Upper Great Lakes Connecting Channels Study

Volume 1 Executive Summary

The Upper Great Lakes Connecting Channels Study Management Committee December 1988

PREFACE

This report is an executive summary of the major findings and recommendations of the Upper Great Lakes Connecting Channels Study. These findings and recommendations are based upon data collected in 1985 and 1986. It is Volume I of a 3 volume set containing the complete output of the study. Volume II is the main study report. Volume III consists of the many principal investigator reports, work-group reports and other key supporting documents. Copies of Volume III are on file with each of the participating agencies and with the International Joint Commission in Windsor, Ontario.

1. INTRODUCTION

Changes in environmental quality resulting from the intensive use of the Great Lakes waters are becoming better known. -

As early as the 1940’s researchers recognized that contaminants entered the lakes from many different sources over a wide area. Today it is commonly accepted that toxic and chemical issues are not only scientifically and technically complex, but that interdisciplinary study and interjurisdictional cooperation is required in order to understand and resolve these issues.

The Upper Great Lakes Connecting Channels Study (UGLCCS) is a landmark in advancing our overall understanding of the environmental conditions of the Great Lakes Basin. UGLCCS is a unique cooperative under- taking by eleven institutions at the federal, state, provincial and municipal levels to:

1. assess the environmental quality of the Detroit, St. Marys, St. Clair Rivers and Lake St. Clair;
2. identify and assess the major pollution sources to these waters;
3. recommend actions to ensure the remediation and protection of these waters.

Initiated in late 1983 by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, UGLCCS became a full bilateral multi-agency investigation in July 1984. The principal agencies involved were the USEPA, Environment Canada (DOE), Ontario Ministry of the Environment (OMOE), Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), US. Fish and Wildlife Ser- vice (USFWS), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra- tion (NOAA), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE), the City of Detroit, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR).

Despite the reduction in contaminant loadings to the Great Lakes over the past two decades, beneficial uses of these waters continue to be impaired. The Detroit, St. Clair and St. Marys Rivers have been designated by the International Joint Commission as “Areas of Concern” because pollutant levels have exceeded certain water quality objectives of the 1978 Canada-US Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

The 1978 Protocol, amending the Agreement calls for a binational effort to develop and implement Remedial Action Plans (RAPS) to restore “Areas of Concern”. The findings and recommendations of this study will facilitate the development of RAPS and measure the restoration of these magnificent waters.

2. OVERVIEW

The Upper Connecting Channels function as the drainage system for Lakes Superior, Huron and Michigan, funnelling large volumes of water, sediment and nutrients. They form a diversity of habitat conditions attracting numerous species of fish, waterfowl and plants. Tables 1, 2 and 3 summarize hydrological characteristics of the channels, the current water uses and the major contaminant concerns, respectively.

Land use in the vicinity of the channels, although containing concentrations of urban and industrial areas, is mainly rural. The Detroit River watershed is the most industrialized, having the largest population and the Lake St. Clair watershed is the most agricultural.

It is the use of the channels as receiving waters that provide the focus for the UGLCC Study. Wastes from the following industrial sectors are discharged into the connecting channels: pulp and paper, electrical power generation, steel making and casting, mineral extraction, chemical manufacturing, petrochemical and refining, and automobile manufacturing. The channels also receive waste from municipalities, agricultural and urban runoff, waste disposal sites and the atmosphere. Chemicals released include synthetic organics, metals and nutrients.

3. PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The UGLCC Study was conceived to integrate scientific information and data on the Upper Connecting Channels and to develop recommendations for binational efforts to restore these “Areas of Concern”.

The study was carried out in three stages:

1. review existing environmental information.
2. conduct field, laboratory and modeling studies to fill information gaps, and
3. consolidate findings into a single report which will provide guidelines to those developing Remedial Action Plans.

Field studies were undertaken:

1. to identify and measure sources of contaminants and their impacts on beneficial uses and on the ecosystem;
2. to determine the adequacy of existing control measures;
3. to recommend controls, and
4. to recommend surveillance programs to monitor the effects of restoration efforts.

Eight workgroups produced 25 reports developed from 170 studies on water quality, sediments, biota, point sources, non-point sources, modeling, data quality and long-term monitoring. The workgroup reports and committee memberships are listed in the Appendices.

The UGLCC Study pioneered the use of the mass balance concept (pollutant input/output) for planning and design of a large scale environmental study of toxic substances. The calculations identified areas in the channels that acted as sources or sinks for a given pollutant with respect to the remainder of the system. The process models developed provide a suite of tools that can be used to assess the transport, fate and exposure of pollutants in each channel. However, time and resources were insufficient to collect the necessary data to verify the models.

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