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The Great Lakes Legacy Act
Discharges of toxic substances into the Great Lakes Basin have been
reduced in the last 20 years, but persistent, high concentrations of
contaminants remain in the bottom sediments of some of the rivers
and harbors that feed into the Lakes. These contaminants have the
potential to cause harm to humans, aquatic organisms, and wildlife,
and there are advisories against consuming the fish from most water
bodies around the Great Lakes. These problem harbor and tributary
areas in the Great Lakes basin have been identified and labeled as
"areas of concern” with 31 of the 43 AOCs located on the U.S. side
of the Great Lakes.
To tackle this problem of contamination, and to take a key step toward recovery of these 31 sites, the Great Lakes Legacy Act (the Legacy Act) was signed into law in 2002. The Act provides funding to take the necessary steps to clean up contaminated sediment in "Areas of Concern located wholly or partially in the United States," including specific funding designated for public outreach and research components. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) was designated to implement the Legacy Act.
The Great Lakes Legacy Act was reauthorized by Congress and signed into law on October 8, 2008. The GLLA reauthorizes the U.S. EPA GLNPO for two more years at level funding. The new legislation allows GLNPO to continue to move forward with sediment cleanups in the Great Lakes Areas of Concern and includes several new provisions to improve the program.
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Great Lakes Legacy Reauthorization Act of 2008 (PDF, 112 Kb, 4 pages)
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For more information on the reauthorization, please contact Marc Tuchman at (312) 353-1369 or tuchman.marc@epa.gov
Program Information
This page provides the links to general information about the Act, including the official text of the “Great Lakes Legacy Act of 2002” and the Final Rule; Notice of Implementation Policy entitled “Implementation of the Great Lakes Legacy Act (May 2006).
Underway and Completed Projects
Several Great Lakes Legacy Act Projects have been completed and several more are currently underway. Learn more about these projects, what has been accomplished, and what the next steps to delisting are at several sites around the Great Lakes.
Information for Applicants
This page provides all of the necessary information to assist you in applying for a GLLA project.
Sediment clean ups
To learn more about Contaminated Sediments, Site Evaluation, Remediation technologies and Project Design, see this page for links to the most recent publications and information