lakes Information Network. Although tremendous progress has been made in the last year in updating this online material, various elements of these web pages still need to be revised and designed to provide up-to-date summary data. The Great Lakes Commission proposes to work with public agency and private sector partners to methodically complete the update of the individual AOC web pages and to create web pages that synthesize and summarize the progress being made in each AOC.

A workshop will be held in the fall of 1998 to discuss the current status and unmet needs associated with research on preventing the spread of ANS through ballast water. Workshop participants will include a select group of researchers, resource managers, industry representatives and policy makers who are active in the field of ballast water management. The group will convene for up to two days of detailed, focused discussions on the state of knowledge on ballast water management as it relates to ANS prevention and control. The outcome will be a series of specific recommendations for ballast water research priorities which, if pursued over the next five years, will have the potential for identifying practical and effective options for preventing ANS introductions through ballast water. Workshop proceedings will be prepared as well as an article for publication in a Great Lakes-related journal. Workshop recommendations will provide guidance to agencies, academic institutions, industry groups and other entities that fund, conduct, manage or apply ANS related ballast water research. The workshop will be sponsored by the Great Lakes Panel on ANS and coordinated by the Panel's support staff at the Great Lakes Commission.

A conference on soil erosion, sedimentation and other forms of nonpoint source pollution will be held September 16-18, 1998 at the Radisson Hotel and SeaGate Center in Toledo, Ohio. The conference, titled Keeping it on the land ... and out of the water; Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Opportunities for the Great Lakes Basin, will review current initiatives related to soil erosion and sedimentation and other forms of nonpoint source pollution and will present case studies of successful management efforts in the Great Lakes Basin. The case study presentations will highlight projects funded under the Great Lakes Basin Program for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control as well as other initiatives and research efforts in the Great Lakes Basin. As a collaborative effort of numerous agencies and organizations, the conference will reflect the broad array of issues, initiatives, and stakeholders addressing the causes and impacts of soil erosion in the Great Lakes Basin. A conference proceedings document will be prepared and will include summaries of keynote addresses and abstracts of the case study presentations.

Dredging and dredged material disposal, particularly when contaminated sediments are present, have raised public concerns and posed difficult management decisions for governmental agencies involved in the process. An active and informed user community and general public helps ensure sound regulatory and financial decisions regarding dredging and the management of dredged material. Expansion of the Great Lakes Dredging Team's Internet web site will benefit resource managers, policymakers, the user community and the interested public, and will demonstrably improve access to/use of data and information to resolve contaminated sediment and related-dredging issues. An assessment of Dredging Team outreach efforts to date and recommendations for new or modified communications/outreach products will be undertaken.

SOLEC is a biennial conference sponsored by USEPA and Environment Canada. First held in 1994, it is convened in support of U.S. and Canadian efforts under the GLWQA. The Great Lakes Commission had a substantive role in both SOLEC '94 and SOLEC '96 which involved planning, information management support and preparation of research papers (Regional Economy and Land Use). The Commission's Executive Director and Transportation and Economic Development Program Manager were members of the SOLEC '96 Steering Committee and continue in that capacity for SOLEC '98. Commission staff are also participating in SOLEC '98 through the Land Use Indicators working group; planning a joint reception for SOLEC attendees and Commission Annual Meeting participants; coordinating the SOLEC "success stories" element of the agenda; and assisting with conference follow-up, including placing SOLEC products online.

The eight-state Great Lakes Commission, in collaboration with government jurisdictions at all levels, will initiate a Great Lakes pilot project in support of USEPA's national Beaches Environmental Assessment, Closure and Health (BEACH) Program. Shared USEPA and state goals for enhancing and protecting public health will be addressed through an online beach advisory system. The project will also promote consistency and enhance efforts in beach water quality monitoring, analysis, advisory implementation, publicity and inter-jurisdictional reporting. In so doing, the project responds to USEPA-GLNPO priorities, and supports broader Great Lakes monitoring, assessment, program consistency and public information/outreach goals.

Planning, prevention and response work associated with oil and hazardous materials spills is vitally important in safeguarding the environmental quality of the Great Lakes Basin and the health and safety of its residents. Presently, spill-related data and information is incomplete, unassembled and difficult to access in both emergency response and non-emergency situations. To resolve this problem, the Great Lakes Commission will work with public agency and private sector partners to establish a Web-based Great Lakes Spills Information Center; develop an oil spill research inventory; and introduce these services to the regulated and responder communities.

This grant focuses on adequately identifying and controlling the emissions and flows of Hg related to Hg-cell chlor-alkali plants: both the levels of overall emissions during plant operations, as well as the disposition-as these plants are closed during the coming decades -of the massive inventories of Hg that have accumulated within them. These sources of potential Hg releases constitute a significant global risk.

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