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The Great Lakes:
An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book
Chapter One - Introduction: The Great Lakes
Chapter Two - Natural Processes in the Great Lakes
Chapter Three - People and the Great Lakes
Chapter Four - The Great Lakes Today - Concerns
Chapter Five - Joint Management of the Great Lakes
Chapter Six - New Directions for the Great Lakes Community
Glossary
Conversion Table (Metric
to Imperial Values)
References and Suggestions
for Further Reading
Sources for Maps
Categories of Use Impairments
- Degradation of fish and wildlife populations (3)
- Degradation of benthic populations (6)
- Degradation of phytoplankton and zooplankton (13)
- Undesirable algae/eutrophication (which may cause low dissolved oxygen levels, which may, in turn, cause other impairments) (8)
- Fish tumors and other deformities (4)
- Bird or animal deformities or reproduction problems (5)
- Restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption (1)
- Beach closings (bacteria) (10)
- Tainting of fish and fildlife flavor (2)
- Restrictions on dredging (7)
- Taste and odor in drinking water (9)
- Degradation of aesthetics (11)
- Added costs for agriculture or industry (12)
- The numbers identify specific use-impairment categories used in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
- Question marks indicate impairments being investigated.
The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement list 14 beneficial uses that may be impaired and in need of restoration. The four general categories below contain the 14 impairments identified by number based upon the sequence in which they appear in the agreement.
Ecological Health and Reproduction
Human Health
Human Use (Welfare)
Fish and Wildlife Habitat (14)
Geographic Areas Of Concern: Impaired Uses
| Area of Concern |
Ecological Health and Reproduction |
Habitat |
Human Health |
Human Use / Welfare |
||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Lake Superior |
Peninsula Harbour | 3 | 6 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 9 | |||||||||
| Jackfish Bay | 3 | 4 | 5? | 14 | 1? | 6 | 7 | 11 | ||||||||
| Nipigon Bay | 3 | 4? | 6 | 8 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 11 | |||||||
| Thunder Bay | 3 | 4 | 5? | 6 | 13 | 14 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 12 | |||||
| St. Louis Bay/River | 3 | 4 | 5? | 6 | 14 | 1 | 10 | 2? | 7 | 11 | ||||||
| Torch Lake | 6 | |||||||||||||||
| Deer Lake-Carp Creek/River | 1 | |||||||||||||||
|
Lake Michigan |
Manistique River | 6 | 14 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 11 | |||||||||
| Menominee River | 3 | 6 | 14 | 1 | 10 | 7 | ||||||||||
| Fox River/Southern Green Bay | 3 | 4? | 5 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 14 | 1 | 10 | 2? | 7 | 9 | 11 | |||
| Sheboygan River | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 14 | 1 | 7 | |||||||
| Milwaukee Estuary | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 14 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 11 | |||||
| Waukegan Harbor | 3? | 5? | 6 | 13 | 14 | 1 | 10 | 2? | 7 | 9? | ||||||
| Grand Calumet River/Indiana Harbor Canal | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 14 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 12 | ||
| Kalamazoo River | 5? | 14 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Muskegon Lake | 3 | 5? | 6 | 8 | 13? | 14 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 11 | ||||||
| White Lake | 3 | 5? | 6 | 8 | 13? | 14 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 11 | ||||||
|
Lake Huron |
Saginaw River/Bay | 3 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 14 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 11 | |||
| Collingwood Harbour | ||||||||||||||||
| Severn Sound | 3 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 11 | |||||||||
| Spanish Harbour | 3 | 5? | 6? | 13? | 14? | 1 | 10 | 7 | 12 | |||||||
|
Lake Erie |
Clinton River | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 14 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 11 | |||||
| Rouge River | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 11 | |||||||
| River Raisin | 6 | 1 | 7 | |||||||||||||
| Maumee River | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 11 | |||||||
| Black River | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 13? | 14 | 1 | 10 | 2? | 7 | 11 | ||||
| Cuyahoga River | 3 | 4 | 5? | 6 | 8 | 13? | 14 | 1 | 10 | 2? | 7 | 9? | 11 | |||
| Ashtabula River | 3 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 1 | 7 | ||||||||||
| Presque Isle Bay | 4 | 6? | 10 | 7 | ||||||||||||
| Wheatley Harbour | 4? | 6? | 8? | 14 | 10? | 7 | ||||||||||
|
Lake Ontario |
Buffalo River | 3? | 4 | 5? | 6 | 14 | 1 | 2? | 7 | |||||||
| Eighteen Mile Creek | 6? | 14? | 1? | 7? | ||||||||||||
| Rochester Embayment | 3 | 4? | 5 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 14 | 1 | 10 | 2? | 9 | 11 | 12 | |||
| Oswego River | 3 | 4? | 5? | 6? | 8 | 13? | 14 | 1 | 11? | |||||||
| Bay of Quinte | 3 | 4? | 6 | 8 | 13 | 14 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 11 | |||||
| Port Hope | 7 | |||||||||||||||
| Metro Toronto | 3 | 4? | 5? | 6 | 8 | 13? | 14 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 11 | |||||
| Hamilton Harbour | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 11 | |||||||
| Connecting Channels | St. Marys River | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 11 | ||||||
| St. Clair River | 4? | 5 | 6 | 14 | 1 | 10 | 2? | 7 | 9 | 11 | 12 | |||||
| Detroit River | 4 | 6 | 14 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 11 | ||||||||
| Niagara River (Ontario) | 3 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 13? | 14 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 9 | ||||||
| Niagara River (New York) | 3? | 4 | 5? | 6 | 14 | 1 | 7 | |||||||||
| St. Lawrence River (Cornwall) | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 13? | 14 | 1 | 10 | 2? | 7 | 9 | 11 | 12 | ||
| St. Lawrence River (Massena) | 3? | 4? | 5? | 6? | 14 | 1 | ||||||||||
Symbols used:
Adapted from: Progress in Great Lakes Remedial Action Plans 1994. DF: 6/8/94